Dragon Ball Z: Harukanaru Densetsu

DS review by Justin Boot - Wednesday 25th July 2007

Mankind is about to be wiped off the face of the planet. No, not by global warming, solar radiation, nuclear war, or anything else you might associate with society’s destruction. Instead, life as we know it is about to be ended by a group of spiky-haired alien thugs. Armed with their goofy-looking plated uniforms, horrible voice acting, and the ability to shoot laser beams out of every possible body part (at least the ones the censors will allow, anyway), these baddies are ready to roast anything that gets in their way. The fate of mankind now rests on the shoulders of a small group of elite martial artists. With flashy moves, cheesy dialogue, and slow-paced fighting, the opposing sides clash in some of the most memorable battles ever seen in an anime.


If you’ve ever heard of Dragon Ball Z, this plot should sound familiar. For nearly twenty years, the series has followed the exploits of Goku, the idiotic but ridiculously powerful savoir of Earth, and the rest of his heroic pals as they defend the planet from utter annihilation. It’s been years since the anime originally ended, but its popularity has given rise to several games that retell its story. Thus we are given Dragon Ball Z: Harukanaru Densetsu, yet another title that lets the fans (those new to the series will feel left out due to the lack of good explanations and terse dialogue) relive some of the best moments in the anime. You’ll get to smack a few super-villains around with Goku, rediscover Gohan’s hidden potential under Piccolo’s tutelage, and many of the characters that make up the show’s massive ensemble. However, there’s one key aspect of Harukanaru Densetsu that sets it apart from the countless other Dragon Ball Z titles:

It’s based a children’s card game.

That’s right. There won’t be any hardcore fighting to be done here. No over-the-top moves, emotionally charged exchanges between the characters, or any of the stuff you’d come to expect from the other games series. Instead, the world’s fate is based solely on each character’s deck of cards. You’d think that beings with enough power to blow up a planet would be able to move on their own accord, but all of the characters’ moves are based solely on the numbers on the cards in their hand. As they step onto the vast fields and mystical temples from the anime (all of which have been chopped up into grid-like trails for you to move along), the heroes will have to choose the card with the highest number rating and use it to move throughout the level. Upon walking the right number of steps, they’ll have to face a random enemy in a card battle to the death.


At least, that’s what they’re supposed to be. Combat in Harukanaru Densetsu doesn’t directly involve the superhuman martial arts that fans would expect from a Dragon Ball Z game. Instead, your success will depend on the number rating on the card you’ve chosen to take into battle. If it’s higher than that of your enemy, you’ll be able to use the card’s special ability in combat. While attacks range from anything like a flurry of punches and kicks to a devastating laser blast (disappointingly depicted by freeze-framed pictures as opposed to actual movements), your character will be able to use health-replenishing items, summon a few friends to help out in the battle, power up the other cards, or even run away from battle. After that, it’s just a matter of how much damage you can deal to the enemy based on their defense ratings (and yours, if your card number happens to come up short), and slaughtering every enemy that gets in your way.


Sounds complicated, doesn’t it? If you’re new to this playing style, don’t worry; the combat system is easy to pick up and incredibly shallow when compared with the likes of Yu-Gi-Oh and other card-based series. All you’ve really got to do is focus on moving around the map as much as possible and plowing your way through the random encounters. You’ll get experience points and level up your skills with each battle, but they have little effect on your character’s potency in battle. You won’t get any real challenge until you face the bosses; they tend to be much more powerful and strategic than the minions you’ve chew through. If you get your ass kicked, you’ll be whisked away to the start of the level and forced to begin the mind-numbingly dull process anew. Considering that some of the levels take half an hour to cross, you’ll be likely too bored and annoyed by the simplistic gameplay to bother playing through again.

But if you’re a hardcore Dragon Ball Z fan and have to play through this ridiculously tedious game, you’ll spend hours unlocking the entire saga. There are only four characters available, each with intertwining storylines; you’ll have to switch between heroes to complete different missions and unlock the new chapters. Veterans of the anime will recognize the grassy plains and rocky hills of Piccolo’s training ground (complete with a bloodthirsty T-Rex that also plays cards), the endless yellow mist of Snake Way, and plenty of other memorable locales. Even if the vast majority of the characters just make glorified cameos, they still retain their usual costumes and uniforms. Fans will be happy to see Goku’s orange gi, Piccolo’s flowing cape, and all of their signature moves. Too bad nearly everything is depicted with pixilated 2D sprites and manga illustrations.


At this point, one has to wonder where the Dragon Ball Z series can go. After over-saturating the gaming world with fighting games, someone decided to take a chance with one of the most unlikely gameplay genres for yet another adaptation. Even if having card games based on a martial arts series is awkward at best, it could have worked. Instead, we’re given a shallow, bland, repetitive, and unrewarding jaunt through the all of the same scenarios that were old years ago. Maybe the fans will find something enjoyable about controlling their favorite heroes via a randomized deck of cards. For the rest of you, go play some Solitaire. You deserve it.

Thunderbolt score: four out of ten

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