Whether you are new to Dragon Ball gaming or just jumping into Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero, we’ve got you covered! This game brings back the heart of the Budokai Tenkaichi series but with much more firepower and mechanics to keep things fresh and on your toes. Here’s a beginner’s guide to help you get started and dominate your battles.
Understanding the HUD
The HUD is similar to what has appeared in previous Dragon Ball games, particularly those from the Budokai Tenkaichi series. This intuitively gives you an idea of what’s happening during the fight. Okay, here’s the breakdown.
HP & Ki Gauge
HP Gauge
This bar represents your character’s current HP. As you take or deal damage, the bar will go down. At zero, your character is defeated. The cool part? Each HP bar has a different color, going from blue to orange. The remaining HP bars are displayed in the left corner.
Ki Gauge
This is where magic happens-literally. The Ki gauge represents your energy, and it’s the energy used to unleash powerful attacks like Ki blasts or super moves. You can charge the Ki manually by holding a button, or it will automatically increase when you land a combo. When the Ki gauge is complete, you can start filling your Sparking! Gauge, unlocking Sparking! Mode (more on that later). Remember that this meter is depleted with every Ki blast and superattack, and if it ever does fall to red, you’re locked up until it recharges in place!
Controlling the Controls
The controls of Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero may be accessed through two modes: Classic and Standard. You can continue using the Classic controls if you’ve been playing since the Budokai Tenkaichi days. It would help if you went with the Standard controls for new players or those who want it as it is meant to be.
Standard Controls Breakdown:
- Guard: Blocking requires holding [R1/RB]. You can block high or low by choosing your stick direction appropriately.
- Step/Shor Dash: Tap ✖/A to dash around the battlefield and explore quickly.
- Ascend/Descend: Tap L1/LB to fly up. Should you accidentally get too far up, you can always exit with L2/LT.
- Smash Attack: Use the Smash Attack by holding down ☐/X whenever he gets close to you.
- Ki Blast: Fire a Ki blast with △/Y. If you hold it, this will instead do a Smash Ki Blast.
- Rush Chain: Press [☐/X] repeatedly for a nice combo, finishing with [△/Y] for extra damage.
- Ki Charge: Manually fill your Ki gauge by holding down [R2/LT]. This gets you ready for the most potent attacks.
Master these basic controls, unleash insane combos, and dodge like a pro!
Understanding Battles
With a massive roster of characters, Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero brings excellent variety to the combat experience. Every character possesses unique stats, abilities, and customization options. Let’s examine how these stats work and what they mean for your gameplay.
How to Read Character Stats
Every character in Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero comes with statistics that can be modified through in-game customization. Here is a breakdown:
- Special Attack: Increases the damage of Blasts and Ultimate Blasts.
- HP: The more HP is, the healthier your character will be.
- Combo: Combos of hand-to-hand increase in damaging power.
- Ki: The higher Ki is, the stronger the Ki blast and its charging speed.
- Attack: Smash attacks and basic hand-to-hand increase in power.
Some more about character customization
Customization is a big part of Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero. You can change everything from how your character looks to their abilities so that you can build your ultimate fighter.
Wearables and Gear
You can dress up your characters differently, although those are just cosmetic and do not change the stats. However, some costumes might change a character’s move set, so do not take them lightly.
Ah, halo, Scouters, and more accessories can also be given to your character to give it that iconic anime style. Some of the accessories change some of the moves and will surely bring out the authenticity of the actual Dragon Ball anime.
Ability Items
Well, this is getting the real fun stuff. Now, you can arm Ability Items to any character stats if you want more speed, strength, or HP. Try these out to create a character that fits your play style.
Summary
And that’s it! A good starting point in Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero. Master controls, learn to read character stats, or customize your fighter; there’s an endless way to enjoy the Dragon Ball universe. Take it out there, charge that, Ki, and show your opponents who’s boss in epic Sparking! Mode battles!
To experience Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero at its best, get all the customization options in the game and try all the characters. In that case, every battle will always be different.
Click here for more exciting content on the season’s hot titles.
