One Piece is undoubtedly one of the biggest Japanese franchises of all time, being active for years with new stories in manga and anime.
Although many of its characters have already appeared in video games before, Bandai Namco seeks to create a new experience through the upcoming One Piece Odyssey, a J-RPG that exudes the particularities of the franchise and that, in addition to serving as part of the celebration of the 25 years, promises to be a full plate to please the fans.
TechSmart had the chance to play the title first-hand and we will bring here our impressions of that journey.
- The premise of One Piece Odyssey
- A root RPG
- Animate in 3D?
- Should I embark on this journey?
- Image gallery
- Offers
On their journey across the Grand Line, Captain Monkey D. Luffy and the Straw Hat Pirates are caught in a sudden sea storm.
After the storm, they find themselves on a mysterious and lush island called Waford and end up losing each other. The band sets out on a risky new adventure, filled with the wonders of nature, powerful enemies and unexpected clashes with the island’s natives.
It is under this premise that our journey in One Piece Odyssey begins. Given that this isn’t an origin story, our heroes start off at a high skill level and pretty powerful for this early game, but it doesn’t take long before a surprise event causes them to lose their powers and have to restart your evolutions, a classic of RPG games.
Right away, it is clear that this is not an adventure that seeks to reach a lay audience, especially those who have no affinity with the franchise or even know it.
Speaking from my own experience, I must say that I couldn’t connect much with these characters or with the plot experienced by them in the game, mainly because the game makes several references to remarkable moments from the saga’s past, which is also a crucial part of their journey. of evolution.
In any case, those who follow the adventures of Luffy and company will certainly be amazed.
Although RPGs in the traditional way with turn-based battles have become increasingly rare in the West, One Piece Odyssey is categorical in betting on this traditional formula and anyone who loves games in this style will definitely love it.
With multiple enemies spread across the map, the player must form a team of up to five members and choose the best strategy throughout the battles. As expected, each character has unique abilities and this makes a lot of difference when it comes to battles, but the advantage is that you can change your team’s formation at any time during the battle, which increases your strategic versatility.
Each character has a basic attack and special abilities, including ones that do splash damage and are great for taking out more than one enemy at once.
A novelty here is that, when entering the battle, the characters are not grouped and this is due to the positioning of the enemies, which means that, depending on the distance, not everyone can attack the same enemy in the same turn.
Another highlight is that during the free exploration of the maps, you can also change the leader of your team so that you can better explore the area. While Luffy uses his elastic abilities to pick up objects from a distance, Zoro is able to slice through walls with his katana, Chopper can fit through small holes and tunnels, and so on.
Everything else follows the traditional RPG game systems, including the possibility of equipping items that increase the character’s status, special skills that are unlocked and soaked as you progress through the story, use of healing items and so on. .
Although, in the West, 3D animations have dominated the market and replaced traditional animations, in the Japanese market, 2D animations are still extremely strong and this is not only part of the culture of the region, but also guarantees a unique artistic style for these productions. .
Even if we take into account that video games have evolved a lot when it comes to recreating anime in 3D graphics, it is impossible to say that they have reached perfection and One Piece Odyssey highlights this once again.
Despite the well-detailed scenarios and characters, the game fails to deliver a pleasant look at all times, especially when we look at the characters’ expressions, which work perfectly in the anime, but which seem a bit bizarre when remade in 3D.
If you’re a fan of One Piece, you certainly won’t waste time and rush to board the Thousand Sunny and feel like a member of the Straw Hat Pirates. Those who love J-RPG and enjoy the slower and more narrative style will also enjoy the title a lot, but I can’t say that everyone will fall in love with it.
One Piece Odyssey transpires the franchise as a whole and it is no wonder that Eiichiro Oda, creator of the work, was also involved in the game, but as I mentioned above, those who have no contact with the franchise will have difficulty engaging in this adventure or to connect with the characters.
Speaking for myself, I must say that I was extremely bothered by the fact that Luffy repeated every five seconds that he was hungry or making allusions to food. In the end, I felt like I was playing with Luva de Pedreiro, who can only repeat the same catchphrase over and over again.
Another factor that emphasizes the more restricted niche of the game is that it only has an audio option in Japanese. Although localization has done a great job of translating the dialogs and menus, we can’t deny that those who don’t have an affinity for Japanese content won’t be attracted.
In addition, the extreme linearity, the excess of extremely explanatory dialogue balloons and the pace of the battles were factors that also prevented me from feeling motivated to continue (and I have several J-RPGs as some of my favorite games).
Furthermore, it is undeniable that ILCA, the game’s developer, has made every effort to deliver a good adventure for the fans and they will certainly recognize that.
One Piece Odyssey will be released on January 13, 2023 and will be available on PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X|S and PC via Steam.
Adventure that pleases fansWell-detailed scenarios and good diversity of enemiespuzzlesgood combat system
excessive linearityMany explanatory dialoguesIt takes time to gear
Recreating anime in 3D graphics is still a challenge.
Those unfamiliar with the franchise will find it very difficult to invest in the game’s narrative.
One of the strongest points of the title.
The game recreates well the atmosphere of Eiichiro Oda’s work.
Too much explanatory dialogue and extreme linearity hurt gameplay.
A good game to please the fans.
*We’d like to thank Bandai Namco and Theogames for providing us with a copy of the game for this review.
