Review: Dragon Ball The Breakers – A concept with potential but poor execution | EarthGamer

A few days ago Bandai Namco officially launched its new game Dragon Ball: The Breakers. The saga of Goku and company has had an extensive history in the world of video games. This time it delves into the genre of asymmetric multiplayer.

Instead of taking on the role of one of the Z Fighters, players take on the role of an ordinary person or an iconic villain. With one side trying to survive while the other hunts them down. Does this concept work for the world of the dragon balls? Here we answer you.

Dragon Ball: The Breakers doesn’t waste much time explaining its mechanics

Dragon Ball: The Breakers It starts with a small tutorial that is also the only piece of history you will have. Supposedly the ‘survivor’ you control has the ability, or bad luck, to be able to travel between timelines. Unfortunately these have one of the iconic villains of the saga free and without anyone stopping them.

Since you are an ordinary person, the only thing you can do is start a huge time machine to escape. OROnce you’ve been taught the basic controls of how to move and use items, you’re free to venture into a few games on your own.

Dragon Ball: The Breakers is a game designed exclusively to be an online multiplayer. There is no story mode or way to play on your own. All your time will be spent either waiting in the lobby or in a game.

Inside the lobby you can buy some things with the items you get from playing. Most of what you can acquire is used for purely cosmetic purposes, to alter the appearance of your character. Perhaps some people will be quite entertained by its myriad of fashionable combinations.

The dangers of survival

Now it’s time to talk about the gameplay, starting with the role of the survivor. In each game a group of players take the role of normal people. Their mission is to find the power keys that activate the time machine that will allow them to escape. But finding them sounds easier than it is.

the maps of Dragon Ball: The Breakers they are quite large and full of chests. These may contain the key in question or some object that can help us on our odyssey. Like hermit seeds to revive when we are defeated, rocket launchers to stun the villain or dragon radars to easily find the keys.

Additionally, players can equip themselves with some tools to make mobility easier. For example, there is a kind of trampoline that allows us to reach high places. As well as a hook gun with which we can traverse great distances in seconds.

The survivors in Dragon Ball: The Breakers they can also easily climb any mountain and sneak around. Not to mention a special ability that allows us to transform into a Z Fighter for a few seconds.. Which works to deal with the villain.

Being the villain is perhaps the most fun in Dragon Ball: The Breakers

Now let’s talk about the role of the villain in Dragon Ball: The Breakers. The objective of this is to avoid at all costs that the survivors activate the time machine. This can be achieved in various ways. Killing each rival, destroying sections where the power keys should go or making it difficult for them to complete their task until the time runs out.

Here we can take control of Frieza, Cell or Majin Buu. Being super powerful beings, their game mechanics are different. They start in their weakest phases, but can evolve as the game progresses. Either because they take damage or because they absorb the energy of survivors or some NPCs on the map.

the villains in Dragon Ball: The Breakers They are almost unstoppable forces that can also travel the map with more speed. That is why the game becomes more fun when you take on this role. Although it should be noted that it is not guaranteed that you will win, since each game and opponent will be different. Your strategies in one may not work in the other.

There are quite a few rewards that might just keep you coming back for more.

Dragon Ball: The Breakers It has some incentives to keep you playing. Since it has missions, both daily and weekly, that you can complete to get rewards. Here you will have to do specific things like revive a partner, travel certain distances or play a few games as a villain.

Rewards are the different types of currency available in the game. As we already mentioned, you can spend these on cosmetic items. Of course, the most striking are more expensive. It should be noted that there is a huge number of haircuts, clothes and accessories, which help you to give your character your personal touch.

Connectivity is one of the biggest problems of Dragon Ball: The Breakers

Being an online multiplayer game, connections would be expected to be very good. Unfortunately this is not the case Dragon Ball: The Breakers since finding a game can be quite slow, as can starting it.

There are two phases prior to any match. The first is to wait in the lobby until you find one and the second is to wait on a fairly long loading screen while it starts. This becomes quite frustrating when you just want to get in the game. Then if you get killed immediately after starting, the frustration is sure to increase.

This problem is greatly amplified if you want to play as one of the villains. In all of our playing time we had about five chances to play as one of the miscreants. But it was always after long waiting times.

On one occasion we were waiting for 10 minutes, but the longest was 20, where we finally gave up. Perhaps because many people want to play Frieza, Majin Buu or Cell, it is very difficult to find these games in Dragon Ball: The Breakers.

Is it worth giving it a try?

in its current state Dragon Ball: The Breakers It is a very difficult title to recommend. Even for the most die-hard fans of the franchise. Its gameplay is somewhat fun, but to enjoy it you must go through long and tedious minutes of menus.

Added to this, its novelty quickly wears off. It will only entertain you for a few hours before you want to find something else.. Not to mention that his current incentives are not worth it. Not even being able to dress your character as Bardock is enough motivation to keep coming back every day.

Perhaps over time they will add more content, more objects and more maps to play. Right now it feels like a fairly simple title lacking in content, which may have worked better as a free-to-play. But currently, it’s not worth the price of admission. Don’t forget to come to our Discord to share your opinion if you already played it.

We played Dragon Ball: The Breakers on PlayStation 5 with a code provided by a Bandai Namco representative in the region.