Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot arrives on PlayStation 4 tomorrow, but critic reviews are starting to hit the internet right now. We're not quite ready to pen a full review just yet so you can read our thoughts on the game in a new Hands On piece, but it looks like various other outlets are in the same predicament as Push Square deputy editor Robert Ramsey. Reviewers simply haven't had enough time to fully get to grips with the title, so let's take a look at what other outlets think of Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot with a selection of reviews in progress.
Push Square - Hands On Impressions
Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot can be good fun, especially if you're a big Dragon Ball nerd like this particular author, but it's hamstrung by so many problems -- problems that, at least on a surface level, could have been corrected had the game been given more time in the oven. As it stands, Kakarot is a relatively unique and in-depth Dragon Ball adaptation, but it's not a great video game.
GAMINGbible - 9/10
Normally, knowing a story inside out would put me off enjoying a brand new video game, but Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot delivers a timeless tale that feels fresh despite it being around for years. Playing this is not so much about enjoying a story, as it is reliving a legend, and that's where the game really shines. From Goku's ultimate sacrifice against his brother, to Vegeta's menacing arrival on Earth, Kakarot makes every moment feel just as incredible as they were back when I was a kid.
The Sixth Axis - 7/10
Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot displays unparalleled care and respect for the iconic story arcs it adapts. The original music is there, original Dragon Ball characters return, and pivotal moments are gorgeously animated. If these were stories being presented in video game format for the first time, it would be a mind-blowing experience. Unfortunately, Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot doesn't push the envelope enough to warrant sitting through the Cell Saga for the umpteenth time and seeing Frieza get obliterated yet again. If you've played a Dragon Ball Z game before, you've basically played this one.
Trusted Reviews - 7/10
With a length of over 40 hours to get through the main story, Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot might linger a bit too long for those looking for a varied experience, as the variety in sidequests is incredibly lacking. While everything looks pretty enough and there’s a healthy dose of fanservice and nostalgia for those who are diehard Dragon Ball Z fans, it often feels like more effort than it’s worth.
However for those fans that want to retread the Dragon Ball Z story and explore its world, this is the best, and most fully-realised Dragon Ball world ever made – and that in itself makes up for frustrating combat and lacklustre sidequests.
IGN - Review in progress
I’m fairly confident saying that Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot is, at the very least, a good, if a bit unpolished game. As of this moment, I am about 23 hours in and feel like I am just about 3/4s of the way through, so obviously I want to withhold my final judgment until after I beat it, but thus far I’ve been very much enjoying my time. That said, it works much better as an arena fighter than an RPG, and the bits where you’re just flying around in the semi-open world looking for sidequests are not as strong as they could be. There are a ton of mundane fetch quests, scavenger hunts, and “beat up these same three generic robots/saibamen/frieza force soldiers” combat missions that get very old, very quick. Not to mention, the rewards for beating them aren’t that enticing either.
Destructoid - Review in progress
Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot might be an all too familiar trip down memory lane, but so far it’s fun enough and much more pointed than some of the aimless DBZ games of old. We'll see if it doesn't overstay its welcome.
Gamesradar - Review in progress
As it stands, around 12 hours in, Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot is a fun game, but one that hasn’t quite lived up to its potential in any section. The fights can often feel unbalanced, the adventuring lacks the carrots and sticks needed to pull you through, and a lot of the activities feel like little more than a distraction. It does, however, look like the anime has come to life, and sound spectacular. It’s just a shame it’s not a little bit deeper, but hey, at least it’s flashy.
Metro - Review in progress
First impressions of Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot are positive then, but the lack of character creation feels a tad disappointing. Goku is the hero of the piece, but after Xenoverse allowed you to create a fighter from scratch and build them into a character, playing as a fixed character feels like a step back – especially since his story has already been told.
Are you buying Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot tomorrow? Have these reviews convinced you it'll be worthwhile? Let us know in the comments below.
