Dragon Ball FighterZ Beta and Gameplay Details

Namco’s next Dragon Ball title is not the third iteration in the Xenoverse series. Instead, Namco Bandai has commissioned Guilty Gear developer, Arc System Works, to make a new 2.5D fighting game. Dragon Ball FighterZ gameplay borrows a bit from Guilty Gear and BlazBlue, but also has feels like Marvel vs. Capcom 3 and other similar fighting games. Let’s take a closer look at Dragon Ball FighterZ gameplay details to breakdown how this new title will play. We’ll also provide information on the Dragon Ball FighterZ open beta coming in January. Dragon Ball FighterZ is set to release on PS4, Xbox One and PC on January 26, 2018.

While fans of the Xenoverse games are accustomed to a robust adventure game that focuses on story with over the top fighting sequences, Dragon Ball FighterZ has a different focus. We’ve already covered some of the initial details from the unveiling of the title, as well as the recent Future Trunks announcement, and details on how to play for anyone who wants to get a headstart on the beta, but this new game is more of a traditional fighting game that has a clear focus on the competitive fighting game community. That’s not to say there won’t be an elaborate story mode, but at the very least this should not be seen as the next step in Dragon Ball games, but rather as a different approach that will appeal to a different variety of Dragon Ball fans.

Open Beta Info

There will also be an open beta for Dragon Ball FighterZ starting on January 14, 2018. If you pre-order the game you will get early access to the open beta one day early on January 13. The open beta will include 11 playable characters, as well as new stages and modes of play. You can find all of the details listed below and in our open beta article!

Early Access Start Times

• January 13 at 12AM PT / 3AM ET / 9AM CET

Open Beta Start Times

• January 14 at 12AM PT / 3AM ET / 9AM CET

Open Beta End Times

• January 16 at 12AM PT / 3AM ET / 9AM CET

PS4 Open Beta Makeup Start Times (2nd Open Beta)

• January 17 at 9PM PT / 12AM ET / 6AM CET

PS4 Open Beta Makeup End Times (2nd Open Beta)

• January 18 at 9PM PT / 12AM ET / 6AM CET

Xbox One Open Beta Makeup Start Times (3rd Open Beta)

• January 23 at 9PM PT / 12AM ET / 6AM CET

Xbox One Open Beta Makeup End Times (3rd Open Beta)

• January 24 at 9PM PT / 12AM ET / 6AM CET

Open Beta Characters

• Android 18
• Beerus
• Frieza
• Kid Buu
• Krillin
• Nappa
• Perfect Cell
• Piccolo
• SSJ Goku
• SSJ Vegeta
• Ultimate Gohan

Open Beta Stages

• Cell Games Arena
• Planet Namek
• Rocky Field (Evening)
• Volcano
• Wasteland
• West City
• World Tournament Arena

Open Beta Modes of Play

• Battle Tutorial
• Ranked Play (Rankings)
• Replay Channel
• Stamps and Lobby Avatar Customization
• World Match

3-on-3 Combat

One of the biggest ways that Dragon Ball FighterZ differentiates itself from the combat featured in the Xenoverse games is that it offers 3 vs. 3 battles in a style closer to Marvel vs. Capcom. In Xenoverse you could pick multiple characters and switch between them on the fly while battling in large 3D environments. FighterZ takes a more traditional approach by offering 1-on-1 combat with two assist characters.

If you’ve played the last two games in the Marvel vs. Capcom series, you already have a general idea of how this works. You select three characters, then head into battle. Your first character is the point character, while the other two take up assist roles. As you battle 1-on-1 against your opponent’s point character, you can call the other two characters to quickly move in and perform an attack.

At the 0:30 mark in the video below you can see Goku call Vegeta as an assist, followed almost immediately by Cell calling Frieza as an assist. The players are still controlling Goku and Cell, but with the press of a button Vegeta and Frieza come in, perform an attack, then exit the battle again. However, you can’t just call assists whenever you like. At 0:39 you can see Cell hit the Vegeta assist, stopping his attack and inflicting a bit of damage. After this you can also see the orange outline around Vegeta’s portrait slowly fill up, which is the cooldown period before that assist can be called again.

While you can quickly tag in one of your assists to become your point character, if one character gets KO’d, there’s a short cinematic that plays with your next character making a dramatic entrance to continue the fight. Just like in Marvel vs. Capcom, if you lose one character, the next character in line jumps in to take over.

Combat System Details

We already know there are mid-match transformations, but we can now confirm that at least some of these transformations cost three bars of your super meter at the bottom of the screen. Goku starts the match by transforming into Super Saiyan 1, but at 3:28 he uses three meters to transform into Super Saiyan 3. Likewise, you can see Frieza transform into Golden Frieza at 2:04. Both of these transformations consume three bars of the super meter. At the moment the super meter appears to cap at seven bars, but can’t confirm this just yet. It should also be noted that Goku’s SSJ3 transformation was part of a super combo attack, and while it KO’d Cell, Goku immediately transformed back into SSJ1. However, Frieza remained in his Golden state even after the initial transformation.

In addition to mid-match transformations, there are also tag team super moves. At 2:33 in the video you can see Goku perform a super move, with Gohan coming in with a super move in the middle of the Kamehameha animation. Goku then jumps out as Gohan takes over as the point character. Once again, this is very similar to how team super moves work in the Marvel vs. Capcom series.

The general combo system seems to resemble Guilty Gear with some added flair. Almost all of the combos lead into the air, but you can also perform wall bounces similar to the Marvel vs. Capcom series, and certain attacks will lead to Dragon Ball-like cutscenes, with one character getting kicked across the area, and the other character following right behind for another attack.

Right now the game feels very much like a Dragon Ball version of Marvel vs. Capcom 3, but there’s still a lot we don’t know. This game should definitely appeal to hardcore fighting game fans, but if you’re looking for a third Xenoverse game, this is a different beast and may not fill that void. We’ll have to see what other content is available in the title.

If you haven’t already, be sure to check out our general overview of Dragon Ball FighterZ. Stay tuned to Prima Games as we offer more updates on Dragon Ball FighterZ as we approach the closed beta coming at the end of the summer, and the official release date in early 2018.