Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot Is an Innovative New Take on an Overly Familiar Beat

Dragon Ball Z is one of the world’s most iconic anime series, and it helped solidify Son Goku’s place as a pop culture legend. Over the decades, Dragon Ball has gathered millions of fans who’d give anything to walk — or fly — in Goku’s shoes. And thanks to a new game, fans will get to do just that.

In a matter of months, Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot will hit consoles and PCs around the country, so ComicBook.com is here to share our impressions of the game.

Recently, we got the chance to play Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot at San Diego Comic-Con 2019. I was able to play the game for about 20 minutes which placed me smack at the start of Dragon Ball Z.

The demo begins shortly after Raditz has touched down on Earth, so my main goal was to find Goku’s older brother and confront him. Piccolo tagged along with me as I handled Goku, but I spent much of my time exploring the world and seeing what it had in store.

To start, the controls took a minute to get used to as the flying mechanism requires a bit of multitasking. This clunky mechanism had me frustrated for a few minutes, but the game’s intuitive fight controls made up for my anger. Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot seems to be a game fans can button their way through in most cases, but it has a few strategic options to keep hardcore gamers happy.

As I explored Earth, I found myself cautiously optimistic about the title. Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot is supposed to let fans play through the story of the anime as Goku, and it certainly does just that. It seems like the game will have a beat-to-beat storyline, but it does have side quests. I turned down several on my way to find Raditz, and I geeked out plenty hard when Master Roshi waved me down from an overpass.

Unfortunately, the demo still felt a little barren. There is a lot of room to explore as Goku, but few characters populated the area. This may have been because I was set in a deserted area, but I found myself wanting more.

As Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot nears its release, I have a better understanding of just who this game is meant for. Diehard fans will revel at the chance to experience their favorite moments from the anime in a new way, and the demo caters to that crowd in every way. And as for casual gamers, well – I feel as if the demo didn’t provide enough magic to keep them reeled in for another anime arc.

So, will you be checking out this upcoming Dragon Ball Z game? Let me know in the comments or hit me up on Twitter @MeganPetersCB to talk all things comics and anime!

Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot is scheduled to release for the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC platforms in early 2020.