Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot releases in just a day. Luckily, Dragon Ball Z fans don't have to wait to see of Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot is the kind of game worth picking up. Not only has Bandai Namco released a launch trailer, as well as more specialized trailers detailing the game's various gameplay systems, but recordings of the game's early gamplay have also been released. Those wanting to see just how Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot starts, including its early story cinematics, now can.
IGN was able to publish the first 17 minutes of Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot's story, which should be just enough time for DBZ fans to judge whether it's authentic to the original anime and manga. The 17 minutes feature a mixture of cinematic video and gameplay as Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot bounces between exposition and action. For example, the game starts with Gohan coming up to a meditating Goku. It then flashes into Goku's mind where he visualizes a fight with Piccolo inside his head. It's a quick intro to both the characters and the combat.
After Goku's fight with an imaginary Piccolo, Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot's first chapter begins with a cool cinematic montage that marks the start of the "Stop the Saiyan Invasion" chapter. The montage flashes a number of images from the entire Saiyan saga on-screen. For new players, it'll serve as a sort of teaser for what's coming. For DBZ fans, it'll be a refresher for some of the exciting encounters to come.
Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot's Saiyan saga starts right after the montage. There's a brief cinematic featuring a conversation between the Saiyans Raditz, Vegeta, and Nappa that was never in the anime or manga, but is a good introduction to the villains. It's all a bit slap-dash, but the game doesn't have as much time as the anime to tell its story. There's a lot of action left to get to, after all.
So to answer Dragon Ball Z fans' question, Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot does make up new story details pretty much from the start of the game. It's not a 100% faithful adaptation of the Dragon Ball Z anime or manga. That said, it does seem to be faithful to the characters and the ideas behind the story. The game is still focused on having Goku become increasingly more powerful and battling the universe's most villainous foes, which is all DBZ fans really need.
Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot releases January 17 on PC, PS4, and Xbox One.
