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Dragon Ball: Advanced Adventure (ドラゴンボール アドバンスアドベンチャー Doragon Bōru Adobansu Adobenchā) is a Game Boy Advance video game released as early as November 18, 2004.

Overview[]

Advanced Adventure was developed by Dimps and published by Banpresto, which previously made the Dragon Ball Z arcade series and Dragon Ball Z: Legendary Super Warriors.

The game contains 30 playable characters (counting all modes in the game altogether), which is unusually large for a game of this caliber. It contains five modes of play, and follows the story of Goku's first meeting with Bulma, to the grand finale against King Piccolo.

It was one of the few Dragon Ball games to receive an ESRB rating of Everyone 10+ (in this case due to mild violence and language).

Game Modes[]

Story Mode[]

Dragon Ball - Advanced Adventure

Story Mode gameplay

The Story Mode follows Goku as he goes on the adventure of his lifetime. Most of the Dragon Ball story arcs are here; the only one noticeably missing is the Piccolo Junior storyline from the end of the series. There are many items to collect in the game, most of which are hidden. Items can include those that increase the player's health and/or ki, the Dragon Balls, or objects such as Master Roshi's sunglasses and Mercenary Tao's cyborg headgear. The player is only able to play as Goku at first. By clearing Goku's Story Mode once, the player is also able to play Story Mode with Krillin. However, with Krillin, you will not get any cutscenes and story, just the levels. The Story Mode cannot be played with any other character.

There are 3 main different levels:

  • Platform – Goku/Krillin goes around an area and beats the usual enemies.
  • Nimbus – Goku/Krillin fights the enemy in the air on the Flying Nimbus.
  • One-On-One – Where one character fights another character individually, like in the World Martial Arts Tournaments. Goku does not use his Power Pole in this mode, and thus his moves are different.

One-On-One Mode[]

Adventure 3

One-On-One Mode

A one-on-one fight between the player and the opponent, much like several of the boss battles in the game. This is a free battle where the player can decide which area and how long the fight will be. The player starts off with Goku and Krillin, but whenever a one-on-one character in Story Mode is defeated, a personal item of theirs is obtained which unlocks them. Jackie Chun, Mercenary Tao, Grandpa Gohan, Tien Shinhan, King Piccolo and Cyborg Tao are also playable once unlocked.

Apart from single battles, a Survival Mode can be unlocked by completing both Goku and Krillin's Story Mode. In this mode, the player is placed in a tournament and can select any of the characters that have been unlocked.

Versus Mode[]

Advanced Adventure - Thunder Shock Surprise

Versus Mode

The multiplayer mode of the game, where 2 players can compete against each other with most of the options available in One-on-One Mode.

Extra Mode[]

The Extra Mode unlocked after the player has completed Goku's Story Mode. In Extra Mode, all the levels in Story Mode are revisited (without the cutscenes). The player will have all of the levels available at the start, rather than having to go through them in order. There are two primary objectives to complete:

WolfFangFistGBA

Murasaki in the Yamcha boss battle

  1. All of the red doors seen throughout the levels can now be opened, and a greater number of items are placed in the stages. Minigames can be unlocked by finding all 54 items. However, as an inverse, the special doors in the original mode all may contain other bonuses, as well as some collectibles only in Extra Mode.
  2. The Extra Mode Character List shows 29 characters that the player can use in Extra Mode, including Goku and Krillin. Most of them have a corresponding portrait hidden in one of the levels, that must be found to unlock the character for use. It is recommended to play through Extra Mode as each character and learn all their moves.

Mini Games[]

Catch Korin[]

In this mode, the player controls Goku and tries to catch Korin, who jumps around and creates illusions. Goku is the only playable character here, and the controls are different.

Rock Crushing[]

The playable character destroys Rocks and Boulders in an attempt to get a highscore. Goku is only playable character here. The character icon required to unlock Jackie Chun in Extra mode can be found here with a random probablity.

Bosses on Parade[]

BossEndurance

Yamcha facing the final opponent in Boss Endurance, Goku

The playable character faces all the bosses in succession with limited healing items. The mode ends with a fight against an enemy Goku. All playable characters are available for play in this mode. Only the boss fights in the platformer style are used, unless Goku or Krillin is used, in which case the two Nimbus stage bosses are included.

