To some extent the storyline feels very similar to Dragon Ball Xenoverse, but on the otherhand it is completely complex, confusing and unique experience. The idea is that Omega Shenron, the White Dragon from the Dragon Ball GT anime series, has returned and as a result the past, present and future have all been mixed together into a current state of time and so Goku must track down the Ultimate Dragon Balls and use them to restore peace to the entire timeline. The result is that not only are characters unlocked for use in other modes, which is a good thing, but you are constantly fighting the same opponents over and over again which after the third character storyline it becomes increasingly tedious and steadily boring.Īdventure World Mode on the otherhand is a mode that becomes accessible upon completion of Z Story and it sees a brand new ‘exclusive’ storyline thrown into the mix. For instance the first Z Story option will see fights with multiple characters, while the second unlocked option will only feature fights that Goku took part in and so fourth. Z Story focuses on the ‘original’ Dragon Ball Z timeline but condenses it down into just ten fights but upon completion it will then unlock additional Z Story aspects which see other characters from the Dragon Ball Z timeline get their own fights highlighted. The game itself is separated into multiple different gameplay modes in this case Z Story, Adventure World, Extreme World Tournament, Battle Mode, Versus Mode, Quest Mode and Extras – each of which offer a different aspect of gameplay. Unfortunately however this is also where Dragon Ball Z: Extreme Butoden starts to loose some of its charm. Put simply Dragon Ball Z: Extreme Butoden is a simplistic fighting game that can be enjoyed by everyone and for the most part this is what you can expect from the gameplay mechanics of the game.
Combo’s can also be easily preformed by pressing multiple buttons together and if a correct combo button is achieved – usually “YYYYXA” an ultimate combo attack, such as Vegeta’s Big Bang attack, can be performed that is of course depending on if enough Ki energy is available. Notable special attacks, such as Piccolo’s Special Beam Cannon and Frieza’s Death Ray Beam are done simply by pressing the L and A buttons together. Past Dragon Ball Z games, including the more recent Dragon Ball Xenoverse, tend to feel over-complicated with its multiple button controls and layout patterns instead here in this game we have the simple ‘High Attack, Low Attack, Dash and Energy Beam attack’ buttons – with each button corresponding to a button on the Nintendo 3DS handheld.
Unlike BlazBlue, and the previous Butoden titles released onto the Super Famicom, Dragon Ball Z: Extreme Butoden is extremely easy to pick-and-play and it is easily one of the more entertaining merits of the game. Now if this isn’t enough to ‘peak’ your interest then potentially nothing about this game will interest you as at its best its a core fighting game and a return to its Super Famicom roots, or SNES if you prefer. Introducing Dragon Ball Z: Extreme Butoden, a 2D Sprite-based fighting game developed by Arc System Works a team which brought us the popular multi-platform sprite based fighting franchise BlazBlue. Another year, another Dragon Ball game and while many may roll their eyes at another Dragon Ball Z fighting game being released onto a ‘unlikely’ platform it is a title that is worth taking an interest in especially if you are a fan of the BlazBlue franchise or, more interestingly, a fan of the Super Famicom Butoden titles released many years ago.