Dragon Ball Z: The Legacy of Goku II

Dragon Ball Z: The Legacy of Goku II is an action RPG by Webfoot Technologies that continued the first Legacy of Goku game on the Game Boy Advance and tried to more faithfully capture a larger portion of the story from the popular Dragon Ball Z anime and manga, specifically the period around the arrival of the Androids and Cell. The player successively controls several of the series' main heroes, moves through more open environments inspired by locations from the show, and completes tasks corresponding to key story moments.

The game combines free top-down world exploration, similar to the structure of action-adventures, with a real-time combat system in which the player attacks with physical strikes as well as the energy-based ki techniques famous from the show, and characters can level up and unlock new abilities. Compared to the first game, this one is larger and offers more detailed treatment of story events, allowing it to better cover the key turning points of the saga it references. The graphics meet the period standards of the GBA, with characters recognizable from the source material, and the music underscores the dramatic, action-driven tone drawn from the show's atmosphere.

Among Dragon Ball Z fans, the game was received significantly better than the first one, mainly thanks to its more extensive content and more faithful coverage of the beloved Android and Cell saga. Today, Legacy of Goku II is considered one of the better licensed Dragon Ball Z games on handhelds, and a pleasant choice for series fans who want to experience the story's key moments in the form of an action RPG. The looser exploration structure also gives the player room to return to visited areas and complete side quests between story twists, which sets the game apart from most of the more linear licensed titles based on the show on other platforms. Collecting experience and gradually unlocking stronger techniques also gives the game a motivational loop similar to traditional action RPGs, distinguishing it from purely combat-focused games based on the same license.

Why play: For Dragon Ball Z fans, this is one of the better licensed games on handhelds, with a looser exploration structure that lets you experience the Android and Cell saga as a genuine action RPG.