Introduction

If you ever wished to watch your favorite Dragon Ball Z characters duke it out in pixelated glory on the Nintendo Switch, Super Butoden is here to tickle your nostalgia bone. Launched originally in 1993 and spruced up for Switch in the form of a pre-order bonus for Dragon Ball FighterZ, this game asks the age-old question: what if Goku had to fight a giant chicken? Spoiler: he’d still win.

Gameplay

Super Butoden is a one-on-one fighting game that gives you all the excitement of watching well-trained martial artists yell at each other really loudly, while you desperately try to remember which button throws the energy blasts. With a roster of ten characters, including classics like Goku and Vegeta, players aim to deplete the opponent's health bar faster than they can deplete your patience. It features three modes of play: normal, versus, and the spiritual 'Let's Tear Each Other Apart Until Someone Wins' mode. The unique split-screen feature helps ensure that when your character decides to dash off to the corner of the universe, you can still see what’s happening instead of squinting at a distant pixel. A six-button configuration lets you unleash special moves as if you’ve been training with Roshi himself.

Graphics

Let’s be honest; the graphics are vintage. Playing Super Butoden is like stepping back into a world where 16-bit reigns supreme and pixel art looks like it was made with love (and a touch of crayon). Backgrounds are colorful and reminiscent of various memorable Dragon Ball Z locations, though they might not win any awards at a modern art gallery. The characters are charmingly blocky, giving a certain nostalgia factor to the experience—perfect for fans that remember when phones had buttons, and the internet was a dial-up affair.

Conclusion

Dragon Ball Z: Super Butoden is a delightful trip back to a time when gaming was less about realism and more about fun, flashy fights and questionable plotlines. Although it may not be the most groundbreaking fighting game on the market today, it has its charm and will certainly satisfy any DBZ fan looking to rekindle their love for the franchise. Just keep in mind that while Goku might be fighting formidable foes, you’ll mostly be fighting the urge to remember those complicated button combos. If you find yourself longing for simpler times and frantic button-mashing, then dust off your Switch, grab your favorite snack, and prepare for some good old-fashioned dragon brawlin'!

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