Small Fry Fight[]

Advanced Adventure - Small Fry Fight

Officer Black takes on Mutant Namekians in Small Fry Fight

The playable character faces a mass of enemies and tries to beat them all within the time limit and survive to get a hi-score. All playable characters are available in this mode. The character icon required to unlock King Piccolo in Extra mode can be found here with a random probability. By holding L+R as you select your character, this mode will change to a much longer and more difficult version without a time limit (the clock counts upwards instead) that ends with Giran as a miniboss.[1]

Controls[]

Controls of the game differ from the adventure mode to the battle mode:

Story Mode[]

  • D-pad = Movement
  • D-pad (double press) = Run (can press B during it for a dash attack)
  • A-button = Jump (hold for some characters who can fly)
  • D-pad UP + A-button = Super Jump
  • B-button = Basic attack (press successively for combos, and can combine with directions such as up or down in midair for other moves depending on the character)
    • Also, some characters can hit an enemy with a long hitstun/fliching attack and move any direction into them while pressing B to throw them.
  • L-button = Super Attack or Block (depending on character)
  • R-button = Special Energy Attack (Hold to charge up; can walk, run and jump while charging but with slower movement until released)
  • Hold R-button and press L-button = Ultimate combination (only for certain characters)

One-on-One Mode[]

  • D-pad = Movement (double tap left or right to dash in respective direction)
  • D-pad (opposite direction of opponent) = Block
  • A-button = Jump (hold for some characters who can fly, or tap near wall from it to wall-jump)
  • B-button = Melee Attack (can combine with forward for a launch combo, or combine with up/down in midair for other moves)
  • L-button = Unique action (example: L-button while knocked down uses up Ki for an Afterimage Technique)
  • R-button = Special Ki attack (unlike in Story Mode, can aim up or down on ground or midair)
  • R-button + L-button = Ultimate Attack (only for Goku, Tien, Jackie Chun, and King Piccolo)
  • D-pad UP + B-button = Parry (block a single hit without using up Rush gauge)
  • D-pad DOWN + B-button = Low Attack (Guard Break)

Characters[]

Playable characters[]

A number of boss characters are also playable in this game (after a bit of routing around anyway).

  • Goku – The hero of Dragon Ball.
  • Bear Thief – A huge bear who likes to eat turtles.
  • Oolong – A shapeshifting pig who is part of the Dragon Team.
  • Yamcha – A desert bandit who later joins the gang. Unlocked by completing the game with Krillin.
  • Emperor Pilaf – A greedy emperor trying to take over the world. Appears in a small Pilaf Machine with extendable arms.
  • Shu – Pilaf's right-hand man, although a little clumsy. Appears in a tall Pilaf Machine capable of heavy firepower.
  • Krillin – Goku's best friend and rival for a time. Unlocked by beating story mode once.
  • Giran – A dinosaur-like creature participating in the 21st Tournament.
  • Nam – An Indian fighter participating in the 21st Tournament.
  • Jackie Chun – Master Roshi's disguise while competing in tournaments
  • Major Metallitron – A huge Terminator-esque robot who is the 3rd Floor guardian of Muscle Tower.
  • Ninja Murasaki – A sergeant major ninja of the Red Ribbon Army.
  • Pirate Robot – A robot that was programmed by pirates to guard treasure.
  • General Blue – A psychic general of the Red Ribbon Army.
  • Mercenary Tao – A deadly assassin hired by the Red Ribbon Army.
  • Staff Officer Black – A man who is the second-in-command of the Red Ribbon Army. Appears in his Red Ribbon Battle Jacket.
  • Spike – A devil who works for Fortuneteller Baba.
  • Gohan – Goku's dead grandfather.
  • Chiaotzu – Tien's best friend, who has control over telekinesis and telepathy.
  • Tien – A young warrior that used to be evil but turned good. Unlocked by completing the game with Krillin.
  • Tambourine – A minion of King Piccolo who Goku confronts.
  • Drum – Another minion of King Piccolo who Goku and Tien confront.
  • King Piccolo – A Demon King who wants to take over the world.
  • Cyborg Tao – The human-turned-cyborg Mercenary Tao (only available in one-on-one and survival mode).