Comments 29
Wasn’t really interested in this to be honest. As a guy who reads a lot of Shonen Jump manga, the games that they are based on never really click with me. Expect for a select few.
I don't want to rag on any reviewers but that 9/10 has blown my mind. Having played the game for a good 40 hours or so I'm bemused by that score.
I feel like the bar for anime games is so, so low. We should be demanding much more.
Just my opinion!
@ShogunRok I’ll be looking forward to the review on this site.
@shonenjump86 I did a relatively quick hands on impressions article if you haven't already seen it: https://www.pushsquare.com/news/2020/01/hands_on_dragon_ball_z_kakarot_is_fun_but_its_got_so_many_problems
Hope to have a full review very soon. It's not a bad game, but I think it could have been so much better.
@ShogunRok very lame review you wrote there, just my opinion.
Maybe it’s because you were about 5 years old when we grown ups were enjoying Goku and chumps.(sorry I don’t know how old you actually are)
The game is what it is and should be reviewed as such without comparisons to things you don’t like. Fetch quests? Yes it’s dragonball. The whole series is one big fetch quest.
What I am saying is that if you don’t understand the premise of the game, you shouldn’t review it. It should be reviewed by someone unbiased and I am afraid to say your review doesn’t read as such.
Oh and by all means, you probably are a nice guy, one of the lads who I could have fun with in the pub, but just like some English and German ww2 veterans, lets agree to disagree.
The game does what it says and does so in a way that in nostalgia alone is unrivalled in any other game. Care to disagree?
@GokuLover Have you played it for 40 hours?
@ShogunRok well of course I have!!!
n’t.
It’s not out till 2morrow and i did not receive a review copy.
Maybe my toilet profile picture and my name as GokuLover gave it away but I just didn’t like your review. I understand it, I just don’t like it.
I grew up with dragon ball and even though I am fully aware that a polished turd is still a turd, I forgive repetition in this game because it is dragon ball. I have of course seen more then 50 hours of game play so I also know what I am talking about unless you tell me that not having pressed the buttons myself prevents me from an informed opinion? (Next you turn insectophobe by telling me you won’t let me identify as a warrior ladybug!)
I want this game to do well for what it gives people like me, who grew up with db, is that to much to ask?
If you reviewed it without having any knowledge of other games or fillers or fetch quests or any game at all, would your review have been the same?
@GokuLover I'm not telling you to not like a video game, I'm telling you that I've played 40 hours of it and it's not bad — it just has problems that are hard to ignore. Also, it's not a review.
If I'd never played a video game before in my life, as you suggest, then yes, my opinion would probably be different. I probably wouldn't be writing on a video game website either.
Also worth noting I've reviewed every Dragon Ball game on PlayStation since the Budokai Collection on PS3:
https://www.pushsquare.com/reviews/ps3/dragon_ball_z_budokai_hd_collection
https://www.pushsquare.com/reviews/psvita/dragon_ball_z_battle_of_z
https://www.pushsquare.com/reviews/ps4/dragon_ball_xenoverse
https://www.pushsquare.com/reviews/ps4/dragon_ball_xenoverse_2
https://www.pushsquare.com/reviews/ps4/dragon_ball_fighterz
Safe to say I'm a fan.
You're obviously passionate about Dragon Ball but please don't make an account just to make assumptions about people you've never met.
@ShogunRok ...so you are no fun in a pub and you are indeed a insetcophobe???
Duly noted, I do hope you approach your full review with a different viewpoint. I understand that it is hard to overlook or “forget” previous experiences especially when reviewing games, but please do try BEFORE I KAMEHAMEHA YOU IN THE FACE!
Thank you for your time.
Ps: also bloody stalker! Yes I did make an account just to “grief” you and if you have a problem with that you will find me on Namek!
