Dragon Ball… How many feelings are in this one phrase. I can’t even believe that 30-odd years have already passed since then. Now Dragon Ball is a big multimedia product with a long history, interesting characters, great fights and strange plots (Dragon Ball Z and Dragon Ball Super won’t let you lie). All this manga, anime, toys, action figures, and, of course, video games. With the popularization of Japanese culture in countries to the west of Japan, the production of a bunch of video games began: three parts of DB Budokai, the Budokai Tenkaichi series, the Xenoverse duology, the latest (probably) Dragon Ball FighterZ, etc. However, there is a series of fighting games based on Dragon Ball, which has remained exclusive to the Japanese – Super Butōden. It is in this series of games that there is a game that I would give (in my “humble” opinion, of course) two titles – the best DB fighting game and the best fighting game for Nintendo DS.
The name of this game is Dragon Ball Kai: Ultimate Butōden.
Some dry facts
Dragon Ball Kai: Ultimate Butōden – a fighting game for the Nintendo DS portable console, based on the anime/manga by Akira Toriyama "Dragon Ball", more precisely "Dragon Ball Kai" – a shortened version of events Dragon Ball Z without fillers and a bunch of episodes that literally retell every page of the manga. The game was developed by Game Republic, published Bandai Namco and was published on February 3, 2011 exclusive for Japanese players. Alas, this game was never released in the West, but there is a fan translation for it, albeit not complete. You will see screenshots of this translation throughout my story.
The battles for Earth begin!
Selection menu. With love, Your Captain.
After you have created a profile, you will be thrown into the mode selection menu. Everything here is more or less standard, but it’s still worth going over them. So,
1)Story mode (in blue) – everything is clear here, we are going through the plot of Dragon Ball Kai along with some additions. As you progress through the mode, new playable fighters, goodies of varying degrees of usefulness, and additional missions in the same mode will open.
2)Test mode (in orange) – this is, so to speak, an arcade staircase from the Mortal Kombat series of games (only these stairs themselves are smaller in height, but the number of towers themselves is huge).
3) vs. CPU (metal) – play against the computer. It can be 1 on 1, it can be 2 or 3 fighters.
4) Wireless (yellow with orange) – in this mode you can play against a friend online if the friend also has a Nintendo DS with this game.
5)Training (white) – Here you can hone your skills by practicing combos, parries and specials.blows. Without training, even the strongest muscles will be useless.
6)Customization (red with blue) – here you can “embellish” your fighters with the help of different things. We’ll talk about it later.
7)Options (green) – options, they are options in Africa too.Here you can see the endings (there are 2 of them) and customize the buttons and decorate the main menu. Brief operating instructions are included.
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This is what the “map” looks like in story mode. The top line of icons is mandatory, the second is an addition to the overall story. The ones with the inscription If — transitions to What-If… scenarios.
Once we have become familiar with the game, the first thing we have to do is go through the story mode, because only there you will be able to virtually all the available characters. There are 7 main "chapters" that cover the entire plot, starting with the story of the arrival of the Saiyans and ending with the Kid Buu arc, the 8th extra chapter, where there are stories about Goku’s father, Bardock, the Legendary Super Saiyan Brawley and the return of Doctor K… I mean, the adult version of Trunks "back to the future", as well as What-If. scenarios that open after completing all the chapters and allow you to look at the same events, if… everything had gone a little differently. For example, if Yamcha had survived that fateful fight with Saibaman (a truly shocking event). Or Kurillin became the main character of the whole story. The entire story mode comes with a TON of cutscenes that are a treat to the eye (and ear). And in especially crucial moments there will even be a QTE, with the help of which we and our fighter will finish off the villains.
A still from the What-If… scenario, where the same scene on Namek with the explosion of Kurillin by Frieza is parodied, only now Goku has become a victim of a merciless tyrant.
Try the Saiyan power!
