Dragon Ball Xenoverse 3 PS5 Hands-Off Preview. PSU recently got to see a presentation showcasing some early footage of the upcoming Dragon Ball Xenoverse 3, covering multiple topics on the game. We got introduced to Brett, who is an important member of the GS (which is probably short for Great Saiyaman) Squad, which is designed to protect West City. Additionally, Bulma is the same character from the original series, and it will be interesting to discover how she has remained around after all this time. Most of the gameplay showcased focussed on the character J.Sen, who is an earthling.
Masayuki Hirano, the producer from Dragon Ball Xenoverse and Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2, will be returning for the sequel, bringing deep knowledge and expertise to continue to evolve the brand. One of the main concepts the team has focused on is connection. Connections are between you as the player and, through you, building new custom characters and the original familiar Dragon Ball characters. This theme is the framework that governs everything from the age 1000 setting to gameplay design decisions and changes from previous entries in the series. While the team do not wish to discuss the story currently, we did get a nice look at some gameplay footage.
At age 1000, you are stepping into a world that Goku and his allies once protected, and it’s up to you to now protect it instead. The game is designed so you follow the steps of fighters like Goku and Vegeta and carve your own path. But ultimately you will leave your mark in the history of Dragon Ball, and the development team wants to make sure you make this feel uniquely yours. The video showcased was a small slice of the gameplay from Xenoverse 3, and it was stressed that what we saw does not represent the final visuals or content of the game.
Explore West City And Enjoy Your New Home
In the full game, you will be able to create the character you would like to play, but during this preview demo, they had two default characters. In the preview demo we got to see Earthling, which seems to have balanced stats between HP/Strike Attack/Ki Blast Attack/Strike Defense/Ki Blast Defense. The description of the Earthling is “Natives of Earth who compose the planet’s dominant population.” In addition to possessing a well-rounded range of abilities, their potential meter fills quickly.”
We also got a little tease of Saiyan gameplay at the end of the presentation, but for the most part it was the Earthling. Bandai Namco also confirmed that there will be many different races in the game.
The location at the start of the preview demo is your home base. While you are in your home base, you can customize the look of your character at any time. The hub area looks like the messy room from the original trailer. Though not mentioned in the video, I do wonder if we can customize the room to make it feel unique. Meanwhile, there’s an NPC named COA, which looks like a floating robot in the home hub preview demo area. They interact with the character at the start, but we don’t know the functions of this robot currently from the preview showcase.
The team also showcased Future Trunks (Z) being in an area after you leave the home base. However, they didn’t mention how Future Trunks (Z) got here, as story details are being kept under wraps for now. There are a couple of custom NPCs scattered around the world to make the world feel alive, which is something I love about the Xenoverse games.
There is a quest log on screen that tells you where you need to go and who to talk to, along with the quest name. During the preview demo, the quest marker suggested going into an elevator to go down, but you can just jump down. This means that the elevator isn’t hiding a loading screen, confirming how massive an improvement this game is compared to Xenoverse 2. The preview also showed Vegeta; one interesting thing I noticed is that Vegeta has “(Saiyan Saga)” next to his name, suggesting there might be other Vegetas. Trunks also had (Z) next to his name.
There is a small loading screen as you exit the area into West City. West City is a technological marvel in the Dragon Ball world. This will be the hub of the story; you can experience it with new companions at your own pace. The city itself is beautiful and looks like there’s a lot that can be explored. We didn’t get to see much of the city, but the hub area, I think, is much bigger than previous Xenoverse titles.
Let’s Go On A Journey!
You can jump into the mission, at least in the preview demo shown, by talking to the NPC; the example was Gamma 1. There seems to be a recommended GS level for this preview demo mission of 1000, but no required level and also no time limit for this mission. This would suggest to me some sort of gear score, or perhaps it’s just based on the leveling of the character. The clear condition was just to defeat all enemies. The menu also has failure conditions and rewards sections (though there was no failure condition for this quest). Also, Gamma 1 seems to be from this time zone, as his name is Gamma 1 (Age 1000), suggesting he is not from Super Hero. Furthermore, Brett is next to Gamma 1 and has some dialogue if you wish to interact with him.
During a mission, up to three different companions can join you. With Xenoverse 3, we wanted to showcase a variety of different battle situations to make full use of your 4-character squad. This was to give players more freedom to adapt and customize their fighting style, depending on the mission and situation that they face. The preview demo showcased 1 Saiyan, 1 Earthling, 1 Majin, and 1 Frieza race. They are all dressed as Great Saiyaman, but only the Majin and the Frieza race have scouters visible. Each character in the preview demo had a different start animation; for example, the Majin was floating upside down and being quite playful.
The basic combat is very similar to standard Dragon Ball games with light attacks and heavy attacks, with simple ki blasts that can be used during combos. Flight is also usable, much like previous Dragon Ball titles. Her basic combo attack reminded me of Saiyan Saga Goku, with her doing a melee attack in the way Goku defeated Nappa.