@shogunrok while your entitled to your opinion you do seem to be really harsh on your acessment. When I look at your review compared to others the biggest difference I see is expectation . It seems like your a big fan of the source material and you wanted a big aaa title. This is namco bandi and cyberconnet2 , going in I'm expecting something closer to the quality of a "tales" game then "God of war". I think allot of people wanted this to be a open world and it just is not, I don't think it was supposed to be. bandi namco and cc2 does not really have the assets to do a decent open world (and if they did it would be far more "PS3" then this.) The game needs some polish (some textures are awefull). It has beautifully recreated cutseens. to nitpick the statick camera or the voiceless side content seems over reaching. I'm impressed by the level design as I feel it was trying to be closer to jrps then GTA but needed to find a way to translate to locomotion in dbz, the solution was scale so instead of walking through a empty pasture fighting randoms you fly above a empty pasture fighting randoms. The problem this creates is a much bigger emptier space, they try and solve this with orb collection and for some this works but it feels like a empty small open sandbox. In the end that's the problem when making one type of media from another, you only have two choices...fit the premise in a existing layout or design a layout for the content. With the team, assets and development time given dbz kakarot archives something special that sits as high as other namco bandi jrpg projects. For this dbz fan(so far) I give it 8 (although I'm only 15 hours in) but I could see it scoring lower if your either not a dbz fan or such a big fan nothing short of a first party aaa title will do it justice. P.s. the only reason I'm even calling all this out is because it's not so great to criticize others opinions (gamebible) to boast your own. Thought maybe I'd show you. Lol
But no Ill will.
@Maximums4083 thank you brother. Couldn’t agree more. Well said. Pint?
@ShogunRok My favorite game about flying, magical musclemen is beautiful and flawless. How dare you offer reasoned criticism!
Let's just be glad it wasn't another mediocre arena fighter.
The best part is I think Kakarot is a pretty fun game, I just don't think it's anywhere near a 9/10.
You've gotta laugh.
Its Budokai Tenkaichi 3 remake, same fights and story, nothing new or interesting, rpg elements are fine but it is way to similar to BT3. If you played older games you wont be impressed. This game is for those new to DBZ. If you played one DB game you played all, same story, same fights over and over again.
@shonenjump86 "the games that they are based on".
How did you write that so wrong?
@ShogunRok Should have called this article "Round Up of Reviews in Progress".
DBZ fans be out in force today. Good thing sammy didn't write that hands on, there'd be pitchforks and torches at his door. "I had to do this hands on b/c Robert is out sick but I hate all weeabos and anime and their games too." Would have gone over great w/ this crowd. 😂
My expectations are very low. Since the first gameplay I saw I didn't really like what I saw.
@GokuLover You have got to be the cringiest guy to comment here so far and that's saying a lot. Go watch some more 50 hours of gameplay GokuLover lol.
@Amusei lol. And you came a day late to get your 1/2 inch in did you? Well done. Go to your mummy and get a nice cookie from the jar, some warm milk and cry yourself to sleep. How is that about cringy, son?
@ShogunRok played it now and it’s amazing. 9/10 for what it is and “only” a nine because collecting the orbs is somewhat annoying and reminds me of superman 64
@GokuLover I will do just that and that's a solid 1/2 inch I'll have you know. Cringy enough for me, word up son.
@Amusei @GokuLover Now now gents, let's be civil like Goku and pals.
Will do, just having a bit of fun, no hard feelings, it's all good. 👍
@ShogunRok calm down, we are all civilised here 😊
@Ralizah Wow you just made Dragon Ball sounds way more interesting than it is. It’s obviously the most manly anime ever made, with muscular men glistening with sweat ramming into each other at high speeds
@nessisonett Too manly for me, unfortunately. Some beefcake is OK, but the roided out masses of sapient muscle and spiky hair in DBZ are... uh, not for me.
When it comes to cute shounen guys, my gold standard continues to be Saint Seiya.
Shocker, another DBZ game that is lackluster.... Only Dragonball game that has managed to be really good is FighterZ sadly.
@ShogunRok I do not agree with you. You “don’t think it’s anywhere near a 9/10”? The average critic score is about 8/10.
You’ve gotta be kidding.
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