Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot is finally delivering on its promise to players about introducing new mechanics to Bulma's present day time machine, but there are still a lot of unanswered questions about it. Certain mechanics, the prerequisites to use the machine, and more all remain wreathed in mystery, and likely will until the update rolls out sometime before the end of this month. Though fans can think of many possible uses for the time machine, its true potential remains to be seen, but there is some postulation which can be done based on the information which as been confirmed that will shed some light on these questions.
For those unaware, after completing the main story of Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot, players are able to head to Capsule Corp where they will find Bulma standing in front of a time machine. Speaking to her reveals that she built the time machine so that Future Trunks could return to the main timeline and hang out with everyone. Although Bulma seems to have invented time travel for the sole purpose of hanging out with the future version of her son, developers and players plan to use the device to replay portions of the story and gain access to limited time sub-stories they may have missed.
What We Know About The Time Machine
What is known about the time machine update is that it will allow players to replay parts of the story of Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot and enable them to complete timed sub-stories which might have been missed during the initial playthrough. The former use is great because it allows players to use the time machine to replay incredible story moments and use characters which aren't available in the end game free roam, while the latter use is nice because it means completionists don't have to start an entirely new file if they happened to miss one small sidequest.
It has also been stated that the time machine will become available sometime before the end of March, but ultimately that's about all that has been confirmed. There are still numerous questions swimming about in the minds of players which need answering and not much to go off in order to find those answers. At this point, making inferences is about all that can be done, but thankfully there doesn't seem to be too long to wait before all the answers become clear.
Will The Time Machine Scale Player's Level?
By nature of being an RPG, players have gotten a lot stronger than they were when they first faced off against Raditz in the Saiyan Saga, with some even reaching the ridiculously unnecessary level cap of 250. This raises the important question of whether or not using the time machine to travel back in time will scale the player's level down to a more appropriate value or if the enemies will instead be scaled up to meet the player. The final possibility here is that both the player and the enemy will remain at the level they are.
Scaling the player's level down poses an interesting challenge in that level is not set at different points of the story. Depending on how much grinding a player commits to, they could be extremely overleveled at any given point. The time machine could set a flat level for each story episode, or it is possible that the game's memory has stored what level the player was at any given time. Scaling the enemy up would be far easier, but wouldn't make quite as much sense. Finally, not changing anyone's level seems the most unlikely, as players would then walk through even major fights with ease.
Will The Time Machine Restrict The Player's Skills?
Along the same lines as the previous question, it seems likely that travelling back in time with the time machine will restrict the player's available skills as well as their level. Certain skills are unattainable until the player reaches a certain level, but others require the player to reach certain points in the story. For example, regardless of how high level the player is, they can't unlock Super Saiyan until the final battle with Frieza. So how will this mechanic affect the use of the time machine?
It would seem rather anticlimactic if Goku was able to go Super Saiyan 3 during his battle with Vegeta in the Saiyan Saga, and it would be even stranger if fans saw five year old Kid Gohan enter his Ultimate Form versus the likes of Nappa or even Frieza. Most likely, something will have to be done in order to limit this kind of anomaly from happening, removing access to these skills or only allowing the use of skills which would be appropriate to the story. That means no sending a Super Saiyan 3 Ultimate Spirit Bomb at Raditz, unfortunately.
Will The Time Machine Allow Players To Replay The Secret Boss?
Given that Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot's secret boss fight is not tied to a moment in the story but rather to whenever the player defeats all the villainous enemies for the first time, it is uncertain if the time machine will allow players to replay this difficult and enjoyable fight. One of the main gripes about this battle is that it can't be replayed despite the continuing reappearance of ever stronger villainous enemies. Using the time machine to allow players to fight Mira at higher and higher levels would be very cool.
Will The Time Machine Open Up Future DLC Possibilites?
After defeating Mira in the secret boss fight, Towa takes the wounded warrior to a different timeline, intent on gathering more energy to complete the demon spawn. In Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2, Mira's final form is only achieved after he absorbs not only his creator Towa, but also an egg containing the entirety of the Dragon Ball: GT timeline. The result is a Mira which bears a striking resemblance to the Super Saiyan 4 transformation and a very cool boss fight. If Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot were ever to get Dragon Ball: GT DLC, it would likely be by using the time machine to travel to a different timeline in hopes of stopping Mira and Towa.
Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot is available now for PC, PS4, and Xbox One.