Dragon Ball FighterZ has become the go-to fighting game amongst my group of friends since the game’s original release at the beginning of the year. It’s rare not to have at least a few rounds of intense matches characterized by blinding kamehamehas, destructive death balls, and powerful special beam cannons when playing at one of their houses. Whether it be on PS4, Xbox One, or PC, we are all prepared to fight each other on whatever platform the game is available to us at the time.
One of my biggest hopes for E3 2018 was that Dragon Ball FighterZ would receive an announcement for Nintendo Switch. Although it was leaked sometime before the official reveal, I was still excited to see SSGSS Goku casually beat the hell out of SSGSS Vegeta during Nintendo’s E3 2018 Direct. Luckily, we had the opportunity to play the game at Bandai Namco’s VIP Lounge during our time at E3. I played the game for nearly 25 minutes, measured by the seven total rounds I got to play against my cousins, Joel Ponce and Josue Ponce (our Editor-In-Chief). Joel and Josue were not as familiar with the game as I was but they were eager to play a few matches with me during our hands-on time.
I was interested in playing the game in the Switch’s handheld mode or with the Joy-Con Grip, so I could experience what the game would feel like without a dedicated D-Pad or deep triggers. Unfortunately for me, we only had access to wired Nintendo Switch Pro Controllers on a monitor. As a casual fighting game fan, I thought the Pro Controller worked well for pulling off standard circle motions, dashes, and super jumps. Whether I was using the analog stick or the D-Pad, I felt just as competent as I do when I play with a PS4 or Xbox One controller.
The demo we played gave us access to Player Vs. Player or CPU, but not the lobby or any of the other modes. The fighting felt similarly to how it does on other platforms with a few performance hiccups. Regular gameplay involving standard combos, stage preparation, or ranged attacks, performed well with a rare hiccup in the midst of competition. Whenever the action became too intense, or a super was launched that involved significant detail in its cutscene, the performance would stutter. It never hindered the experience or stopped me from playing well, but it was noticeable. Regarding presentation, however, Dragon Ball FighterZ on Switch looked just as colorful, detailed, and faithful to the anime as it does on any other platform. I’m relatively sure the graphics were downgraded in some way to have the game run on the Nintendo Switch, but it was impressive on my first and brief impression.
I’m looking forward to playing the complete version of Dragon Ball FighterZ for Nintendo Switch when it releases later this year on September 28. It’s exciting to see the Switch run a current gen game with minimal struggle and few compromises. With a few months left before release, I expect the small performance issues to be patched up. The exhilarating, intense, and fast-paced combat of Dragon Ball FighterZ always seemed like a perfect fit for the Switch but seeing it in action gives me high hopes for the full experience.
A special thank you to Bandai Namco for the opportunity to play the game at E3 2018.
