Dragon Ball Online(TW) Review: Toriyama's Opus on a Grander Scale

Of all the anime series that have come to pass, perhaps no other lore is as massive as Akira Toriyama's Dragon Ball. Though the claim may be disputable at best, Dragon Ball has expanded so much for more than a decade; that it created countless races, planets, universes, and stories. And what better way to preserve and expand that lore than to give it the MMOG treatment? This question was definitely answered a couple of years ago, when Dragon Ball Online came to fruition.

Wish Granted

In a nutshell, the online universe takes places in the age 1000, 216 years after Dragon Ball. Players are taken into this age to prevent a group of villains led by Miira to take control of Earth in the future. That's all going to make sense when everyone finds out that Frieza is involved, and actually wants Goku's DNA to power himself up in the future. Back from the future, Trunks calls out all able-bodied humans and aliens alike to preserve time.

The story of Dragon Ball Online takes place after the events of the Dragon Ball manga. Think of the online game as an offshoot or alternate universe wherein the players give life to the Dragon Ball universe instead of just Son Goku. Suffice to say, anything not related to the original manga, such as the anime and movies from Z and GT series, are completely snuffed out of the game plot (no Super Saiyan 3 or 4 here!). Most importantly, Akira Toriyama has full creative control over all the events and plot happening in the game. There's no worry of any elements going off-canon or uncharacteristically mundane. Dragon Ball Online is still Toriyama at work.

Trippin' Balls

Let's get the basics out of the way first. Dragon Ball Online has set its foundation in a standard MMORPG manner. Character creation is a simple selection of races, archetypes, facial features and body color. There's an in-depth tutorial on the basic controls and interface. Quests are quite plenty and spread out all over the map. Combat is simple point-and-click, with customizable shortcut bar usage too. Just like any other MMORPG, Dragon Ball Online maintains the same format and formula without crimping on the elements that Toriyama has built up. It is this kind of simplicity that lets the players focus more on the story rather than fuss about the technicalities of the game.