DB: Xenoverse, or ‘What makes a good anime adapation?’

Anime is a hugely popular medium of entertainment. Its fans are nothing if not dedicated, and nothing else if not eager for gratification. Dragon Ball games are released every few years, as are game adaptations of other popular series such as One Piece and Naruto. It goes without saying that these games are primarily made for the fans: those who are there for the characters and storylines that they are familiar with. Some will buy an adaptation just for this, whilst others will look for something more substantial.

So, what separates a good anime adaptation from a poor one as far as games are concerned? With long running animes, there are often years of intricate storylines and character development that have to, or rather ‘ought to’, be considered when making a game. There is potential for a lot of exciting variety: abilities in a long running anime are as incredible as those in any comic. Developers also need to choose where to place their game in a cemented canon, and exactly how it is going to fit in. Depending on how these points are considered, fans can be won over or lost entirely.

Old locations were re-visited and old enemies were fought, but it was within a context that lent itself to the new saga of the game. The characters were aware they were revisiting past locations, and often made several references and jokes that only the fans would understand.

With a new Dragon Ball game on the horizon, let us consider how not to make an anime adaptation video game. In Dragon Ball: Ultimate Tenkaichi, the most recent Dragon Ball Z game that I do not cringe to mention, the main game was a full retelling of the events of Dragon Ball Z. As a childhood fan of the series, this is something I could have enjoyed. The problem was that the intricacies and excitement of the plot were lost in a series of text scrolls that attempted to retell each stage of every saga within the space of several minutes; several long and incredibly boring minutes. This was a shame, as other adaptations of the anime offered interesting additions to the canon that could keep fans interested. One example was the various ‘What if’ scenarios which took familiar stories and altered them to create wholly new scenarios. The gameplay of Ultimate Tenkaichi demanded a lot of grinding, but it retained the high pace and button bashing enjoyment of previous Dragon Ball games. Unlike these games, however, it failed to tell the story in a satisfactory manner, let alone offer the fans something new.

Now let us consider a decent adaptation. I recently played One Piece: Unlimited World Red, and from the point of view of a long-time fan of the anime and manga, I can say with certainty that this game did everything right. For one, it was a wholly new story, with a new villain designed by the creator of the series. Old locations were re-visited and old enemies were fought, but it was within a context that lent itself to the new saga of the game. The characters were aware they were revisiting past locations, and often made several references and jokes that only the fans would understand. It was all about building on the canon to create something new, which is the best route that this kind of adaptation can take.

The gameplay was also deeply enjoyable. In each level the player must choose three members of the Straw Hat crew to lead into battle, and can alternate control between them. This is a great chance to play as your favourite characters, each of whom has individual abilities. Even if I hadn’t known the anime as well as I do, I would have been able to praise the game for the variety in character moves and gameplay styles. As well as this, new abilities can be earned by levelling up, additional paths can only be unlocked by replaying levels with different characters, and there is even a hub town which the player can upgrade in order to improve their stats and item access. These are all game features we’re familiar with, implemented within the environment of an anime adaptation. It feels like something that was created to be a game, as well as a game adaptation of an anime.

Source material cannot just be ‘there’ for a player character to get involved with; it needs to lend itself to a new story.

Finally, let us consider what is on the horizon. Dragon Ball Xenoverse is set for release in early 2015, but what can we expect? It is advertised as an online game with extensive character customisation, allowing players to insert themselves into the Dragon Ball world. In essence this is the same deal that was offered by the now defunct Dragon Ball Online, as is the plot device of travelling back in time to insert your character into famous battles of the anime. The difference here is that an as yet unrevealed villain is manipulating history, to the extent that famous battles and their outcomes can be completely changed. This is potentially very interesting, and returns to the ‘What if’ story lines that made previous Dragon Ball games unique: what if Raditz had made more of a difference to the plot? What if Frieza had defeated Goku? There are a lot of possibilities here for new and exciting stories.

In terms of gameplay, Xenoverse appears to be essentially the same as recent titles. This isn’t necessarily bad, especially since trailers of the new game seem to show different characters utilising move sets that give them some distinction, which would be a welcome addition to the gameplay mechanics of its predecessors. Again, other gaming adaptations like Unlimited World work because they do as much as possible to keep the variety from the anime going strong. Xenoverse certainly has a lot of material to work with, and here’s hoping it makes the most of it.

One final thing to consider is the idea of placing a player created character in the company of familiar heroes. Budokai Tenkaichi also had a game mode wherein you played as a new hero fighting against various characters from the series, but again this was done extremely poorly. Firstly, the game gave no context as to why certain characters were even around to take part in the story. This goes back to how a good adaptation needs some kind of continuity and originality if the source material is going to make gamers feel satisfied. We know the characters from the anime, and would be able to appreciate them being given new life, whilst token appearances are easy to spot and rarely appreciated. Source material cannot just be ‘there’ for a player character to get involved with; it needs to lend itself to a new story.

There are certain adaptations I have not played, simply because I have no personal connection to the source material. I have never read Naruto, though I know certain games based on it are held in high regard by fans. Therein lies the secret: A gaming adaptation must satisfy fans of the original source material who are also familiar with what makes a good game. I am eager for Xenoverse to be exactly what the fans have been hoping for, as both a game and an adaptation. Good luck to you, Xenoverse, for should you fail you will be nothing more than another forgettable adaptation, meant for the hard core fans and nobody else.