Overview
Dragon Ball Z 1.0 offers a disappointing experience that fails to capture the excitement of its source material or even meet basic expectations for fan-made projects. This free game casts players as Goku (misspelled as "Songo") flying on his cloud to defend Earth against Pilaf's endless waves of ships, but quickly reveals itself as a shallow, repetitive experience with minimal engagement. Early impressions suggest only the most devoted Dragon Ball Z completionists might find fleeting value in this barebones creation.
Repetitive Skies, Limited Thrills
The core gameplay loop proves exceptionally monotonous, reducing Dragon Ball Z's legendary battles to mindless ship destruction against static backgrounds. Players simply fly forward while tapping a single attack button to eliminate identical enemy vessels that pose almost no threat. The ships' weapons can damage you, but their inability to actually destroy your character removes any sense of danger or accomplishment. This lack of challenge or progression turns what should be an aerial power fantasy into a tedious chore within minutes.
The game got so repetitive that I figured I had to be missing something. And so I went back to the main menu and clicked the button that read 'HLEP'.
Bellasana
Unpolished Presentation
Technical and presentation issues further undermine the experience. The misspelled "HLEP" button epitomizes the game's lack of polish, leading to instructions completely in Chinese characters that remain inaccessible to most players. While such flaws might be charming in a rough prototype, their presence in a released product feels careless. The visual design compounds these problems with bland, unchanging backgrounds that fail to evoke any Dragon Ball Z locales or excitement, making the endless flying feel even more interminable.
Verdict
Barebones Dragon Ball Z fan game disappoints completely
