Dragon Ball Z: The Legacy of Goku- The flawed foundation of an RPG

It’s impossible to think about modern Japanese animation without Dragon Ball coming to mind. Dragon Ball was created in 1984 by Akira Toriyama as a manga, but it soon transformed into an anime. With more than 42 volumes, 300+ episodes, and multiple sequels, Dragon Ball is a worldwide phenomenon. And it didn’t stop there – the franchise also grew to encompass multiple video games, which is what we’re going to talk about today. Following Dragon Ball Z’s successful syndication in the west, a new generation of fans were eager to play games based on the adventures of Goku and friends. This is how The Legacy of Goku came to be.

Despite being developed solely in the west, this game was created with Toei’s blessing as they even created this piece of art solely for the game cover..

The Legacy of Goku is an action role-playing game (RPG) released in 2002 for the Gameboy Advance by Webfoot Technologies and published by Infogrames. This game was far from the first RPG in the franchise’s game history, but it was one of the first to come westward, as Webfoot is an American-based company. The Legacy of Goku was released alongside “Legendary Super Warriors,” a card-based RPG for the Gameboy color. The story starts from the beginning of the Saiyan saga and follows until the end of the Frieza Saga. Playing as Goku, you battle your way through the sagas as you complete quests, gain experience and increase your level and strength.

The game offers side quests ranging from escorting lost children in the wilderness back to their home, helping someone cross a river, or fight some bank robbers.. These amount to small detours between the major battles of the series…

There are plenty of quality RPGs available for the Gameboy advance, Dragon Ball-related or otherwise. Let’s just say that the original “Legacy of Goku” is not one of those games. Despite Dragon Ball Z’s reputation as an action-heavy series, the combat in this game leaves a lot to be desired. The player is limited to four directional movement, and offensive options consist of a melee and energy attacks. I’d recommend against the former, as melee battles with enemies will turn into a war of attrition that the player will lose 9 out of 10 times. Boss battles will undoubtedly turn into tedious slogs, as your only viable option is to pelt foes from a distance.

*The sprite work is one thing, but the character portraits look rough to say the least. Piccolo has seen better days…*

Unlike the following installments in the “Legacy of Goku” series, the original game features an original soundtrack by Ariel Gross. The sequels utilize bit crunched versions of Dragon Ball Z’s dubbed soundtrack by Bruce Faulconer. When it comes to presentation, this title is a mixed bag. The character sprites look fine at a standstill for the time considering the hardware. Character portraits and animation leave a lot to be desired, however. The gave Goku an idle animation but created little to no animations for combat. The only indication that the player is inflicting damage is a flash of red, whilst both parties strike at each other as if they are rock-em-sock-em robots…

*Given how short ranged melee combat is I don’t recommend engaging in it unless absolutely necessary…*

“Legacy of Goku” was torn apart by critics and fans. Critics cited that the game was poorly designed and tedious, and that definitely checks out. Fans of the Dragon Ball franchise raised an eyebrow at some of the story points presented. Regardless, this game was a financial success, with more than 1.4 million units sold in the U.S. The game was geared towards a younger audience, particularly children who were fans of Dragon Ball at the time. And yes, Dragon Ball fans will get the most out of it. What you’re getting, however, is a bare-bone action RPG. Dragon Ball fans deserve better. Consumers deserve better. From me to you, my recommendation is to stay far away from this game.