Dragon Ball Sparking! Zero devs aren’t worried about OP characters in multiplayer

Dragon Ball Sparking! Zero will rely on canonical character power over traditional game balance, with one of the game’s producers detailing its team-based purchase system.

Dragon Ball Sparking! Zero boasts one of the largest fighter rosters in the franchise’s gaming history, leaving fans concerned about how the developers will balance the massive cast of characters, most of whom can devastate an entire planet with a single attack.

In a recent interview, Sparking! Zero producer Jun Furutani discussed the developer’s plan for balancing characters for online multiplayer matches, with the team taking a very loose, hands-off approach to the controversial topic.

Bandai Namco

Speaking to GamesRadar+, Furutani discussed balancing online multiplayer environments after the team confirmed each character would have their canonical power level rather than all being traditionally balanced.

“As you know, this is a team versus team game because you can choose up to five characters in your team, so the way we found to bring balance to the game is to go with a system of cost,” Furutani said.

“Basically, in one team, you will have a determined cost, let’s say 30 for example, and each of the characters would have their own cost,” he added. “So you need to build a team that will not have more than 30 costs; otherwise, you just cannot play.”

Dragon Ball Sparking! Zero will utilize a “buy your team” mechanic for multiplayer game modes focusing on team builds over picking a specific fighter as your “main.” That means the most powerful characters will be expensive and the weaker ones will be cheaper, making you put more thought into your team.

Furutani confirms this was the dev’s intention, saying, “That’s the way we balance the game, meaning that in one team, you cannot choose just three or five of the most powerful characters; you will have to find a good balance in your own team. The most powerful characters will have a high cost, and the weakest characters will have a low cost.”

So, you’ll need to balance your team appropriately. For example, Goku and Krillin teaming up to face Perfect Cell and Yamcha, while an unlikely pairing, would make sense. On the other hand, a team of powerhouses like Goku, Broly, and Vegeta will be rare and not necessarily effective.

On the bright side, you won’t have to worry about your favorite Z Warrior being nerfed in Dragon Ball Sparking! Zero when it releases on October 11, 2024, on Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, and PC via Steam.