Summary
With world-renowned lore, thrilling power-ups, and interesting side characters,Dragon Ballstands out even among anime titles. Several video game adaptations have made the rounds since its screen debut, from 2D puzzles toopen-world RPGs, and the anime’s popularity has ensured its games are a gold mine for developers. Among the many titles centered around Goku’s adventures, the open-world RPG style ofDragon Ball Z: Kakarothas had the most success in recent years, andKakarot’s performance makes a strong case to revisit the legendaryLegacy of GokuGBA series with a remake.
Rumors of a remake have floated around in the past, and the nostalgic sentiment towardsLegacy of Gokuhas grown stronger withDragon Ball Z: Kakarot’s retelling of the franchise saga. The three-part series heralded the franchise’s first venture into RPG mechanics. The first installment endured criticisms due to the lack of sophisticated animations in Goku’s movements. The second entry fared the best of the three, sporting improvements across the board with the addition of four playable characters and expanded playable areas, while the third title was more of a mixed bag. In the years since the lastLegacy of Gokugame, the franchise has seen a massive boost in popularity, andDragon Ball Z: Kakarot’s recent 23rd World Tournament DLCreception proves it is time for the series to get a remake.
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Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot Shares Similar Experiences with Legacy of Goku
One could argue thatLegacy of Gokuwas ahead of its time, andDragon Ball Z: Kakarotcapitalized on an expanded anime audience by taking the best aspects of the series and adding modern tweaks. Harnessing the processing power of state-of-the-art consoles and PCs, CyberConnect2 created a vast open world with 3D graphics and fast-paced action combat – exactly the atmosphere anime mechanics need to thrive.Legacy of Goku, particularly the third iteration (Buu’s Fury), had been praised for its graphical improvements on its predecessors and the additions of fusion andSuper Saiyan 3 transformation, andKakarothad more than a few enhancements of its own in its bag.
Adopting a traditional open-world RPG style,Kakarotlets players explore the world in no particular order, giving multiple modes of movement like flying and populating the world with enemies and NPCs that give engaging side quests, contributing to the complexity of the endgame.Buu’s Furymet criticism for its deep dive intoDragon Ball Zlore, coming across as a game meant for fanatics of the series, and an approach akin toKakarotthat balances lore and game depth could help ease the storytelling conundrum for a remake.
Skill tree development is another essential component of modern RPG gameplay, andLegacy of Goku 2struggled with the dynamic, as its characters had limited unique attacks and stats. However, at the time of its release, the second mainline installment was up-to-date with gaming conventions, and there is no reason to thinkLegacy of Gokucan’t catch up with modern needs. The GBA series has a blueprint inDragon Ball Z: Kakarot’s distinct stats and skill trees, emphasizing customized gameplay experiences for each character, and implementing the sister franchise’s mechanics shouldn’t be too difficult.
While concerns about the difficulty levels of aLegacy of Gokuremake linger,Kakarot’s experiences in this regard are encouraging for the potential project.Buu’s Furycould feel like a leisure cruise during some playthroughs, andDragon Ball Z: Kakarotcan give off the same feeling, as levels gained from completing side quests and defeating enemies took the challenge out of some boss fights. Despite this shortcoming,Kakarotstormed headlines and is considered one of thebestDragon Ballgames of all time, suggestingLegacy of Gokumight catch a break even if it sports the same issues.
Dragon Ball Z: Kakarotis available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
