Most Dragon Ball Z games are traditional fighting games, which totally makes sense given the content of the show. However, I don’t think many of them capture the sense of speed, impact and distance traveled that you see in the TV series.
In the anime, characters are frequently getting punch into the distance while their opponent speeds to them or, in some cases, just straight up warps to them to follow up the attack. It’s also pretty common for characters to get slammed into the ground or wall. However, the games are usually just standard 1-on-1 affairs in small arenas, featuring some moves from the show and sometimes a flying element.
Idainaru Dragon Ball Densetsu attempts to capture the feeling of the show’s combat by making it into an open arena brawler. The fights take place in large 3D rendered environments that are sparse in detail. While not necessarily locked into combat with your foes, you are locked into a 2D plane with them.
Having these large environments allows for attacks to have a lot of impact as it launches your opponent off the screen or slams them into the ground. The battles also allow for multiple characters on the field at once, so they’ll all be dashing about the screen at the same time similar to the show.
Unfortunately, I don’t remember the game being good. Admittedly, I was never sure on how it worked mechanically. Maybe I’d get more out of the game if I gave it a second look now that I’m older.
