We got some hands-on time with the closed Dragon Ball: The Breakers beta. Previously, at PAX West, we met with Dimps and Bandai Namco to preview their upcoming game Dragon Ball the Breakers.

For that hands-on preview, we got the opportunity to play as Cell (Raider) and the Survivor. While playing as Cell was a lot of fun, it did take a bit of time to reach his second stage. During the open beta, we learned a few tricks to actually help us with that. Then for the second match, we played as the survivor.

This past weekend, Bandai Namco held an open beta for Dragon Ball: The Breakers. So what did we learn from the open Dragon Ball the Breakers beta this past weekend? How does it differ from what we knew before?

Dragon Ball the Breakers beta – Survivor

At PAX West 2022, we felt like we had a better understanding of how to play as the Raider compared to the survivor. Shockingly, we found ourselves winning more as the survivor than the Raider. So what changed? Well, a key important factor is learning the mechanics of the game.

Dragon Ball The Breakers is an asymmetrical action game. For those who have played Dead by Daylight or Secret Neighbor, it uses a similar mechanic where those who survive, win. In order for a survivor to win, they must do one of three things; survivor victory is achieved by the Super Time Machine resetting time, escaping via a time machine, or defeating the raider.

In order to activate the Super Time Machine, survivors need to find power keys located in each district. Once the keys have been located, they must be planted in specific locations to charge the Super Time Machine.

Depending on the number of keys planted throughout the map determines how fast the Super Time Machine charges. Once all available keys have been planted, survivors can charge the Super Time Machine by interacting with it.

In order to survive against the raider, Survivors can transform into renowned Z-Fighters. For those who are unaware of who or what Z-Fighters are, they are the heroes from the Dragon Ball universe. Sadly, during our PAX West preview, we didn’t know how to transform properly.

From our time with the Dragon Ball the Breakers beta, we learned that not only can you transform multiple times, but you can transform into three different Z-Fighters; by obtaining power cubes, the survivor can increase their power level. The power level determines which transformation is available. After expending all their energy, survivors return to normal.

Transformations require Power Cubes which can be earned in a variety of ways. The easiest way to find them is in chests or destroyed objects. The second easiest way is by helping rescue civilians; these civilians can also drop a Dragonball as well. The third and final way is to buy Power Cubes from vending machines, but that requires Zeni, which can also be found in chests.

The three different power levels determine how much damage the player is able to deal to the Raider. If enough survivors team up, the survivors can actually take down the raider.

Transforming can also be a useful tool to help escape the raider when you don’t think you aren’t strong enough; additionally, it can also be used to stall for time to avoid the Raider while the Super Time Capsule powers up.

In addition to learning how to fight against the Raider, we were able to get a better understanding of what each item did, how the Dragonballs worked, and how to use the survivor’s abilities. Each item has its own ability which will either increase damage dealt to the Raider, Protect the Survivor, or resurrect a teammate.

During the beta, we did not get to use the Dragonballs as the Survivor. The beta also gave us the chance to check out the character customization options, entrances, emotes, skins, and additional abilities.

Raider

As the raider, the player is tasked with hunting down the survivors. If the raider is able to eliminate a majority of the survivors and destroy the Super Time Machine, they will win the match.

If the raider is unable to destroy the Super Time Machine and a survivor is still alive, the remaining survivors win. Living survivors can still escape with a regular time machine if the Super Time Machine is destroyed.

When playing as Cell, the player can execute a civilian to level up. We did not have the opportunity to try this as Frieza but it should work the same way. If a raider does not execute a survivor and they bleed out, the remaining survivors have the ability to revive them. This will still show them as slain, but they are still able to help out.

The raider can destroy zones where the power cell key has been found but not planned. If the key has been planted there is no point in destroying said zone. The only way it can be useful in narrowing down where the enemies can be hiding.

Eliminating civilians can also grant the Raider a Dragonball. The Raider can use the Dragon Balls to summon Shenron and make a wish. Two of the most helpful wishes are to become invincible or to eliminate all civilians.

Final Thoughts

The Dragon Ball the Breakers beta gave us a better understanding of the game than we had before. Since playing at PAX West, it feels as if the Raider’s damage has been reduced slightly. For those on the fence about the game, the beta was a great way to see what Dimps had in mind.

We were shocked to find out that the game will cost only $19.99 or $29.99 (Special edition) when it releases on October 14th. During the Dragon Ball the Breakers beta, we could tell that the game will feature microtransactions. At this time, we are uncertain if the game will have a battle pass.

Having time to play as both the survivor and raider made us realize that the game can be balanced but ultimately it comes down to a skill match-up. The Dragon Ball the Breakers beta also gave players the opportunity to check out a secondary map though we rarely got to play on it. Sadly, Majin Buu was not available to play as in the beta.

We noticed a significant difference in skill level between the PS5 and Xbox Series X versions of Dragon Ball The Breakers. The PlayStation 5 version had more players but was typically less skilled. As for Xbox, we found more competitive matchups; sadly, the matches took forever to find.

Are you excited about the upcoming release of Dragon Ball The Breakers? Did you participate in the Dragon Ball the Breakers beta? We had fun playing the open beta and hope you did too.

Dragon Ball The Breakers is set to launch on October 13th in Japan and on October 14 worldwide across Windows PC (via Steam), Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.