Dragon Ball FighterZ, the new 2D fighting game from Bandai Namco and Arc System Works, is shaping up to be one of the best licensed video games we’ve ever seen, and fans won’t have to wait much longer to get their hands on it. The game is out on January 26 for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC, and a newly announced season pass will add even more fighters to its roster.
“The FighterZ Pass is a direct ticket to an even more explosive fighting experience,” with no [fewer] than eight additional mighty characters,” said Bandai Namco in the announcement. “These new fighters will also come with their respective stamp, lobby avatars, and alternative colors.”
Previously confirmed fighters for the game include Android 18, Perfect Cell, Future Trunks, Vegeta, Gohan, Frieza, Buu, Captain Ginyu, and the new Android 21, in addition to many others — forms of Goku and Vegeta introduced in the Dragon Ball Super anime series will also be included.
The pass will set you back $35, and as USGamer pointed out, it’s also available as part of the “Ultimate Edition” of the game for $110. This version isn’t an especially good deal, costing more than the game and season pass purchased separately, with a few early character unlocks, lobby avatars, and stamps.
The previously announced “CollectorZ” version of Dragon Ball FighterZ will not come with the season pass, however. That version of the game includes a Goku statue, steelbook, “art boards,” and a “CollectorZ” box for $140.
Along with the announcements, Bandai Namco also showed off the game’s fantastic box art. It depicts Goku as he’s drawn in the manga, with pencil-like colors and smudging that tug at our nostalgic heart strings.
Dragon Ball FighterZ is slavishly devoted to authenticity, with characters’ moves lifted directly from the anime, and the game’s animation style perfectly replicates the look of the show. It’s actually not the first time Arc System Works has used the license, either. The developer worked on both Dragon Ball Z: Supersonic Warriors on Game Boy Advance and its Nintendo DS sequel. The 2D fighting games were quite underrated, and incorporated a large roster of characters and moves, as well as great audio.
