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Solid and extensive gameplay.
Alienating anyone who hasn't experienced the series in full.
Nintendojo was provided a copy of this game for review by a third party, though that does not affect our recommendation. For every review, Nintendojo uses a standard criteria.
Dragon Ball: Origins 2 will give fans of the original game, as well as fans of the franchise that inspires it, everything they could ever want. Yet for those who haven’t experienced either the prequel or the source material, the gameplay will impress while the rest will just confuse.
If you’ve played the original Origins, you’ll know what to expect in terms of gameplay. For the uninitiated, the stylus is the primary tool for both movement and combat (a less intuitive button configuration is also available), and everything’s viewed from a top-down perspective. There are different types of attacks– either by hand or by a long pole– that Goku has in his arsenal, which changes up how a level may be approached. For example, sometimes there will be cracked ground that can be smashed with only the pole.
The game is brisk and fast-paced, and for one who has had any experience with the franchise, it’s a solid title. The controls, which may take some getting used to for newcomers, will ultimately feel natural and allow for quick combat. There are tons of levels, as well as unlockables, giving those who want a game with a lot of content enough to make their hearts go pitter-patter.
But if you’ve never heard of Dragon Ball before, you had best steer clear. As a sequel, Origins 2 picks up right where Origins left off, but for those experienced with the franchise, the storyline involving the Red Ribbon Army will be familiar. Sadly, for the uninitiated, the title’s plot– and, as a result, even the gameplay with the hero having an inexplicable monkey tale and the Ka-me-ha-me-ha– is just too foreign to warrant a wholehearted recommendation.
Visually, the game is serviceable, and only becomes ho-hum when getting a bit close for comfort on the characters, revealing more pixelated features. The audio follows suit: some voice work and forgettable music, along with decent sound effects, but little else. The recommendation of the title comes down to this: If you know and love Dragon Ball or this particular series’ prior title, then Origins 2 will give you exactly what you want. If not, however, see if you can rent or borrow it instead.
