I’ll admit that the idea of a Dead By Daylight-inspired asymmetric multiplayer game based on the world of Dragon Ball felt a little silly at first. I had so many questions about how it worked, what it looked like, and whether it could stand out as a unique experience rather than a very well-known name.
After learning more about the minute-by-minute gameplay while playing Dragon Ball: The Breakers for yourself, the answer is complicated. To do so requires a lot more than typical gameplay at face value.
Dragon Ball: The Breakers is a 1v7 multiplayer game where 7 civilians are trying to survive a “raider” trying to destroy the entire map. The Raiders you can play are famous villains from the Dragon Ball universe like Frieza and Cell. Kill all survivors. Each Raider starts in a base form with the ability to evolve into a more powerful form upon meeting certain requirements. When evolved, Raiders can destroy parts of the map, leaving less freedom for survivors to explore. Each Raider has abilities that the character is known for in the universe, such as Special Beam his Cannon and Perfect Kamehameha.
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Playing as a survivor seems to be where most of the gameplay nuances reside. Survivors have a variety of skills that help them survive against Raiders, such as using smoke screens to get out of trouble. You can also go on the offensive by picking up energy in the field and using it to transform into a Z-Fighter. You’re not as strong as a raider, but they can be used as a good tactic to distract you when needed, or to kill you if your health is low enough.
On the other hand, Raiders and Survivors can summon Shenron once they have collected all seven Dragon Balls and completed the ritual, but that’s easier said than done. If you’re a Raider, you can heal or become more powerful, but as a Survivor, you can make yourself the highest possible level of his Z-Fighter.
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The survivor’s objective is to retrieve 5 power keys hidden throughout the map and place them in different locations in each area. These keys power the Super Time Machine. When activated, the timeline is fixed and the raider is stopped. Even if the area with the power key is destroyed, the Super Time Machine can still be started, but it will take longer to start. The Raider can stop the machine from starting, and if successful, the survivors must escape via a miniature time machine.
Originally, I found trying to find these keys frustrating as I was new to maps. I felt like I was running aimlessly in hopes of encountering something more than just the power key, and a large part of Dragon Ball: The Breakers is learning the map his layout. Covering your own half is the key to success, but cooperating with your teammates is the ultimate key to victory.
Dragon Ball: Breakers shows a lot of potential and proves it’s not just your average Dead by Daylight clone with Dragon Ball skins. implement it in a clever way that fits in. However, knowing that both in-game voice chat and cross-progression aren’t launch-time features, nor are they planned for the future, I fear they’ll be short-lived. So we’ll know very soon if it’s accepted by the gaming community.
