A Kamehameha slicing across the screen, a mountain exploding behind it, and twenty years of Budokai Tenkaichi nostalgia rushing back at once.

The profile tells a double-bottomed story. On gut feeling, without thinking, the community only puts it ahead of a third of the games. That is low. But look line by line and the game recovers spectacularly. The desert island question sends it ahead of 93% of titles, on few votes admittedly, so to confirm, but the signal is clear. The art style follows, ahead of more than eight games out of ten. Fun, the urge to rediscover it, controller feel: all above average. Only attachment and the soundtrack lag behind. There is the real tension: a game nobody names as their favorite on impulse, yet nobody wants to leave behind on the dock when they sail away for good.

Against more technical, more demanding fighters, Sparking! Zero plays a different card: excess, faithfulness to the anime, the feeling of raw power. It is not the most rigorous versus game, it is the most spectacular.

So, who is it for? For you if you love insane aerial fights, a monstrous roster, and rediscovering sensations you thought were lost with the PS2. Much less if you want millimetric balance or a story you can truly get attached to.