Any games out there taking place in Dragon Ball/Akira Toriyama-esque setting?

[ninja666]

More of an "out of curiosity" question that's been bugging me for a longer time now than an actual game request, but if something good pops up, I'll sure as hell play it... so, it technically makes it a request. And a terribly specific one at that. I don't know myself.

Anyway, are there any games out there taking place in a setting reminiscent of early, pre-DBZ Akira Toriyama's style? What do I mean by that? I'll try to explain the best I can. By that I mean a setting that's a mix of fantasy, science fiction, 1940-50s style dieselpunk technology (cars, firearms, military vehicles, aircrafts etc.), and (mostly ancient Chinese and Japanese) mythology-inspired lore.

If you still can't picture it from the description and/or are unfamiliar with Akira Toriyama's work, I've made a small album [https://imgur.com/a/ElImq] with Dragon Ball and general Toriyama style related fan- and official art for you to help get a better grasp of what I mean.

The genres I'm mostly interested in are action, action-adventure, and (J)RPG, but with such specific criteria, I think anything goes.

Also, I'd very much prefer titles released before the seventh generation of consoles, so if something catches my eye, I can actually be able to find a way to play it. That doesn't forbid you from listing more modern titles of course, since it's also a research-ish thread.

Thank you in advance for all the help.

 

[shrekfan246]

Well, would games that Toriyama has directly been involved with count?

He was the primary art designer behind Chrono Trigger on the SNES, and he's been pretty heavily involved with the Dragon Quest franchise since it began.

 

[ninja666]

Well, would games that Toriyama has directly been involved with count?

Well, yes. Although I have to say that apart from Chrono Trigger, I haven't really seen him do any of the technology-related stuff outside of manga & anime. In the world of gaming, he was doing more of generic fantasy art than anything, like Dragon Quest, also mentioned by you.

 

[SlumlordThanatos]

You should try out Blue Dragon.

Toriyama did work for this game as well. I watched a friend play it a while back, and it sounds like almost exactly what you are asking for. If you have an Xbox 360, this is the game to get.

 

[Johnny Novgorod]

Dragon Quest. Toriyama has been the lead artist/character designer since the beginning of the series. Naturally every character in the games - at least in Dragon Quest VIII - looks like a Captain Ersatz to a Dragon Ball character.

 

[ninja666]

Naturally every character in the games - at least in Dragon Quest VIII - looks like a Captain Ersatz to a Dragon Ball character.

I think his artstyle is more at fault here. He just simply can't draw a human face that looks different than something he already made, hence every character in each and every one of his creations looks alike. Even characters in Chrono Trigger looked like Dragon Ball and Dr Slump characters (Chrono=Goku, Lucca=Arale, Marle=Chichi, Magus=Vegeta etc.).

Any ideas related more to the setting itself rather than Toriyama's active contribution in creation? It doesn't really have to resemble something drawn by Toriyama (at least when it comes to the characters' looks) - I'm more after the features mentioned in the OP.

 

[ninja666]

Bit of a far shot, but maybe Xenoblade?

Hmm... not really what I'm looking for. The setting is definitely not generic fantasy, but has way more flashy, science fiction elements in it than I would've liked. It looks worth playing regardless of that, though. Is it worth it?

 

[ninja666]

One thing to keep in mind is that it had a small print run, so supply is low and demand has only risen over the years, so the game is probably going to cost you at least 60 bucks.

Oh, right, I've seen the thread here somewhere. Forgot it was this game, though. Is it only available through physical means? Can't it be purchased digitally for a normal price? I'm not really looking forward to buying a Wii and then a ridiculously overpriced game that's like this just because the Japanese were stingy.

 

[Maxtro]

If you don't mind an older game then I suggest Xenogears.

It's a great mix of fantasy, steampunk with a touch of ancient civilization has futuristic tech.

The Xenosaga series is completely science fiction.

Xenoblade I'd call an even mix of sci-fi and fantasy. You're still running around on foot fighting gigantic monsters with swords. Granted the primary enemies is a bunch of robots. Still it's a great game.

 

[ninja666]

If you don't mind an older game then I suggest Xenogears.

It's a great mix of fantasy, steampunk with a touch of ancient civilization has futuristic tech.

I don't mind older games at all. Xenogears looks like the closest thing, aside from Chrono Trigger, to what I'm looking for. I'll be sure to play it in a near future. Thanks for the recommendation.

 

[Aethren]

It's funny you should ask this now, considering that Dragon Ball Xenoverse just came out. It's a Dragonball MMO, supposedly a pretty good one too.

 

[ninja666]

It's funny you should ask this now, considering that Dragon Ball Xenoverse just came out. It's a Dragonball MMO, supposedly a pretty good one too.

And has nothing to do with what I'm looking for because it's based on DBZ, which didn't have 3/4 of the stuff original DB had.

 

[jedisensei]

Far be it from me to knock a recommendation of Xenogears, which is one of my nostalgic favorites, but it truly could not be considered in the vein of "1950s dieselpunk" and has fuck-all to do with Chinese mythology. It has far more in common with Freudian psychology and Macross than it does with the original Dragonball.

Frankly, I'm hard-pressed to think of any such game, especially an RPG, but have you heard of Enslaved: Odyssey to the West?? As the name implies, it's a re-imagining of Journey to the West, which was Toriyama's inspiration for DB, with action/adventure and puzzle elements. I only played about 2-3 hours, and while the similarities to the novel were somewhat thread-bare, it does seem to meet your criteria.

Also, the new Shadowrun games are a good mix of sci-fi & magic, though more heavily skewed towards the former; I can't really speak to the mythology in the lore, however.

 

[ninja666]

Far be it from me to knock a recommendation of Xenogears, which is one of my nostalgic favorites, but it truly could not be considered in the vein of "1950s dieselpunk" and has fuck-all to do with Chinese mythology. It has far more in common with Freudian psychology and Macross than it does with the original Dragonball.

I know. It's still closer than Xenoblade and Dragon Quest, though.

Frankly, I'm hard-pressed to think of any such game, especially an RPG, but have you heard of Enslaved: Odyssey to the West?? As the name implies, it's a re-imagining of Journey to the West, which was Toriyama's inspiration for DB, with action/adventure and puzzle elements. I only played about 2-3 hours, and while the similarities to the novel were somewhat thread-bare, it does seem to meet your criteria.

Well, it probably couldn't be closer story-wise, that's for sure. I'm not sure about the setting, though - seems like a pretty generic sci-fi/post-apo hybrid to me. Still, I've yet to play this game.

 

[aozgolo]

I might recommend trying an old-school PS1 RPG: Shadow Madness.

It has a very interesting setting, in a world that has medieval fantasy-esque villages up to floating dieselpunk style metropolises and a very interesting aesthetic that somehow blends everything.

It's a bit more on the dark moody side of things but has the kind of humor to keep it from sinking under that weight. The only criteria I feel it doesn't meet as much is the ancient Chinese/Japanese lore.

 

[ninja666]

I might recommend trying an old-school PS1 RPG: Shadow Madness.

It has a very interesting setting, in a world that has medieval fantasy-esque villages up to floating dieselpunk style metropolises and a very interesting aesthetic that somehow blends everything.

Never heard about this game. Looks interesting.

The only criteria I feel it doesn't meet as much is the ancient Chinese/Japanese lore.

It's okay. I'm more after the fantasy/dieselpunk-esque technology mix anyway cause it's something you rarely see in games.