Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot Review

When it comes to Dragon Ball Z games, it may feel like gamers have had “over 9,000.” With Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot, the big question is whether this will be the best of them or whether it will leave you asking the Great Dragon for a better game.

Ultimately, Kakarot is a flawed-but-passionate game. There is plenty of material for super-fans, but not enough to really recommend this title to anyone who is new to these characters and stories.

Gaming On Rails

At first glance, you may think Kakarot is an open-world game. After all, there are plenty of places to explore, including some odd choices like Yamcha’s hideout.

However, it never truly becomes an open-world game. Instead, this “on rails” experience feels a lot like making your way through the Dragon Ball Z series. Different episodes bring you different quests, side quests, and fights. But you never really get to cut loose and fully explore what this animated world has to offer.

Repetitive Combat

So, is this an RPG or a fighting game? The answer is “yes.” While this has many RPG elements (such as fun exploration and a confusing skill tree), it is still filled with plenty of the fighting that the Dragon Ball Z franchise is known for.

Like the show itself, these battles are big and colorful. However, they tend to get a bit repetitive. While boss fights are the exception (more on this in a minute), most of your smaller, random battles are a repetitive slog. The only thing really memorable about them is the character dialogue: you’re sure to be haunted by hearing the same phrases over and over again!