Dragon Ball Z: Kakuro is an action RPG with a conventionally open world: an alternative planet Earth is divided into separate spacious areas, on which the story of Son Gokul and the diagonal will unfold. Five years pass after the battle with the fearsome demon king Piccolo, and the heroes meet us already matured and matured. Gokul, who until recently, with his usual childish naivete, destroyed the dreams of a deadly enemy of world domination (and shared sense beans with him), is already raising his own son, Gorhan, named after the protagonist’s adoptive grandfather. It is at this moment that the events of the game begin, when the father carelessly spends time with his offspring and prepares for the moment when he will finally introduce the child to his friends.
However, the reunion of old acquaintances is disturbed by the alien guest Raddatz, who has arrived on Earth, who desperately needs the power of his long-forgotten brother – Jakarta, better known to us as Gokul. The truth about the true origin and the Saiyan blood flowing in the veins discourages the protagonist, as well as the proposal of a newly-made relative to join the extermination of the population of entire planets in order to sell them to other races. When Raddatz realizes that the desired result cannot be achieved through negotiations, he easily defeats local experts in martial arts and sets an ultimatum: either Dream will agree to help in the conquest of celestial bodies and present the lifeless bodies of a hundred residents of nearby cities by the next day, or Gorhan’s life will end prematurely. Gokul has no choice but to go to battle with his brother to save his son, and the player – to stretch his knuckles and get ready for battle.
Controlled warriors are able to repulse enemies and intruders, carrying out attacks in close proximity to the enemy, releasing a scattering of energy balls at a distance, resorting to the help of special skills that consume the fighter’s inner power. When executed sequentially, melee strikes are linked into a continuous combo, which can be completed with one of three finishing moves. Long-range attacks allow you to maintain a safe distance, while enemies are reluctant to wait for contact with them, so you often have to take into account someone else’s direction of movement. Special skills differ depending on the character; at the same time, no more than four abilities can be selected in the palette. The number of spheres produced and the use of special skills are limited by the character’s energy reserve. However, it can be replenished by seizing the right moment, since at the moment of recovery the fighter will be motionless.
There are also techniques to protect your little body from receiving unwanted damage. Depending on the situation, the player can block other people’s attacks with the ability to counter-attack, dodge them, or rapidly increase speed. At certain stages of the plot, access to two more combat options will open: support and transformation palettes. Allies are able to provide tangible assistance in the battle, while their line of behavior will be dictated by their preferred fighting style. The player is able to adjust the actions of partners, from time to time giving commands to use one of the skills or conduct a joint Z-combo. But the transformation menu will open access to new, enhanced forms of the main characters, but their activation drains the health or energy scale.
Fights usually take place over the surface of the earth, and therefore are not limited to an exclusively horizontal plane. At the same time, there is no discomfort when moving in free space, it is very easy to track the location of enemies and control the capture of a target.
Although melee attacks are assigned to a single button, during a fight with a strong enemy it is necessary to alternate offensive and defense, weave special skills into combinations of physical attacks. As a result, encounters with opponents around your level feel dynamic and moderately difficult. The most interesting and spectacular are the battles with bosses, presented by the heroes of the original work of Akira Koriyama – the Saiyan, Deloria, the Ginny squad, Frizz and other iconic characters. Each such opponent has its own unique set of skills and movements, thanks to which battles with them linger in memory for a long time.
Unfortunately, ordinary enemies inhabiting the sky above the conventionally open world are not capable of giving such emotions. The battles with them are rather monotonous, especially given their small number of species and varieties. More interesting attacks and behavior can boast of their enhanced versions, menacingly called “villainous opponents.” It is interesting for them to challenge, since with a small difference in levels, it is necessary to competently use the abilities and enhancements available in the arsenal. The destruction of the evil ones is accompanied not only by a large reward, but also by the emergence of more and more powerful and powerful rivals.
I would like to note that the difference in the development indicator is mentioned for a reason, since by the beginning of the third saga, questions begin to arise about the combat balance. If your opponent is five or more levels ahead of you, then, as a rule, it is not possible to win a victory, no matter how skilled a martial artist you are. The amount of incoming damage is too high, but the health scale of the enemies themselves is decreasing at an indecently low rate. If you focus on completing only the main tasks, moving further and further through the story episodes, you will receive the optimal amount of experience points. In this case, it is worth distracting to the study of the world, clashes with ordinary enemies, the fulfillment of all the requests of the secondary characters, as your fighters begin to surpass all potential opponents in terms of strength. Because of this, even intimidating bosses cease to exude any threat, surrendering without unnecessary resistance under the onslaught of a hail of blows and player’s Kamehameha.
As a result, there is no need to engage in battles while exploring the world, since the player will already be provided with the necessary combat strength to get acquainted with the history of Dragon Ball Z: Kakuro. But if you have a weakness for research and auxiliary activities, then by the beginning of the third saga you will begin to accumulate additional levels, which can affect the impressions of the battles.
