DRAGON BALL Z: KAKAROT

Shenron or monkey’s paw, be careful what you wish for

- Alan Wen

There may have been many Dragon Ball Z games over the years, but they’ve always been fundamentally fighting games. It makes sense, given the series is mostly about big anime lads fighting each other. An action RPG covering the longrunning anime up to the Buu saga, then, must read like a dream come true for long-time fans. Dragon Quest but Dragon Ball, if you will.

However the ambition is woefully unfulfilled, most of the open-world RPG elements seemingly just there for the sake of it. From skill trees to stat-raising community boards, there’s no real depth as you’re never encouraged to engage with any of it. When even the legendary Dragon Balls are reduced to an uninspired fetch quest, you know something’s wrong.