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The Dragon Ball Franchise is back again with a new video game series, but this time around Bandai Namco has mixed up the formula quite a bit. Instead of being another generic fighting game, Dragon Ball: The Breakers branches off from the traditional player vs player format and focuses more on player cooperation for their survival.
Dragon Ball: The Breakers is an online asymmetrical action game where a team of 7 Survivors must cooperate with each other in order to stand a chance against a Raider. Both the Survivors and the Raider are controlled by players in this game of cat and mouse.The game has introduced 3 Raiders so far being the iconic villains from the Dragon Ball franchise. These include the ferocious Frieza, the perfectionist Cell, and the mad Majin Buu. Each raider starts off at level 1 and can reach a maximum level of 4. Every level is characterized by a stronger evolutionary form for the Raider giving them access to stronger abilities. In order for players to win as a raider they must annihilate all the survivors before they can escape using the time machine. While the winning requirements are quite straightforward, all the Raiders have distinct play styles making them standout.
3 Frieza
Often regarded as the best villain in the Dragon Ball franchise, Frieza enters the game in his scouter form and specializes in searching for survivors by making use of his scouter. This makes it hard for survivors to hide on the map. In his first form, the space emperor does not like to get his hands dirty much, rather he prefers calling on his subordinates Zarbon and Dodoria to search for survivors and finish them off. As players slowly build up the energy gauge called “rage” by completing different objectives, they can transform into Frieza’s stronger forms.
Initially Frieza has access to moves like Death Wave and key blasts, along with the ability to track survivors using his scouters. Frieza's second form is quite versatile and has the ability to use Explosive Wave, which is a wide range attack, and a Full Power Energy Beam. In this form Frieza also has access to Break Strike which is a close range energy explosion. Frieza's third form carries over most attacks from his previous form and adds a crazy barrage of death beams to his move pool. Lastly, Frieza’s final form sees him gain the ability to use death slash and his iconic 'The Planet Will Die' move. Overall, Frieza, as a character, is quite well-balanced and offers engaging gameplay. The menacing voiceover only adds to the charm of this character.
2 Cell
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Dragon Ball: The Breakers is the first game to allow players to take control of cell in his larva form. He evolves by hunting and devouring civilians and NPC on the map. Cell as a character moves around rapidly and can also sense the ki of other players, making him a ferocious hunter.
Cell’s level 2 form can use Solar Flare, Special Beam Canon, the Kamehameha and the Afterimage technique. With these moves Cell can attack, counter or escape any situation. His level 3 form sees cell gain more long range attacks like the Gravity Impact and The Key Blast Barrage. Once cell reaches his perfect form he can surround himself with an Energy Barrier and use a long ranged, widely damaging move called All Clear. In this form, Cell can also use the Perfect Kamehameha as his ultimate attack. Playing as Cell allows one to roam about the map more swiftly compared to other Raiders. Though he starts out weak, Cell can quickly become an unstoppable threat. Each of his transformations brings variety to the gameplay to making every match engaging from start to finish.
1 Majin Buu
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The last Raider to be revealed before the release of Dragon Ball: The Breakers was Majin Buu. This character has a high-risk, high reward gameplay style. Players initially take control of Buu’s henchman Spopovhich and, with the help of his brother, Yamu, kill off a survivor to gather enough energy for Buu’s resurrection.Upon Reaching Level 2, Majin Buu (innocent) starts to wreak havoc on the survivors. Level 2 Buu can use Angry Explosion (wide range attack), Innocent Canon (long range attack) and Angry Shout (short range attack).
For his ultimate attack Buu uses an Explosive Breath Attack. He also has access to an unblockable attack, Go-Go Gum which immobilizes players long enough for them to receive a high amount of damage. This attack makes Buu quite overpowered as compared to the other Raiders. Even though Buu starts out slow he quickly gains access to a diverse move set making him an all-rounded battler. Upon Reaching Level 3, Buu transforms into Super Buu becoming even more powerful. With this form, he gains access to moves like Ill Rain and Energy Blast Volley. The most menacing move at Super Buu’s disposal is the Ill Bomber which blows the enemy away and enables Buu to move around undetected. Upon transforming into Kid Buu (final stage), he becomes an absolute killing machine. He can use Assault Rain to cause area wide damage, and Vanishing Ball for long-range attacks. His ultimate also changes to the infamous Planet Burst. So far, Buu is the most overpowered Raider available in the game. He has the most diverse set of skills, which makes him the most enjoyable Raider to play as.