Dragon Ball: Legends Game - Dragon Ball
Dragon Ball: Legends is a mobile game by Bandai Namco that falls into the action and card game genres based on the Dragon Ball franchise. It features single-player and multiplayer modes and a multitude of rotating and seasonal events. The roster of characters is vast and cards come in varying levels of rarity, HE (Hero) cards are the most common, EX (Extreme) are uncommon, and SP (Sparking) are the rarest. Cards are obtained either through a gacha system or rewards from events or stages cleared.
Gameplay
There are a variety of game modes including;
- Story: Features a story created for the game about a Saiyan called Shallot (an original design by Akira Toriyama made especially for this game) who is suffering from amnesia and is caught up in a time-based tournament.
- Event: Events are non-story stages that are either based on a specific theme, connected to a seasonal or special event, or provide items to gain experience and power up units.
- PVP: Players can battle with other players in real-time online to fight for a ranking position.
- Co-op: Multiple players can work together with a friend to defeat a strong enemy.
- Missions: Missions are special tasks that are daily, weekly, seasonal or celebratory. Once certain conditions are met a reward is earned.
A unit’s strength is determined by its Z-Power. Z-Power can be increased by using training items, gaining Z-Power from mission and event drops, and acquiring extra copies of the unit. Training time varies depending on the item used. Units that are in training are still usable in missions and events. Characters can also be upgraded through the Soul Boost system. The Soul Boost system includes 13 levels of stat trees. When a player has upgraded at least ten stats in a given tree, they can upgrade to the next level.
New characters are summoned using Chrono Crystals or tickets. Chrono Crystals can be obtained from missions and clearing stages for the first time. The summoning animation features a variety of outcomes from a fight between Goku and Frieza that indicate the rarity of the unit obtained. For example, Goku losing the beam struggle will likely result in a HE unit, whereas Goku beating Frieza is more likely to be an EX unit. Another early indicator of the type of unit that will be received is whether or not the Namek in the background is its natural green color or in its dying state. Saiyan space pods shooting across the sky can also help determine the rarity of a pulled unit, as the more there are, the more likely the resulting unit will be of a higher rarity. Sometimes other characters appear or Goku turns Super Saiyan resulting again in an increased chance of receiving a rare SP unit.
The game also features a cash shop (from which players can pay to receive Chrono Crystals or other necessary items) and an exchange store where tickets or other collectibles can be exchanged for useful items and characters.
The gameplay itself is largely real-time with cards used to launch super attacks like energy blast barrages or attack flurries. These can also be chained to make combination attacks that can not be blocked. It is possible to dodge most normal attacks by using a vanishing dodge, but then the vanishing dodge has a cooldown, leaving the player open to attack. Ki attacks can cancel out other ki attacks or rushes. Rushes performed at the same time cause a timing minigame to see who can stop the needle the highest number on a gauge the fastest. Characters can be switched in and out of the battle at any time either to match the enemy’s soul type or to act as defense. Another mechanic that the game utilizes is the Dragon Rush system. Some cards have one of seven dragon balls on them and, when used, begin to gather up the dragon balls. When all seven have been gathered, the player can launch a powerful combination attack involving all of the remaining team members. During the attack, the player and their opponent must choose a card, if the same card is chosen, the attack is nullified. If the card is different, however, the attack will succeed and continue to deal huge amounts of damage.
Story
The story takes place during Dragon Ball Super’s timeline soon after the conclusion of the Tournament of Power where Universe 7 won the Super Dragon Balls and wished back all of the Universes that were erased by Zeno for losing. After this tournament, King Kai decides to host the Tournament of Time. This is a tournament involving warriors from different periods in time to determine who is the strongest warrior of all.
The story itself starts with an encounter between Super Saiyan Goku and Legendary Super Saiyan Broly - who has come to the present time. The two battle and as Goku says he is about to end it, everything cuts to black. From that point on, we learn the story of Shallot, an ancient Saiyan, and his involvement in the Tournament of Time and a hooded mysterious Saiyan. Shallot is a Saiyan from the main timeline’s Planet Sadala, which was deserted by the Saiyans before they moved to Planet Plant and renamed it Planet Vegeta (unlike Universe 6’s Planet Salada which is still inhabited by Saiyans). He, therefore, wears traditional blue Sadala armor. However, Shallot is a customizable character. His outfit, super attack, and transformation are all customizable and can be gained through various means.