Over the past several weeks Bandai Namco has shared lots of new information and trailers about Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot. Gameplay like Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot's leveling and progression systems have been broken down. Story arcs, going from the Saiyan Saga to the Buu Saga, have been explored. But in Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot's latest trailer, Bandai Namco gets back to basics. Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot, as its name implies, is a story about Goku and his greatest allies.
The new trailer features narration from DBZ fans' favorite villain, Vegeta. Vegeta reflects on his past with Goku, why Goku is as strong as he's always been, and why Vegeta has always struggled to reach the limits that Goku has discovered naturally. While the trailer is intended to display why Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot bears his name and not something more group-encompassing, it rather makes Vegeta out to be the story's protagonist. It's as if Vegeta spends the story growing in a much more meaningful way that Goku, ultimately becoming the hero he needs to be rather than the one he wanted to be to start.
As for what's actually shown during the new Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot trailer, it's mostly a montage of various Goku-focused gameplay clips. It slowly progresses through the story of Dragon Ball Z, showing Goku facing off against the Saiyans, Nappa and Vegeta, going to Namek and battling Freeza, taking on Cell, and then finally confronting Buu with a big Genki Dama spirit bomb.
At its heart, the Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot trailer isn't really about Goku or Vegeta. It's about selling the biggest and best moments of the Dragon Ball Z manga and anime and persuading fans that Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot is delivering a video game true to the franchise. While the trailer does show some gameplay, it doesn't really show what players will be doing moment to moment in Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot. And that's fine, because most Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot players will probably care less about the gameplay and more about living out those big Dragon Ball Z moments.
With Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot arriving in just two days, it makes sense for Bandai Namco to condense its message into a short launch trailer. For video game fans more interested in the gameplay and action, Bandai Namco has several more focused trailers and breakdowns to peruse. There's going to be plenty for Dragon Ball Z fans of all sorts to enjoy in Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot.
Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot releases January on PC, PS4, and Xbox One.