The One Piece series is not any stranger to the world of video games. Throughout the years we’ve seen the favored manga and anime series change into a multimedia giant, and that has taken it into the realm of gaming spin-offs. Nevertheless, we’ve never truly seen it within the Japanese role-playing genre where it belongs. That’s changing next month with One Piece Odyssey.
One Piece Odyssey – Gameplay Trailer | PS5 & PS4 Games
Once I initially saw One Piece Odyssey, as each an enormous series fan and role-playing game lover, I felt that it was a step in the best direction. What other series is healthier suited to go after the JRPG formula than the manga that literally seems like one in any respect times? After getting the possibility to try One Piece Odyssey and chat with its producer Rei Hirata, I discovered that my hunch was on point.
Odyssey isn’t attempting to be just one other cash-grab anime spin-off JRPG. It’s trying to be the anime JRPG and evolve the genre, just as its manga and anime counterparts have done for his or her respective mediums.
Like playing through the panels of the manga
Off the bat, one thing that immediately stands out about One Piece Odyssey is that it’s chasing the series’ vision greater than any game before it. Once I jumped into the demo, I used to be pleased to seek out that the Straw Hat Pirates were depicted with the very best 3D models they’ve ever had. Every character felt like they jumped straight out of the manga, with their cartoonishly exaggerated expressions shining. Producer Rei Hirata told me that this was one of the crucial vital parts of the sport’s development for the team.
No One Piece game has ever had such attention to detail in the case of the characters — I used to be in awe it. This isn’t anything latest for me with my love of characters like Nico Robin, but I used to be more mesmerized than usual with the remainder of the solid. The motion, scene composition, and impact of battles in One Piece are translated perfectly right into a game for the primary time here because of the cinematic nature of JRPGs. Watching a rubberman heat up his blood and fire a flurry of intense punches at giant crabs has never felt more satisfying.
Trust that the adventuring the series is thought for shows up in full force here. I encountered every kind of unseen creatures of the One Piece Universe: giant ice walruses, weird attacking monkeys, and so much more. It immersed me a lot in Eiichiro Oda’s grand world that I didn’t want to go away after the demo deadline hit.
Grab some popcorn
Jumping to the more theatrical parts of the sport, the story begins with the crew landing on an island and losing access to their ship. They regroup and run into two mysterious characters who’ve vague intentions. After losing the expansive move kits they’ve learned throughout the series as a consequence of an inexplicable power from one in every of the 2, the hunt is on. They’ve to seek out cubes that contain their memories, while learning the secrets of this island that’s crammed with callbacks to a past-explored island of the series, Skypiea.
It seems like an important plot for a One Piece film because it might as well be one. So over and over I’d sit the controller down and just benefit from the show, momentarily forgetting I used to be alleged to be playing a game. The hilarious character interactions, big plot twists, tear-jerker moments, and after all, Luffy’s badass battle scenes are all here. And what makes it higher is that it never stops.
All of the Straw Hats are continually chatting with each other and letting their personalities shine, each out and in of battle. The conversations can either be quick jokes, a straightforward supporting quote, or an actual piece of the story. This can also be seen when certain characters help out others in battles, like when Sanji gives Nami items and yells his iconic, “NAMI SWAN!” pet name for her. It’s just oozing that One Piece style and love, and I couldn’t get enough of all the pieces it offered.
One other big push for RPGs
Though the fan service has me excited, it’s not what I’m most impressed by. It’s the incontrovertible fact that its director decided to go in such an admirable and impressive direction with it in so some ways, including attempting to make it accessible for non-One Piece and JRPG fans.
Battles play out in a latest direction for JRPGs here. The headlining Straw Hat Pirates of One Piece are a crew that runs deep. There are eight playable party members here (because the game takes place before Wano) and which means battles can’t be limited to a celebration of 4. How is that circumvented? Well, combat is cut into sectors. There are multiple areas where enemies can appear on a single field, with the best sector count I’ve run into being 4.
Players can have as much as 4 party members in each section and swap them out with others at any time. This adds a continuing strategy and a more intuitive battle system than other JRPGs can boast. For instance, I loved putting Luffy head to head with enemies, as he takes and deals out big damage. Meanwhile, I kept my healer, Chopper, and two ranged fighters, Nico Robin and Usopp, at a distance to help after taking out smaller enemies. Other times I’d just be concerned about who’d look coolest fighting what together, simply because the sport offers such tactical freedom.
What’s exciting is that an overabundance of those battles isn’t needed. Producer Katsuaki Tsuzuki stated that the developers were trying to remove the grindy nature of JRPGs by giving players more opportunities to level up and tackle strong enemies other than being over-leveled. In true One Piece fashion, characters can party and gain an experience point bonus for the following ten battles. Usopp’s many tricky debuff attacks will be used to fight big enemies, scoring the crew a giant level boost. Like Pokémon, everyone levels up together, so there’s no have to rotate everyone onto the sphere for the sake of grinding.
One Piece Odyssey is an incredibly well-put-together package to date, and I can’t wait to get my hands on the finished product. It appears to be a powerful entry point into each the One Piece series and the JRPG genre alike, or a straightforward vacation into something latest for anyone on the lookout for a high quality gaming experience. Be happy responsible me if you happen to pick it up and end up yelling that you just’re going to be king of the pirates.
One Piece Odyssey launches on January 12 for PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and PC.
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