Dragonball Advanced Adventure is a 2D side-scrolling action game for the Gameboy Advance that is based on the exploits of the series’ protagonist, Son Goku, when he was still a young boy. It follows the events since the start of the anime all the way to Goku’s first defeat of King Piccolo – along the way he’ll meet Bulma, Krillin, Oolong, Yamcha, Tienshinhan, Puar, Hermit Turtle – and fight against the Red Ribbon Army, Pilaf, and the aforementioned Piccolo.
Advanced Adventure is easily one of the best games you’ll find on the Gameboy Advance (it’s probably right up there with Astro Boy: Omega Factor) even if you don’t like anime games. Both presentation and execution are top notch, and it’s got extra game content up the wazoo.
Visually, Dragonball Advanced Adventure takes its cue from the anime, and does a good job with it, at least as far as the Gameboy Hardware can offer. The colors are bright and crisp, and the sprites are well-detailed. The sounds are well-done, with the intro theme perfectly mimic-ing the show’s intro, while the voices are spot-on for the characters.
Gameplay, as mentioned above, is 2D sidescrolling action. Goku can walk, run, block, jump, and punch, but also has access to a variety of special attacks such as his trademark Kame Hame Wave and his power pole, which has the power to extend all the way to the moon if the user wills it, but only manages to reach across the screen for this game. Advanced Adventure also has shades of MetroidVania, as paths can branch and some destinations can be reached through different paths. However, the player is not required to stick to one path and those who have no patience for exploration can take the shortest path – the game knows that it’s a beat ‘em up and doesn’t try to force you into playing a different game, except for those stages where you have to play a SHMUP.
The enemies in the game are varied, but not varied enough to not require palette swaps. Thankfully, the pace moves fast enough and you are not forced to kill enemies except in some cases, so if you find yourself getting bored hitting the same dog-guy over and over, you can choose to jump over his head and skip the fight. Or heck, you can bust out one of the two screen-filling supermoves to clear everything.
The Bosses are a refreshing break in the game, as each boss remains true to their anime/manga versions and you won’t find two bosses requiring the same strategy. For instance, whereas defeating Yamcha only requires you to do hit and run tactics while avoiding his Wolf Fang fist and Puar’s projectiles, one of the Red Ribbon Army’s monsters requires you to first break walls and let cold air in before attacking.
As for bonus content, going through the Story mode once will allow you to unlock a wide variety of mini games like the rock breaking contest or the survival, as well as extra game modes like Krillin’s run through the story stages and the Free Battle mode, which is done well enough that it could stand alone as its own game.
The Free Battle Mode
The Free Battle Mode is essentially a fighting game that uses the characters from the story mode. At first you’ll only have access to Goku and Krillin, but when you finish the story mode you’ll get access to a number of different characters like Tienshinhan, Jacky Cheung, Tao Pai Pai, Grandpa Gohan, Cyborg Tao Pai Pai, and King Piccolo. Depending on your preference, you may even find that you like this mode better than Story Mode.
Each of the characters are unique in more ways than one – they have different special moves that require different timing and approaches, and some characters have bigger hitboxes and can move faster. It’s a bonafide fighting game that you can enjoy on its own (though you need to play through the story mode first so that you can unlock other fighters.)
Buy or Not?
Definitely buy. As mentioned above, Dragonball Advanced Adventure is one of the best games on the Gameboy Advance even if you’re not a fan of the anime. Like any handheld Beat ‘Em Up, the game is fairly short and you can finish it in less than a week of short burst-playing, but the unlockable extras and the fact that it has a full-fledged fighting game included drives the replay value way the hell up. This is not exactly a rare release, so you can still find new copies of it all over the net:
