Introduced in August 2024, the new concept had left me uncertain about its title. The prospect of a brand-new, free-to-play game is undeniably enticing. Given the highly competitive MOBA market, wouldn’t it be possible to create an engaging and intricate gameplay experience that would captivate my attention? Despite any reservations, I dove into the beta with an open mind. Despite its shortcomings, the game’s fast-paced gameplay hook me within an hour or two, prompting me to repeatedly whisper “just one more level” to myself.
Mastered the cat-and-mouse dynamic that has propelled the MOBA genre’s popularity, resulting in each skirmish feeling like an electrifying and frenetic thrill ride. In this fast-paced, 4v4 strategy game, your team aims to capture the opposing side’s coveted Dragon Ball in real-time. To achieve this, you must obliterate the adversary’s God of Destruction barriers while simultaneously safeguarding your own. If you’re thinking of the gameplay format as a traditional tower defense game, you’re on the right track.
At the outset, the early minutes of each battle unfold at a deliberate pace, allowing for gradual progress as you vanquish non-player characters scattered across the map or skillfully eliminate rival party members to elevate your abilities. At a certain point in the match, you’ll have the opportunity to breach the God of Destruction’s defenses, and it’s then that the action truly intensifies. With split-second timing, a chaotic melee erupts as players frantically dash to either attack or defend the precarious barriers. In intense multiplayer battles, you’ll often find a group of eight players engaging in chaotic, hell-for-leather combat against one another. It’s often difficult to predict which team will emerge victorious until nearly the end of the game.
During battles, specific bosses will appear at designated times, adding an extra layer of complexity and challenge to your combat experience. When a crew delivers the fatal strike, the opposing side’s God of Destruction boundary is breached and suffers damage. While taking out these bosses early can be advantageous, their formidable effectiveness means you must ensure you’ve reached a suitable level before attempting to defeat them. If not, they’ll eliminate you outright, potentially jeopardizing the success of your entire team. By introducing diverse objectives and challenges, this approach significantly enhances the game’s dynamics, breaking the monotony of repetitive exploration and fostering a sense of engagement.
The incorporation of various nuances within the battlefield dynamics enhances the overall gaming experience. By equipping a helper at the start of each match, you can initiate an area-of-effect (AoE) transfer. Players will either accelerate their pawns inside the contested domain or strive to intercept and deflect the counterattacks launched by their opponents. After activating the assault, a brief cooldown period follows, during which time you cannot reuse the ability of the ally. By incorporating environmental awareness, this feature prompts gamers to remain vigilant about their surroundings, thereby fostering a sense of caution and encouraging players to think strategically about their actions rather than simply relying on instinctive button-mashing.
While previous versions of this game have employed a similar template, it falls short of achieving true excellence. The action-packed battles are reimagined with beloved Dragon Ball characters unleashing their signature attacks to deliver merciless blows to their adversaries. As the Dragon Ball narrative heavily relies on the bonds of friendship, developing a team-based game leveraging this intellectual property seems like a natural fit. It’s undeniable that the recurring trope of Goku battling foes who ultimately become friends is a humorous and enduring aspect of the series. However, upon closer examination, this pattern reveals more about Goku’s character and the values he embodies than we might initially suspect.
The beta features a diverse roster of ten playable characters, including iconic favourites such as Goku, Vegeta, and Gohan, alongside more unexpected choices like Cooler and the enigmatic Zamasu. Each character possesses a comprehensive transformation pool, comprising three standard abilities: assaults, one powerful attack, and one passive skill. As I unleash the mighty Kamehameha Wave, I revel in the thrill of pursuing fleeing foes and unleashing Vegeta’s catastrophic Big Bang Attack to annihilate a multitude of adversaries. Though I’d witnessed Majin Boo’s formidable Sweet Ray attack render opponents helpless, it never managed to elicit a smile from me. As these pivotal moments unfold, the conflicts are starkly highlighted, as if savoring the intricate complexities of the storyline itself.
Every player falls into one of three primary roles: damage dealer, tank, or support. Currently, tank characters are starkly overpowered in relation to their counterparts within the game, particularly Zamasu, whose passive ability enables him to regenerate health effortlessly? I successfully racked up five consecutive gaming victories, earning the coveted MVP title each time by expertly piloting Vegeta, a formidable tank character. Through the matches, I successfully exploited my opponent’s mistakes by focusing on the defensive aspects of my team’s abilities and utilizing them effectively to absorb and neutralize their attacks. The technical performance of Gohan in the beta version is significantly subpar, making him the most underwhelming character overall. In a departure from his typical tough-guy persona, Gohan exhibits surprising vulnerability in this Dragon Ball retelling. Hopefully, future developments will allow for further enhancements to some character profiles.
The subtle nuances in this setting contribute to its overall ambiance. The exceptional case where a map is divided into two distinct regions? Two contrasting aspects emerge: one featuring the rustic, rural landscapes often found in the series, and the other evoking the urban chic of West Metropolis? Despite my enthusiasm for the overall product, one aspect that failed to impress me was the limited range of pore and skin customization options available. While some may appear to be identical outfits, they actually come in a variety of default colors. Although this can be a beta version, subject to change, the additional exciting outfits were hidden behind particularly challenging capsules. One aspect suggests to me that this trait won’t alter with the comprehensive rollout.
I’ve been playing the game on my PC, and it runs surprisingly smoothly. On rare occasions, match loading may take a brief moment or two; while not excessively prolonged, this minor delay is likely being addressed to ensure a smoother launch experience. You can also play with a controller, which provides a clean way to control characters. I thoroughly enjoy playing with the controller. While I’m not an expert in cellular gameplay, I find that many games are well-suited for on-the-go entertainment, with match lengths averaging around 20 minutes.
I was initially skeptical whether this reimagining could successfully capture the essence of its original counterpart without losing its luster. I’ve had a thoroughly enjoyable experience playing, and I can easily foresee spending considerable time immersed in the game once it’s released. While my sole concern regarding this popular game is the potential for stagnation, I fear that a lack of regular updates, such as fresh maps or character additions, could lead to a decline in player engagement and overall enthusiasm. While I appreciate the initial customization options, I would ideally like to explore an even broader range of personalizations; however, it’s not uncommon for betas to offer limited choices. Is the price placing firmly on your radar? It has the potential to attract a loyal following, as the fundamental building blocks are already in place.
Beta is now available for download on PC and mobile devices in select regions.
