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‘Project Z’ is a new Dragon Ball action RPG that retells Goku’s origin story

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A new Dragon Ball game from Bandai Namco is set to launch later this year on PS4, Xbox One, and PC. The currently untitled action RPG, which for now is going by “Dragon Ball Game – Project Z,” looks to retell the origin story of Goku and the Dragon Balls. Bandai Namco dropped the reveal trailer on Twitter during the Dragon Ball FighterZ World Tour eSports tournament.

Determination, Despair, and Hope — Discover the story of the mysterious Dragon Balls in the all new DRAGON BALL GAME – PROJECT Z!

Join Goku and fellow warriors in the neverending search for the ultimate fight — COMING 2019! pic.twitter.com/3IrgrAxDZt

— Bandai Namco US (@BandaiNamcoUS) January 28, 2019

“True warriors are in a never-ending search for the ultimate fight,” the trailer begins. “This is the story of the mysterious Dragon Balls.” Later in the trailer, the narrator says, “This is the story of Goku, the one they call Kakarot.”

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The Dragon Ball franchise has a long history of video games. As of late, most titles set in the world of the Dragon Balls have been fighting games, including 2018’s excellent Dragon Ball FighterZ. Even the pair of Xenoverse games took place in confined arenas, despite having RPG elements. Based on the initial reveal trailer, it appears that this next Dragon Ball game will feature exploration. CyberConnect2, the studio behind the .hack series and various Naruto Shippuden titles, is helming development on the action RPG.

Dragon Ball FighterZ Image used with permission by copyright holder

Bandai Namco also revealed that FighterZ will get a new fighter pass featuring six additional characters. Two of the six fighters enter the battle on January 31. Pride Trooper Jiren and Videl, who has a special collaborative move with Gohan. The trailer also teased two of the other upcoming fighters, Broly and Super Saiyan Blue Bogeta. Bandai Namco kept the final two fighters from the second pass under wraps for now.

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It’s unclear how much the second fighter pass will cost, though we imagine each fighter will be available individually for $5, just like the previous eight fighters. Bandai Namco sold the first pass for $35, which gave players a $5 discount compared to buying each fighter individually. Perhaps this second pass will cost $25 to mirror that model.

Bandai Namco’s next title, the anime crossover fighter Jump Force, arrives on February 15 on PS4, Xbox One, and PC. Six Dragon Ball characters, including Goku, Trunks, and Vegeta will fight against characters from other popular anime franchises such as Naruto and One Piece.

Steven Petite
Steven Petite
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Steven is a writer from Northeast Ohio currently based in Louisiana. He writes about video games and books, and consumes…
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