Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot gave fans a chance to relive the events of the prolific series in a massive action-RPG. As the name implies, players get to train and level up Goku, as well as other characters like Piccolo, Vegeta, and Gohan.
Kakarot painstakingly recreates all of the arcs from Dragon Ball Z, from the Saiyan Saga to the Buu Saga. For fans of Dragon Ball, it's a treat, but the game has a host of small annoying problems that crop up along the way.
Bandai Namco has confirmed that a Season Pass is on the way for Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot, with two "original story episodes" and "one new story arc." The forthcoming DLC has a chance to fix the game's issues and add engaging new content.
Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot Needs New or Original Story Arcs
The biggest problem that faces Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot is simply that it, once again, recreates the anime. For decades now Dragon Ball Z games have had players going through the same story arcs and battles, and playing through the Frieza saga for the umpteenth time has lost its appeal. Kakarot's DLC can easily fix this by adding more intriguing story content, especially if said content covers arcs that haven't been seen in video games.
Adding Dragon Ball Super arcs would be the best way to do this, with players using Trunks' time machine to travel to the future and battle Goku Black. Dragon Ball Super has only appeared in a handful of video games, due to how recent it is, and that's mostly been in the form of playable characters in Dragon Ball FighterZ. Video games have yet to touch on the actual story of Dragon Ball Super, which Kakarot could rectify.
Equally interesting would be for Kakarot to create brand new story arcs, like 2019's One Piece: World Seeker, potentially with a new villain designed by Akira Toriyama. Toriyama has designed new villains for both Dragon Ball FighterZ and Jump Force, and it could be interesting to see another character join the ranks.
Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot Needs More Post-Game Content
It's strange that a 40-plus hour RPG like Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot doesn't have a New Game Plus. Equally frustrating is that the game has a lackluster post-game that adds only a handful of new battles and substories.
These are both things that Kakarot's DLC can improve, giving players more of a reason to jump back in after beating the main story. The current post-game makes it easy to grind levels, but a New Game Plus would provide an option for players that want to go through again with access to every skill and attack. A more robust post-game, on the other hand, can bring interest back to Kakarot months after its release, and encourage players to jump into brand new DLC content.
Bandai Namco has confirmed that players will be able to use the time machine to go back and finish missed substories at some point, but adding on even more substories after the end of the game is equally important. This could be used to add on brand new boss fights that don't fit in with the standard story. Letting players battle movie bosses like Cooler and Broly would make Kakarot even more of a love letter to the series. There just needs to be more of a reward for players that reach the end of the game.
Gameplay Tweaks That Could Improve Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot
On top of adding new content, there are some big problems that Kakarot's DLC and patches need to fix. Voice lines get incredibly annoying as Goku spouts the same phrases whenever he gets near a group of enemies or even just an apple. To go along with this, players have practically no reason to take part in random battles as the rewards are paltry compared to what the main story gives out.
Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot could also stand for some difficulty balancing, or even adding brand new difficulty options that give players more of a challenge, especially if New Game Plus gets added. Of course, other small technical issues need to be looked at like overall performance and screen-tearing.