Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero has some pretty bad news for you. At least, a fairly frustrating gameplay choice that risks leaving a bitter taste in the mouth of more than one player.
The new fighting game Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero, developed by Bandai Namco, offers players the opportunity to compete in local co-op on the same screen. And that’s actually a very good thing. However, this long-awaited feature has a major restriction that may well be extremely frustrating for players. It is the least we can say.
Limited multiplayer functionality for Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero
During Summer Game Fest 2024, producer Jun Furutani explained to GamesRadar+ that local multiplayer was not a priority during the development of Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero. Through a translator, Furutani clarified that the game was primarily designed for an optimized single-screen single-player experience, to maximize and optimize the intensity of Dragon Ball combat and all associated real-time animations.
Furutani acknowledged that integrating split-screen functionality posed considerable technical challenges. The priority was to ensure the combat experience was the best possible, which led to compromises. However, aware of the importance of conviviality and interaction between friends on the same couch, the development team wanted to include a local cooperation option… but on just one card.
While this limitation may disappoint some fans, it’s important to note that previous rumors suggested a complete lack of local multiplayer. The ability to play cooperatively on the Chamber of Mind and Time is therefore a welcome addition. However, there remains uncertainty whether this feature will expand to other cards in the future. As technical challenges are the cause of this restriction, an expansion of this option will depend on the ability of developers to overcome these obstacles.
Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero offers an intense and immersive combat experience, with a limited but appreciated local multiplayer option. By allowing players to share gaming moments on the same television, Bandai Namco is responding to a request from fans, although future improvements would be welcome. The game continues to focus on optimizing the Dragon Ball combat experience, while also providing a touch of user-friendliness with its split-screen mode.