I have to be honest. Unlike my partner who wrote a very favorable reviewI did not like scratched despite being a big fan of Dragon Ball. I found the fighting and exploration systems very repetitive, but what really kept me from enjoying it was how familiar I am with the story. Despite the new events and some changes, it’s based on episodes I watched a dozen times in my youth and found it tedious to relive them like that. Curiously, the same thing did not happen to me with Bardock: Alone against Fatethe most recent DLC of Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot.
This downloadable content is based on Frieza’s battle against Goku’s fathera special episode of Dragon Ball Z released in 1990. This tells the story of Bardock, who gains the ability to see the future and faces Frieza and his army to try to prevent the destruction of planet Vegeta.
Why did I end up enjoying a little adventure based on a special episode more than the huge RPG based on one of my favorite ‘anime’? Let’s find out.
In essence, we can say that el DLC Bardock: Alone against Fate It is more of the same that we had already played in Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot. The combat system remains the same, as well as the bases of exploration. What makes it really different are the settings we visit and the context of these. After some simple fights we are free to explore and participate in optional missions on Planet Vegeta, a place that we have not had many opportunities to visit.
Mechanically, the missions that we find there do not differ much from the standard. We have to fish, search for objects and fight against some warriors. We can also be attacked by Saibaman while we fly over the forests, deserts and settlements of the planet. So what’s the point? Seeing Goku’s father fishing, helping a Saiyan who is in love with his partner Seripa, and befriending Frieza’s personal cook is pretty hilarious.. There is also a mission where Bardock and his friends are forced to “audition” to join the Ginyu Special Forces. These are simple narratives, but they endow these characters and their world with entertaining personalities..
The other reason I enjoyed the DLC more Bardock: Alone against Fate than the base game Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot it has to do with what I mentioned at the beginning of this article. I am too familiar with the history of Goku in the Vegeta, Frieza, Cell and Majin Buu sagas, but Frieza’s battle against Goku’s father I only saw her a couple of times. Not only did he not remember many details of that plot, but the game adds many narrative elements that make it more interesting. They even give some background to Bardock’s teammates, who with the exception of Toma were nothing more than filler characters.
And of course, we have the radical changes that serve as a concession to the video game. In this version of the story, Bardock faces Frieza and that serves as an epic final boss fight. The conclusion doesn’t change, but it’s an interesting addition. By completing this adventure we gain access to The Story of Prince Vegeta, a subplot in which we control Vegeta when he was a child. We faced Saibaman as training, his rival Cui in Frieza’s army and we conquered a planet in the company of Nappa.
Of course, these events are no longer canon in the continuity of Dragon Ball and Bardock’s story was replaced by the one we see in the movie Broly of 2018. Still, it is still a very interesting part of the mythology created by Akira Toriyama.
Before finishing I must say that this DLC is our first experience with this game on PS5 and the truth is that the change is quite remarkable. scratched it runs smoothly at 60 fps no matter how many characters and effects are on the screen. The textures have also been improved, but this is not that noticeable. Many visual elements are still “low quality” compared to other ‘anime-style’ games for this console.
DLC chapters like this one from Bardock and the previous one, based on the different future of Trunksare the best way to enjoy the gaming systems of Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot. Its short, episodic development, inspired by lesser-known stories in the series, makes combat and exploration much more fun and less strenuous than in the long main game. Even so, it is not an essential experience. Those who will enjoy it the most are the fans of scratched who still want more.
It will arrive soon a new DLC based on the Tenkaichi Budokai 23. I am very curious to see what it will be like.
