Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot Daima Edition

I have a soft spot for games that treat their source material like scripture, and Kakarot absolutely does that. CyberConnect2 compressed the entire Dragon Ball Z saga across four storylines, the Saiyan, Frieza, Cell, and Buu arcs, into a roughly 40-hour action-RPG, and the Daima Edition bundles that campaign with the newer Adventure Through the Demon Realm Part 1 DLC. That expansion takes a miniaturised Goku into a wholly new setting, teams him up with Glorio, Shin, and Panzy, and strips away the series' signature flight mechanic because the Demon Realm's atmosphere physically blocks it. On paper that sounds like a gimmick. In practice it genuinely refreshes the formula with ground-based exploration, chest hunting on foot, and a combat style reviewers have compared to classic brawlers rather than the aerial arena fighting of the base game. The base game's combat loop is built for accessibility above hardcore challenge. Melee strings, Ki projectiles, dash cancels, and a menu of special moves tied to the face buttons are all here. Incoming unblockable combos telegraph themselves with a charge-up glow, and predicted paths appear for ranged attacks. It is deliberately readable, and that philosophy carries into the Daima DLC, where big horde battles pit Goku against 150-plus enemies at once. Those horde encounters are the most criticized part of the expansion: the sheer volume of weak demons swarming the screen tips from chaotic fun into frustration faster than a Kaioken spike. Boss fights in the DLC have also drawn criticism for inconsistent balance, with difficulty spikes that feel unearned rather than dramatic. The progression system across both the base game and the DLC rewards collecting Z Orbs scattered through the world to unlock new techniques, which fits the Dragon Ball ethos of training for each new form, though the RPG side-systems underneath feel undercooked compared to what the genre's heavyweights do with similar ideas. The worldbuilding is where Kakarot consistently punches above its Metacritic weight. The Demon Realm Third World looks distinct from anything in the base campaign, alien in atmosphere and built at a scale that impresses precisely because flying is off the table. Side stories in the expansion are short, goofy, and leaning into Dragon Ball's knack for absurdist humor without overstaying their welcome, which is a genuine improvement over the base game's often weak sub-quests. The storytelling in the DLC also benefits from tighter pacing: cutscenes move with purpose rather than the occasionally sluggish delivery of the main saga. The caveat is that Part 1 covers only the first half of the Daima anime arc, ending around Majin Kuu's arrival, which means the DLC closes right as the momentum builds. Part 2 is expected to complete the story, so buying the Daima Edition now means accepting an incomplete narrative thread. Who is this for, then? Dragon Ball fans who want the closest thing to playing the anime will find real satisfaction here, flaws included. The soul emblem community system, fishing, hover-car races, cooking buffs, and reminiscence point collectibles pad the world between sagas, and none of it is mandatory, so you can beeline the main story without losing much. But if you arrive hoping for meaningful build variety past hour 40 or a side-quest writing quality that rivals your other RPGs, you will be disappointed. The RPG scaffolding is thin, the open world exists more as atmosphere than as a system, and the base game's sub-missions remain the weakest part of the package. The Daima DLC is a genuine evolution in setting and tone, but its two-part release structure leaves it feeling like a first act rather than a complete chapter.

Monika · Scout Team

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