Joining us today is the executive producer of the highly anticipated Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero game, Jun Furutani. The game has been a huge hit with the gaming community and we were excited to chat with him about it.
In Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero, the team took this legacy series to the next level. Today, we have the privilege of exploring the creative process behind the game, exploring the inspirations and challenges the team faced during development, and getting an inside look at what makes this installment so unique.
To understand the challenges behind this project, we asked Jun Furutani some questions about the characters from the iconic Majin Buu series, which will be playable for the first time in Europe at Gamescom 2024, giving attendees first-hand experience of these beloved abilities and transformations. With that in mind, let’s dive into the details and explore what makes these characters and their transformations so special!
What challenges did you face when animating Majin Buu’s unique abilities and transformations?
First, the characters that can transform are getting stronger in the game. That’s why we’ve made adjustments that allow you to experience them in terms of touch comfort, such as their speed and attack count, as well as their status.
However, it is difficult to adjust without disrupting the overall balance of the game, partly because of the large number of characters. Majin Buu has many special moves, and compared to human characters, he has many unusual movements, such as spreading his arms and making his body look like a ball, so it is a bit of a challenge. Hopefully you will pay attention to those points as well.
How did you ensure the game’s combat system reflected the intensity of the battles in the Majin Buu Arc?
What we attach great importance to is the reproduction of the actions depicted in the original work. Many of the techniques of the characters active in the Majin Buu arc are modeled after scenes in the story. For example, Ultimate Gohan’s usual attack movements are based on his fight with Super Buu, and he has a special throw that only activates when fighting Super Buu. We paid attention to these details so that players can recreate the original scenes and experience the excitement firsthand.
Are there any unique interactions between Majin Buu Arc characters and other characters in the game?
There are special interactions between some characters before and after the battle, and in this game, there are also characters that interact with characters from Dragon Ball Super. We hope you enjoy these elements as much as you enjoyed them in the previous games.
How did you approach the Majin Buu Arc storyline in Episode Battle mode?
Not limited to the Majin Buu arc, but to deepen the experience of playing as a character, you can enjoy challenging battles against powerful enemies, and in some scenes, you can see a special ending depending on the outcome of the battle. I hope this feature will make every player wonder “What if I did this in that battle?” and that it will make them try something new next time!
What are you most proud of in the Majin Buu Arc content? Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero?
This question may overlap with the previous one, but I want you to pay attention to the ability to recreate the details of the action. I want people to experience firsthand the joy of fighting in a famous scene.
How did you handle the depiction of Majin Buu’s absorption ability in the game?
The show is short, but like the original work, it is designed to highlight the absorption character. Not only does Buu’s character and techniques change, but you can also enjoy the reversal in battle just like in the series, with status increases and ki recovery.
What was the inspiration behind the visual effects for the characters’ attacks in the Majin Buu Arc?
We took a lot of reference from the original anime, especially scenes with special actions that are different from normal movements. For example, when Super Saiyan 3 Goku uses both hands to deflect Majin Buu’s Kamehameha, we incorporated that into the game. In the game, when he deflects the Kamehameha with Super Perception, Goku uses both hands, unlike other characters.
Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero, the first installment in the Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi series in over 15 years, will be released on October 11 on PlayStation 5, with early access opening on October 8 for pre-orders of the Deluxe and Ultimate editions. The game is available for pre-order now in both physical and digital formats.