Minor playable characters[]

In addition to the boss characters, several minor enemies are also playable.

Non-Playable Characters[]

  • Bulma – Appears in cutscenes and as an in-game character in the background of the Underwater Cave.
  • Pterodactyl – Weak enemy that collides with the playable character, and sometimes drops bombs.
  • Turtle – Appears in cutscenes.
  • Puar – Assists the boss version of Yamcha by dropping bombs but does not help the playable version of Yamcha.
  • Ox-King – Appears in cutscenes.
  • Mai – Appears in cutscenes, and as part of the combined Pilaf Machine boss.
  • World Tournament Announcer – Appears in cutscenes.
  • Snow – Appears in cutscenes.
  • General White – Appears in cutscenes.
  • Buyon – Immobile boss.
  • Upa – Appears in cutscenes
  • Korin – Appears in a minigame, and in cutscenes.
  • Hovercar – Soldier-piloted Red Ribbon flying machine, which is an enemy with low HP and that can drop bombs.
  • Fortuneteller Baba – Appears in cutscenes.
  • Combined Pilaf Machine – The fusion of the Pilaf machines and a boss.
  • Yajirobe – A chubby ronin who appears in later cutscenes.
  • Maraca – Spawn of Piccolo with a similar build to Tambourine.
  • Shenron – Appears in cutscenes.

Levels[]

  1. Grandpa Gohan's House
  2. Oolong's Village
  3. Wilderness
  4. Pilaf's Castle
  5. Island of Training
  6. 21st World Tournament
  7. Muscle Tower
  8. Underwater Cave
  9. Land of Korin
  10. Red Ribbon Army Base
  11. Baba's Palace
  12. City Street
  13. 22nd World Tournament
  14. Above City
  15. Yajirobe's Prairie
  16. Chow Castle

Treasures[]

Treasures1(AA)

Treasures No. 1 to 18

1. Super Life Water (Increases HP amount)
2. Super Life Water (Increases HP amount)
3. Super Life Water (Increases HP amount)
4. Flying Nimbus
5. Dark Nimbus
6. Dragon Radar
7. Super Technique Water (Increases attack power, the distance covered, and damage done by Goku's basic combo finisher as well as extending the length his Up+B can be held down for)
8. Super Technique Water (same as above)
9. Super Technique Water (same as above)
10. Goku's tail
11. Power Pole (Allows Goku to use his Super Jump at any location in Story Mode)
12. Bunny Costume
13. Super Strength Water (Increases Ki gauge amount)
14. Super Strength Water (Increases Ki gauge amount)
15. Super Strength Water (Increases Ki gauge amount)
16. Ultra Divine Water (Increases HP amount to max)
17. Roshi's sunglasses
18. PP Candy
Treasures2(AA)

Treasures No. 19 to 36

19. One-Star Dragon Ball
20. Two-Star Dragon Ball
21. Three-Star Dragon Ball
22. Four-Star Dragon Ball
23. Five-Star Dragon Ball
24. Six-Star Dragon Ball
25. Seven-Star Dragon Ball
26. Pilaf's hat
27. General Blue's cap
28. Upa's feather
29. Micro Band
30. Sasanishiki
31. Ox-King's axe
32. Roshi's staff
33. Launch's machine gun
34. Korin's staff
35. Demon Fork
36. Yajirobe's Katana
Treasures3(AA)

Treasures No. 37 to 54

37. Jackie's wig
38. Grandpa Gohan's hat
39. Tao's grenade
40. Master Shen's hat
41. Electric Rice Cooker
42. Cyborg Tao's headgear
43. Panties
44. Carrot
45. 亀 Stone
46. Milk carton
47. Bansho Fan
48. Red Ribbon Army Symbol
49. Diamond
50. Gold bullion
51. Crystal Ball
52. Demon egg
53. Puar
54. Ghost Usher

Reception[]

The game received mixed reviews. Critics say that all the modes made it a much better game than if there were just 1 or 2 modes. The One-On-One mode was criticized for being too straightforward but was also praised for the whole concept in the first place. The minigames were described as cute, but all in all, it was the number of locations from the show, number of playable characters, and number of items from the show that really surprised people. The Story Mode was a little bit criticized for telling little of the actual story, but the gameplay (and the new Extra Mode) was praised a lot in its place.

