Dragon Ball Sparking! ZERO has arrived, and for new players who don’t know what they are doing, the controls can be a bit of a pain to work out.
How do you attack? How do you dodge? The game doesn’t tell you much if you don’t check out the extensive training and go straight into battles. So, depending on your platform or controller of choice, keeping a control guide on hand is crucial to learning the ropes and giving yourself a fighting chance in the surprisingly hard campaign.
Of course, there are other tips for winning fights. Knowing the controls isn’t a guaranteed way to victory, but it can at least help you understand what’s going on, depending on whether you choose Standard or Classic controller options.
All controls for Dragon Ball Sparking! ZERO
Xbox Dragon Ball Sparking! ZERO Controls
| Move | Xbox Standard Controls Button | Xbox Classic Controls Button |
|---|---|---|
| Move your character | D-pad/ Left Stick | D-pad/ Left Stick |
| Rush Attack | X | X |
| Perception | B | N/A |
| Short Dash/Step | A | A |
| Guard | Left Trigger | B |
| Ki Blast/Rush Chain | Y | Y |
| Ki Charge | Right Trigger | Left Trigger |
| Revenge Counter | Right Stick (Pressed when attacked) | Left Button (Tapped Twice) |
| Ascend/Jump | Left Button | Right Button |
| Descend | Left Trigger | Right Trigger |
PlayStation Dragon Ball Sparking! ZERO Controls
| Move | PlayStation Standard Controls Button | PlayStation Classic Controls Button |
|---|---|---|
| Move your character | D-pad/ Left Stick | D-pad/ Left Stick |
| Rush Attack | Square | Square |
| Perception | Circle | N/A |
| Short Dash/Step | X | X |
| Guard | R1 | Circle |
| Ki Blast/Rush Chain | Triangle | Triangle |
| Ki Charge | R2 | L2 |
| Revenge Counter | Right Stick (Pressed when attacked) | L1 (Tapped Twice) |
| Ascend/Jump | L1 | R1` |
| Descend | L2 | R2 |
PC Dragon Ball Sparking! ZERO Controls
| Move | PC Control Keys |
|---|---|
| Move your character | WASD |
| Rush Attack | Left Click |
| Perception | Q |
| Short Dash/Step | F |
| Ki Blast/Rush Chain | Right Click |
| Vanishing Assault | V |
| Skill 1, 2 | 1, 2 |
| Blast 1, 2 | 3, 4 |
| Ultimate Blast | 5 |
| Switch Camera | C |
If you hold the Ki Charge button, you’ll gain access to special moves you can use your power bar on, such as Kamehameha and other classic DB moves. You can also power up beyond your bar to access super special attacks.
Dragon Ball Sparking! ZERO isn’t your typical fighting game, after all. Most of your moves are done with individual button presses over combinations of buttons and directional buttons. While spamming the attack button might feel like an effective strategy at first, you’ll soon find out that enemies will counter your incoming attacks easily. Equally spamming projectiles or super moves isn’t a good option either.
Depending on your preference, you could make an argument that Standard and Classic are both viable control methods. For me, I prefer Classic as pressing the right stick to use counter doesn’t feel right. It also makes me long for custom controls to set up my own way of playing. I also find it better to use a controller when on the PC version of the game, though I must admit having access to skills with the press of a button is pretty cool.
