Depending on your age, you might remember The Legacy of Goku trilogy of Dragon Ball Z games that launched on the GameBoy Advance in the early 2000s. Developed by Webfoot Technologies, the trilogy consisted of The Legacy of Goku, The Legacy of Goku II, and Buu’s Fury. These games followed various story arcs from the series in a semi-open-world action-adventure RPG format. While the first game was somewhat lacking in gameplay, the sequels were quite well-received. Given the time that’s passed, it’s about time we revisit the series, not just with a re-release on modern hardware, but also with a proper sequel that continues the adventures of Goku and his friends.
Before we explore why the Legacy of Goku trilogy deserves a sequel for the Nintendo Switch and how it might be accomplished, let’s take a nostalgic journey and recall our experiences with this classic series on one of Nintendo’s earlier handheld devices.
Starting with The Legacy of Goku in 2002, players took control of Goku, the series’ main character, and navigated through the Frieza arc. This included Goku’s challenge against the tyrant, his transformation into a Super Saiyan, and the final battle on Namek. While the game was notable for its unique style, it received mediocre reviews due to its obscure storyline and lackluster gameplay. The primary issue was the insufficient amount of logical content to fill the game, leading to the creation of many unique enemies, boss fights, and storylines to extend the gameplay. It wasn’t until The Legacy of Goku II that Webfoot Technologies revamped the game entirely, resulting in much more positive feedback from both critics and fans.
The Legacy of Goku II was praised for its improved combat design, user interface, multiple playable characters, and world-building, all while maintaining the series’ distinctive pixelated sprite art style. The game began with the History of Trunks storyline and covered the entire Cell Saga. Players encountered a variety of enemies and engaged in levels and missions that significantly enhanced the story and overall gameplay.
As the series progressed, the games improved significantly as Webfoot Technologies refined their approach, culminating in the creation of a masterpiece with The Legacy of Goku II and its sequel, Buu’s Fury. In every aspect where the first game fell short, the sequels made substantial improvements, with Buu’s Fury—the third and final installment of the trilogy—showcasing these enhancements most effectively.
Buu’s Fury was also notable for including not just one, but two OVA villains: Broly from his second OVA appearance in Second Coming and Janemba from Fusion Reborn. In addition to these characters, the game featured Babidi’s numerous henchmen and various forms of Majin Buu, adding further depth and excitement to the gameplay.
The visual style of the trilogy remained consistent throughout, and while it was charming and delightful, it was essentially the only strong point of the first game. Webfoot learned from their previous errors and produced two exceptional games, Legacy II and Buu’s Fury, which kept the pixel art style but significantly improved and expanded gameplay and story elements. These three games are arguably Webfoot’s most notable achievements, and it seems fitting to consider a new installment, such as Legacy IV, for current Nintendo hardware.
Given the many developments in the Dragon Ball franchise since, particularly with the expansion brought by Dragon Ball Super, a sequel is definitely warranted. The series has accumulated enough content for multiple games. Considering the size and scope of games like Breath of the Wild and Skyrim, which both fit on the Switch, it’s feasible that a new game could encompass the entirety of Super on a single cartridge. The pixel art style of The Legacy of Goku series is not demanding, which means it might even be possible to include the entire trilogy’s content on one cartridge, with Webfoot potentially covering all of Super in a single game. Then again, I am just an armchair developer, so my perspective might be limited.
Games like Terraria and Stardew Valley share a visual style similar to The Legacy of Goku trilogy, demonstrating that there’s no need to upgrade the graphics with 3D models or upscaled rendering. The charm of the original games can be preserved by keeping the sprite work the same while simply expanding on it. In fact, maintaining the art style and gameplay mechanics from Buu’s Fury and covering the story from Dragon Ball Super would be sufficient. No additional changes are necessary.
However, the unfortunate reality is that while these three excellent games remain on outdated GameBoy Advance cartridges, the likelihood of a sequel seems slim, especially given that Webfoot Technologies appears to be inactive in game development. The company, if it’s still operational, hasn’t released new titles recently and lacks a presence on social media.
Fortunately, the trilogy has experienced a resurgence through the YouTube community and emulation, which is currently the primary way to enjoy these games, unless you still have a GBA in working condition.
If you are interested in revisiting the magic that was The Legacy of Goku and its sequels, you can take a look at my playthroughs on YouTube below.
Note: This article was original written and published on August 30, 2022 at 7:30am but has been updated as of August 28th, 2024.
