Summary
Dragon Ball: Sparking Zerohas officially confirmed that there will be an offline multiplayer mode, though there is a big catch: fans can only play on one stage if they play locally. Going into Summer Game Fest, there was a ton of hype surroundingDragon Ball: Sparking Zero. Like past entries in theBudokai Tenkaichiseries, this game features destructible environments, a ton of playable characters, and over-the-top cinematic attacks. However, some fans were worried about the potential exclusion of offline multiplayer.
Early in 2024, some insiders had claimed thatSparking Zerowouldn’t include split-screen multiplayer. Many had felt that a game likeSparking Zerowould be incomplete if it didn’t have this feature, as many players have nostalgic memories of fighting their friends with their favoriteDragon Ballcharacters on a couch. Most of those fears were assuaged when an early leak of the PlayStation version ofSparking Zeroconfirmed the fan favorite feature. However, there is a big caveat about its inclusion.
Shortly afterSparking Zero’s latest trailer was dropped at Summer Game Fest, the game’s official website was also updated. TheofficialSparking Zerowebsitegoes over some of the features that were briefly touched upon in the last trailer, such as the game’s cinematic story mode, which will take place from eight different character perspectives. One thing that immediately stood out was the line regarding its multiplayer mode. It confirms players can battle it out both online and offline, but the biggest drawback to the local multiplayer is that players can only fight exclusively in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber.
Sparking Zero’s Offline Multiplayer Is Restricted to the Hyperbolic Time Chamber Stage
This effectively restricts players to fighting in only one stage, the Hyperbolic Time Chamber, eliminating many of the other stages included inSparking Zero. One of thebiggest appeals ofSparking Zerois fighting in an open environment, which can be destroyed or affected by the fighters. As such, players won’t be able to fight in locales like Planet Namek, the desert canyons, or other iconic locations inDragon Ball. This restriction has caused many fans to be disappointed, though some were glad the feature made it in at all after the uncertain rumors.
Bandai Namco also shared some details about a new creation feature inSparking Zero, specifically how fans could set up their own “dream story” with their favorite characters, and how they could be shared and experienced by others online. While thiscreation tool isn’t to the same extent asXenoverseorUltimate Tenkaichi, it appears Bandai Namco will be giving fans to create their own small what-if scenarios.
Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero
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The fourth mainline entry of theBudokai Tenkachiseries,Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zerois an in-development arena fighter developed by Spike Chunsoft and published by Bandai Namco.