The game sold 152,000 copies in Japan by the end of 2005.[2]

Deviations from the manga/anime[]

Since the Story Mode is mostly played from Goku's perspective, most of the events of the series that don't involve him are glanced over or skipped altogether. However, there are still other details that are changed or omitted for unknown reasons.

  • Yamcha and Puar don't follow Goku, Bulma, and Oolong after being defeated.
  • Bulma inexplicably starts wearing her Bunny costume after the fight with Yamcha, even though the game skips over the scene where her clothes aren't washed, and Oolong has to provide her with the costume for clothing. Since the game also skips over the encounter with Monster Carrot and the Rabbit Mob, Bulma's costume loses all significance story-wise.
  • Chi-Chi is omitted from the game's story mode.
  • Goku's transformations into the Great Ape at Emperor Pilaf's palace and the World Tournament are both skipped and gets to keep his tail in the entire game. However, a brief image of the Great Ape is shown in the cutscene where Goku finishes off King Piccolo.
  • Launch is omitted from the game's story mode.
  • Goku wins his tournament matches against Jackie Chun and Tien, as opposed to suffering a very narrow defeat against both and is declared the champion both times.
  • Goku's encounter with Colonel Silver is omitted, and he goes straight to Muscle Tower after the World Tournament.
  • Android 8 is unmentioned, and Goku traverses Muscle Tower alone. Goku is also the one that defeats General White (albeit offscreen).
  • General Blue is fought only once, inside the Pirate Cave; the return to Kame House and the flight to Penguin Village are never brought up.
  • Goku only fights Spike the Devil Man and the Masked Man in Fortuneteller Baba's tournament, even though he also fought Bandages the Mummy in the series proper.
  • Goku defeats Tambourine in their very first encounter, before the latter even gets the chance to kill the other tournament contestants. Therefore, the only known victim of Tambourine in this game is Krillin. However, Tambourine does manage to destroy the Flying Nimbus before he himself perishes.
  • Cymbal is omitted from the game's Story Mode.
  • Chiaotzu appears in the game, but he isn't mentioned as being killed alongside Master Roshi by King Piccolo.
  • Emperor Pilaf isn't revealed to be the one responsible for freeing King Piccolo, although his blimp is featured on the World Map over Yajirobe's Prairie.
  • The Eternal Dragon is called "Shen Long" for most of the game but is referred to once as "Shenron".
  • King Piccolo doesn't produce the last Demon Egg containing Piccolo Jr., although he still claims that his legacy will live on after his death. Since there is also a collectable treasure called the "Demon Egg", this may imply that he already created the egg before his final battle with Goku.

Trivia[]

  • The Pterodactyl enemy can be played with cheat devices such as action replay, however, it is extremely glitchy and unfinished, possessing no real attack.
  • Using cheat devices, it is possible to play as the other characters in Nimbus mode and the Rock Crushing minigame.
  • Strangely, Krillin will only fight Goku's opponents in the World Tournaments instead of his own. For instance, if Krillin is selected in Story Mode, his first Tournament opponent will be Giran, when he logically should have fought Bacterian (who is omitted altogether from the entire game), as he did in the series.
    • So far, the only exception to this is Chiaotzu, an opponent Krillin indeed fights in canon.
  • This is the only game in which Takkō Ishimori voices Master Roshi (but only in his Jackie Chun disguise; he does not speak anywhere else in this game).
  • The USA cover art features adult Goku, despite the game only covering characters of the kid Goku sagas (with the exception of Cyborg Tao). It seems it was done that way, because the majority of Dragon Ball was skipped and moved to Dragon Ball Z in US when it first aired (not counting the Harmony Gold dub of Mystical Adventure).
  • If you manage to defeat Mercenary Tao in the first fight, he will still defeat you with a Dodon ray. Same thing happens with King Piccolo, that will shoot you with a finger beam.

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References[]

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