Despite all the cutscenes and other nonsense, it’s still a game. Moreover, a fighting game. So it’s time to learn how to fight. And the combat system here is approximately the same as in the entire Super Butōden series. These are one round battles. If the game is 2 on 2 or 3 on 3, then after the death of your fighter another will take his place. Same thing with your opponent. There is a health bar, one is yours, the other is the enemy’s. Moreover, for both, this strip can have different degrees of filling. At the bottom of the top screen there is your energy bar Ki for regular energy spitting (button R, if you hold it, you get a Ki throw stronger in damage), special.techniques, “ultimate” techniques (more on them later), as well as various types of parries. All this requires spending a certain part of Ki, but, as in the original, Androids have an endless supply of Ki. On the bottom screen there is an entire menu for your special skills and perfect techniques. Activated both from the touch screen and using good old combinations (to see them, press Select during the battle)
In addition to this, we have grips (button A), parry (button IN), normal strikes (button Y, press constantly – perform a simple chain of combos), and enhanced strikes (button X). Thanks to the latter, by the way, you can put the enemy into “stupor” mode if you hit. If not, then the enemy will counterattack, and then you will have to defend yourself. The defense was successful – you can “fight back”, but after spending part of the Ki scale (if you are not playing for Android).
Behold my perfect technique!
Ultimate attacks are a different story. This type of attack is marked on the bottom screen with a filled red ball. After its activation, the fighter must accumulate energy in a fraction of the time, without being attacked (otherwise the Ki will go in vain). Moreover, some simply accumulate, while others also need a lunge to activate. After this, a small mini-game will begin (for different “fatalities” there are different mini-games, either dial more button combinations, or simply find a match for the dragon balls shown on the screen, etc.n.) The attacker plays first, and then the defender. Everyone’s success is measured in points, and the one with the most wins. Unlike the attack side, which has only 1 choice – to attack, the defense side has three choices:
1) Block — the defender simply blocks part of the damage, a mini-game is not needed for this
2) Repel an enemy attack – a mini-game occurs, if you win, you do not take any damage
3) Counterattack (not always available) – again a mini-game, if you win, then reflect the projectile at the attacker, and then he takes damage.
A little about all the tinsel
"D.I.Y. for fans of Dragon Ball" After each victorious battle, you will be given the rank to which you completed the mission, will open clothes for customization and will be given points to purchase them. After this, you can go to the menu for “dressing up” and there you can create a small preset for the fighter, consisting of a head, face, torso and some phrase that will enhance your parameters (Just like in Z-spirits in DB Xenoverse).
For example, I created this Goku for myself:
"It’s time to gather an army!» Any fighting game is not complete without a good set of fighters. And in the Dragon Ball universe there are a dime a dozen of them: Goku, Kurillin, Piccolo, Frieza, Android No. 20, Captain Ginyu and others. In our case, some forms of fighters are presented as separate characters (like Goku, Trunks, Gohan, Frieza and Buu).However, there are some interesting things here too. For example, this is the first game in which you can play as Northern Kayo himself (or King Kai, according to Western localization) in battle. Moreover, this is one of the few games in the series where you can play as the entire team (Power Rangers) of the Ginyu Force. We also have Androids No. 16, No. 17 and No. 18, Brawley, Bardock, Zarbon, Dodoria, etc.d.
“Graphon and music are a delicate matter. » Despite the fact that this is a Nintendo DS, the game looks very detailed and colorful. The dynamics in battles and cut scenes meet anime standards. Every now and then everything will explode, fly and throw flashes, the sounds of blows will be heard from the speakers (headphones), and the heroes will shout out their signature phrases. However, on a small screen this does not interfere at all. The models are well detailed and do not look like the work of a crooked sculptor of the 103rd echelon. A separate point is music. She’s gorgeous. In addition to the main theme of DB Kai, which was transferred very well, there are wonderful themes for different locations. Cheerful rock accompanied by bagpipes on the planet Namek (and.To.A. Scottish battle anthem), some Arabic motifs for Kami’s palace and ultra-super-mega-epic themes for the Sella games and the Tenkaichi tournament will set you in the mood for a cool fight. Even if they don’t end up on your playlist, they will be remembered, that’s for sure. (I attach one track for your reference)
A great hero returns to heaven!(Results)
Dragon Ball Kai: Ultimate Butōden – a good, simple, (not single-celled), colorful fighting game for Nintendo DS based on your favorite universe. Despite the game’s age and the limitations of the DS itself, Ultimate Butōden squeezes everything it can out of the console. This fighting game exudes the same fighting spirit that Dragon Ball Z has. Even if this game doesn’t quite live up to your expectations, you can just download an emulator and rom for one evening so that you can briefly look at your favorite characters and enjoy good action, which can only be found in such a universe – the Dragon Ball universe.
This is where I finish my review of Dragon Ball Kai: Ultimate Butōden. I hope you had a good time and enjoyed reading this review. Criticism (objective), if anything, I welcome it, I’m ready to listen. Good luck to everyone, and remember: happiness comes from where it is not expected 😉