Unique And Advanced Combat
From the preview demo build, you have four different super attacks based on R2/Square, Circle, Triangle, or Square. The ultimate attack is mapped to L2+Triangle. You also have a boost chase mode, which is activated using the L1 button. The ultimate attacks, which deliver more heavy and cinematic attacks, are also fully customisable. All the attacks are based on a cooldown system. In this build, they have energy charge, which allows them to charge cooldowns faster. The ultimate attack shown in the preview demo is the Super Kamehameha, which was able to take out groups of enemies. The attack looked incredibly stylish, and I can’t wait to see future Ultimates.
Equipping different abilities for different encounters will be the key to success, meaning the game is trying to promote varied skills rather than one build that everyone will run. However, it also means running with friends who have different builds will probably be important too.
Each Super Attack skill will have different properties; for example, the Kamehameha will drain KI. The preview demo had the character with Super God Fist, Kaioken Assault, Kamehameha, and Energy Charge. Super God Fist and Kaioken Assault have a melee icon, while the Kamehameha has a blast icon. There is also a red icon and yellow icon next to the names of the attacks. The energy charge has a different icon, as it’s a support skill. Health is shown at the top left, with the KI being shown to the left of your character. You can spend KI on either attack or defense. You have a number of bars of KI which, if broken/run out, can be devastating. One key element of battle is having the enemy run out of KI. Even without the Energy Charge skill, you can recharge KI when guarding at the perfect moment. This is called Perfect Guard.
You can “break smash” the enemy with R2 + Square or Triangle. When the enemy was broken, there was a sound effect, and the word “break” appeared on screen, allowing you to know that the enemy had its guard broken.
Use The Power Of Your Favorite Dragon Ball Characters
The soul power system, Soul Assist, allows you to call on Dragon Ball characters to support you directly in battle, allowing you to unleash devastating attacks on the opponents. During the preview demo, the character J.Sen has the Vegeta soul assist equipped. By having Vegeta equipped, she can do a double Galick Gun, but in the full game, you can choose from a variety of fighters to help you out.
The boss in the preview demo was Broly (Super) SS Full Power (though we’re reminded that any content is subject to change). The preview also featured an icon of Future Trunks that had a bar around it that slowly filled up till eventually it was shining; in the preview demo, pressing the button allowed you to switch into Future Trunks. Also, your attacks become more powerful and become based on Future Trunks’ moveset, including his ultimate attack. Each soul switch will be different based on the character you are swapping in to. Soul Switching will also fully heal you, meaning this is a solid comeback mechanic if you are getting low on health during the boss fight. This system reminds me of the Transphere system from Dragon Ball The Breakers. During the fight, one of the other team members seems to make a barrier that protects them from Broly’s attacks.
The transformation had a timer of 41 seconds during the demo; obviously, this time could change for the full release, or other characters may have different time limits. There is a Capsule Corp logo above the head of the character, suggesting that maybe this is a simulation of the character. In addition, during this time the character has a slight glow around them, which is the same color as the logo above the head in this preview demo build.
This Is To Go Even Further Beyond
You can use either the Soul Switch skill or use awakening skills for different races. For example, Saiyans can go Super Saiyan in this preview demo. The skill has a time limit after it has been used in which it will expire, making you go back to base form. One big upgrade to this compared to previous Xenoverse games is that the hairstyle will change to that of a Super Saiyan. This might not seem like a big deal, but it’s something players in previous games have wanted and is nice to see in the sequel finally being added.
Just like Soul Switch, you will be able to heal up when using an awakening skill. The developers teased some additional perks for awakening. One of the perks is the ability to go into Super Saiyan 3. The character’s hair does also change for Super Saiyan 3. The transformations to both Super Saiyan 1 and 3 are very stylish, and the aura looks really good. Furthermore, you will also do additional damage while in your awakened state. There is also an audio clip of Vegeta appearing when you are about to transform into Super Saiyan 3 with a little image of Vegeta.
Bandai Namco also showed a different super attack set for the Saiyan; of course, I’m guessing that any race can equip these skills but on the Saiyan was Galick Gun, Omegaheat Magnetron, Split Finger shot and Break strike which are all KI based super attacks. The super attacks seem to be the same in base and in Super Saiyan.
Finally, the team showcased the rest of the fight. During this encounter, the boss seemed to be doing an area-wide mechanic in which you have to dodge by either hiding behind things in the environment or by using the dodge skill. I think the boss can still take damage, but it’s suggested to wait and do the mechanic before going back into combat range. Once beaten, the quest will give zeni, experience points and equipment. Also, there seems to be some sort of title system, as under the name of the character they have a title (Champion of Justice). You can emote and pose with your friends on the victory screen.
PSU would like to extend our thanks to Bandai Namco for the chance to view this preview build of Dragon Ball Xenoverse 3. On a personal note, and being a huge Dragon Ball fan, I loved what I saw during the preview and can’t wait to get my hands on the game.