Ten years after the launch of Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2, Bandai Namco is preparing to shake up the franchise with Dragon Ball Xenoverse 3, a title that boldly leaps forward to Age 1000. During a recent preview event, producer Masayuki Hirano shared insights into the game's new setting, gameplay mechanics, and the design philosophy behind its expanded customization.
The decision to set Xenoverse 3 in Age 1000 represents a significant shift, aiming to offer players a fresh Dragon Ball experience distinct from previous games. Hirano emphasized that the franchise has always strived to present unique narrative and gameplay opportunities that cannot be found elsewhere in the Dragon Ball universe. The development team worked closely with the late Akira Toriyama, who provided foundational designs for characters, settings, and lore, ensuring the new era felt authentic to the series' roots.
Initial gameplay demonstrations featured a choice between an Earthling or Saiyan character, with the preview focusing on an Earthling avatar. The player's hub area is depicted as a remarkably cluttered room, a design choice Hirano explained is tied to the narrative, noting it is based on Bulma's own space, which serves as an office and storage unit. While the mess will be addressed by an in-game AI companion named COA, the intention is to immerse players in the world.
Gameplay missions involve classic Xenoverse action, with fast-paced combat featuring combos and special moves like the Kamehameha and Kaio-ken. New additions aim to enhance combat further. Ultimate attacks now allow for multi-target engagement, capable of unleashing devastating energy barrages. The Soul Assist feature lets players call upon iconic Dragon Ball characters to aid them in battle, even enabling coordinated special moves such as a two-person Galick Gun with Vegeta.
A notable new mechanic is Soul Switch. This allows players to temporarily transform into another character, inheriting their abilities and movesets. During the preview, this mechanic was demonstrated with Trunks, enabling access to his signature attacks, including the Burning Attack and a powerful sword combo followed by an energy blast. Soul Switch is designed to empower players by letting them embody beloved characters while still maintaining their own avatar's presence in the game.
Hirano elaborated on the game's design pillars: story, new characters, and customization. He highlighted a deliberate shift in the approach to customization, moving beyond purely cosmetic options to enable deeper strategic differentiation. Unlike previous entries where players might discover an optimal build, Xenoverse 3 aims to support diverse playstyles within a party of four, allowing players to effectively assign roles based on their preferences and character builds. This focus on strategic variety is intended to make each player's experience more unique and replayable.
The introduction of Age 1000 and the new mechanics like Soul Assist and Soul Switch were developed through close observation of how the community engages with the Xenoverse series and what they desire from future installments. The overarching goal, Hirano stated, is to provide a fresh yet familiar Dragon Ball experience that resonates with longtime fans while remaining accessible to newcomers. Players can anticipate a world rich in lore, new character interactions, and extensive personalization options when Dragon Ball Xenoverse 3 launches.