Highlights
- Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot 's open-world RPG style has been highly successful, making a strong case for a remake of the Legacy of Goku GBA series.
- Legacy of Goku was ahead of its time, and Kakarot capitalized on an expanded audience by adding modern tweaks to the RPG formula and creating a vast open world with 3D graphics.
- A Legacy of Goku remake could benefit from a balance between lore and game depth, customized gameplay experiences, and addressing difficulty levels, similar to Kakarot 's successful approach.
With world-renowned lore, thrilling power-ups, and interesting side characters, Dragon Ball stands out even among anime titles. Several video game adaptations have made the rounds since its screen debut, from 2D puzzles to open-world RPGs, and the anime's popularity has ensured its games are a gold mine for developers. Among the many titles centered around Goku's adventures, the open-world RPG style of Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot has had the most success in recent years, and Kakarot's performance makes a strong case to revisit the legendary Legacy of Goku GBA series with a remake.
Rumors of a remake have floated around in the past, and the nostalgic sentiment towards Legacy of Goku has grown stronger with Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot's retelling of the franchise saga. The three-part series heralded the franchise's first venture into RPG mechanics. The first installment endured criticisms due to the lack of sophisticated animations in Goku's movements. The second entry fared the best of the three, sporting improvements across the board with the addition of four playable characters and expanded playable areas, while the third title was more of a mixed bag. In the years since the last Legacy of Goku game, the franchise has seen a massive boost in popularity, and Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot's recent 23rd World Tournament DLC reception proves it is time for the series to get a remake.
Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot Shares Similar Experiences with Legacy of Goku
One could argue that Legacy of Goku was ahead of its time, and Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot capitalized on an expanded anime audience by taking the best aspects of the series and adding modern tweaks. Harnessing the processing power of state-of-the-art consoles and PCs, CyberConnect2 created a vast open world with 3D graphics and fast-paced action combat -- exactly the atmosphere anime mechanics need to thrive. Legacy of Goku, particularly the third iteration (Buu's Fury), had been praised for its graphical improvements on its predecessors and the additions of fusion and Super Saiyan 3 transformation, and Kakarot had more than a few enhancements of its own in its bag.
Adopting a traditional open-world RPG style, Kakarot lets players explore the world in no particular order, giving multiple modes of movement like flying and populating the world with enemies and NPCs that give engaging side quests, contributing to the complexity of the endgame. Buu's Fury met criticism for its deep dive into Dragon Ball Z lore, coming across as a game meant for fanatics of the series, and an approach akin to Kakarot that balances lore and game depth could help ease the storytelling conundrum for a remake.
Skill tree development is another essential component of modern RPG gameplay, and Legacy of Goku 2 struggled with the dynamic, as its characters had limited unique attacks and stats. However, at the time of its release, the second mainline installment was up-to-date with gaming conventions, and there is no reason to think Legacy of Goku can't catch up with modern needs. The GBA series has a blueprint in Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot's distinct stats and skill trees, emphasizing customized gameplay experiences for each character, and implementing the sister franchise's mechanics shouldn't be too difficult.
While concerns about the difficulty levels of a Legacy of Goku remake linger, Kakarot's experiences in this regard are encouraging for the potential project. Buu's Fury could feel like a leisure cruise during some playthroughs, and Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot can give off the same feeling, as levels gained from completing side quests and defeating enemies took the challenge out of some boss fights. Despite this shortcoming, Kakarot stormed headlines and is considered one of the best Dragon Ball games of all time, suggesting Legacy of Goku might catch a break even if it sports the same issues.
Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot is available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
