Sparking! ZERO’s Great Ape Vegeta is So Difficult, Bandai Namco Memes About It

DRAGON BALL: Sparking! ZERO's early access release has unleashed a formidable foe: Great Ape Vegeta. This colossal ape is proving to be an unexpectedly brutal challenge, leaving players battered and meme-ing their way through the frustration.

Great Ape Vegeta: A Boss Fight of Epic Proportions (and Difficulty)

The difficulty of boss fights is expected. However, Great Ape Vegeta in DRAGON BALL: Sparking! ZERO transcends "difficult" and enters the realm of legendary hardship. His relentless attacks, including the devastating Galick Gun and a health-draining grab, transform the encounter into a desperate struggle for survival. Many players resort to immediate restarts upon seeing the Galick Gun wind-up.

This challenging encounter is amplified by its early appearance in Goku's Episode Battle, presenting a significant hurdle for newcomers to the Dragon Ball fighting game franchise. The sheer onslaught of super moves from the start can be overwhelming.

Bandai Namco Embraces the Meme

Instead of a hasty hotfix, Bandai Namco UK's Twitter (X) account playfully acknowledged the player outcry with a meme featuring Great Ape Vegeta's relentless assault, simply stating, "This monke got hands."

It's worth noting that Great Ape Vegeta has a history of being a formidable opponent in Dragon Ball fighting games, with some players recalling their struggles with him in the original Budokai Tenkaichi.

Beyond the Ape: Other Challenges in Sparking! ZERO

The difficulty isn't solely confined to Great Ape Vegeta. Even on Normal difficulty, CPU opponents unleash punishing combos, a problem exacerbated on Super difficulty where the AI seems to possess an unfair advantage. This often leaves players with only one option: lowering the difficulty to Easy.

A Steam Success Despite the Difficulty

Despite the widespread frustration with Great Ape Vegeta's "monke hands," DRAGON BALL: Sparking! ZERO has enjoyed a phenomenal Steam launch. Within hours of early access, it peaked at 91,005 concurrent players, surpassing major fighting game titles like Street Fighter, Tekken, and Mortal Kombat.

This success is likely due to the game's status as a long-awaited revival of the popular Budokai Tenkaichi subseries. Game8's 92/100 review highlights its numerous characters, stunning visuals, and engaging scenarios, calling it "the best Dragon Ball game in ages." For a more in-depth review, see our linked article.