characters from across the Dragon Ball universe, canon-defying story twists, and one of the greatest fighting game systems in recent memory, Sparking! Zero has launched to favorable reviews from Budokai Tenkaichi veterans and newcomers alike. But recent technical issues have caused some to call their positive reception into question.
A post on X (formerly Twitter) by Sparking! ZERO News, an unofficial that shares updates pertaining to the game, reports that a bug on PS5 and Xbox consoles (and possibly certain PCs) may cause a player's entire save file to be deleted when they turn off their console. Some players in the replies claim to have experienced this, although the conditions they say triggered it vary from person to person. Some claimed that simply closing the game while leaving the console open was enough to make their saves disappear.
Unfortunately, there's been no official fix announced for this bug at the time of writing. Some players claim that, with their saves ed to the PS Plus/Xbox Live cloud, they were able to sync their local files with their backups and restore their progress. However, this is far from a one-size-fits-all solution, as not all consoles initiate backups or syncs automatically.
Massive Bug Deletes Save Files After Hours Of Progress
Sparking! Zero Players Upset: "I Lost Everything"
Many players are devastated by the sudden loss of their save files, taking to social media to express their disappointment. One such player, Sparking! Zero's main story and side content.
Many players were able to relate, sharing both successful and unsuccessful solutions to the issue. Some players on PC were able to restore their save files through a convoluted process, copying them to alternate locations on their desktops and disabling Steam Cloud saves, as detailed in this comment from Frosty-Monk-7202:
Others report that, while they haven't experienced the issue themselves, they're afraid to continue playing for fear it'll happen to them. Some, like @BigK1427 on X, have simply put the game aside until an official fix is announced.
But while some players have attempted the proposed fixes, and even opened tickets with the manufacturers of their consoles and Sparking! Zero publisher Bandai Namco, nothing seems to have come of it. Their suddenly corrupted save files seem to be due to a larger issue, one that may not have so easy a solution.
Our Take: Is This A Bug Or Player Error?
Corrupted Saves May Be Related To Hasty Quitting
As I scrolled through scores of angry replies demanding Bandai fix the issue, one stood out to me. A Reddit comment from a named IansChonkyCats suggested that the ruined save files might not have had anything to do with a bug - they may have been corrupted when players closed Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero abruptly.
Here's the thing: Sparking! Zero autosaves frequently, and a lot of those saves are being ed to online leaderboards. If a player closes the game - perhaps ragequitting after a particularly brutal loss - while one of those save files is being made or ed, the file could become corrupted as a result. Unless the player has another recent save file or a backup, they won't be able to load in, and will be forced to start from scratch.
Neither the devs nor the publisher of Sparking! Zero have given any acknowledgment of this issue at the time of writing. That says to me that it's less likely a bug, and more likely an issue caused by player error.
Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero's First DLC Pack May Have Already Leaked
Just hours after the game's release, Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero's first DLC pack seemingly leaks and the new characters sound very exciting.
Either way, it seems like the best thing you can do to avoid losing your Sparking! Zero progress is to ensure that you always quit the game fully, backing out to the main menu before closing it or turning off your system. It may be a little bit of a hassle, but it's not nearly as bad as losing your entire save file. If nothing else, it'll do until an official statement on this devastating Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero issue is issued.
Sources: Sparking! ZERO News/X, QuickAirSpeed/Reddit, Frosty-Monk-7202/Reddit, @BigK1427/X, IansChonkyCats/Reddit
Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero
-
- Top Critic Avg: 82/100 Critics Rec: 85%
- Released
- October 11, 2024
- ESRB
- T For Teen Due To Mild Language, Mild Suggestive Themes, Violence
- Developer(s)
- Spike Chunsoft
- Publisher(s)
- Namco Bandai
- Engine
- proprietary engine
- Multiplayer
- Online Multiplayer
- Franchise
- Dragon Ball
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S
- How Long To Beat
- 8 Hours
- How Long To Beat (Completionist Runs)
- 80 Hours
- OpenCritic Rating
- Strong
Your comment has not been saved