Review: One Piece Odyssey is an Easy RPG

If there was ever a recreation made for the followers, One Piece Odyssey is it. Mangaka Eiichiro Oda ended up concerned, with new character designs primarily based on his authentic artwork. The characters look true to life, with voice actors returning and acquainted assaults again. It additionally revisits previous arcs, tapping into tales that mattered to folks. It nails the ambiance and the staff behind it understood the task. Nonetheless, folks unfamiliar with the sequence in all probability gained’t get a lot out of it, particularly contemplating how simple it may be.

When somebody begins One Piece Odyssey, they higher know who the Straw Hat Pirates are and what they do, as a result of the sport isn’t going to attend so that you can catch up. Luffy and the Straw Hats discover themselves caught up in a storm, which strands them on Waford Island and sinks the Thousand Sunny. Individuals are (briefly) separated. Brook’s misplaced his physique once more. Franky wants to remain again to try to restore the ship. From there, issues worsen, as they encounter a mysterious man named Adio and a younger girl he considers his daughter named Lim. Lim, primarily based on her hatred of pirates who ended up stranded there earlier than, removes everybody’s reminiscences. To not point out the Marines are close by with Smoker the White Hunter on deck.

The ejection of everybody’s reminiscences within the type of cubes gives each an excuse to revisit reminiscences and drop the crew from well-established stage 40 again all the way down to stage 1 pirates with no particular expertise. As you discover them within the discipline or from story-based occasions, you regain the get together’s particular assaults and may fortify them to make them stronger. Bigger cubes necessitate a go to to Memoria, which permits the Straw Hats and Lim to revisit the Alabasta, Water Seven, Marineford, and Dressrosa arcs following the defeat of sure Waford island guardians.

Nonetheless, these may not go precisely as somebody would count on. It’s because, as Lim famous, reminiscences are unreliable. This implies enemies are stronger than they had been up to now, you may see surprising cameos from characters that didn’t present up then, or the story may go in a different way. In some instances, this could additionally really feel like an excuse so as to add extra busywork or sidequests to pad out a storyline. As a spoiler-free instance, the Straw Hats can’t take the Going Merry to Crocodile’s Rain Dinners on line casino, so you need to undergo the desert subsequent to Nanohana to succeed in Rainbase as an alternative. This implies the general pacing can endure, since there are pointless components that intrude with what had been initially affordable plotlines.

Suggestion of issues not going precisely as you’d count on apart, One Piece Odyssey shocked me with how easy it was. Whereas folks concerned with the Tales sequence labored on it, I felt it was extra like Tales of Graces than one thing like Tales of Berseria or Come up. (Although sure, Come up’s tenting characteristic seems for events and crafting.) This world isn’t an open one, and the trail you’ll want to take to get from level A to level B is normally extremely direct and suffering from purple exclamation factors displaying you precisely the place to go. (The sport can even power you to cease and switch again many instances, holding you from exploring.) Given the scale of areas, you probably gained’t go various in-game toes earlier than encountering one other “occasion” that pauses the whole lot to power you right into a story section or battle.

That simplicity carries over into different components of One Piece Odyssey. It holds the participant’s hand extra tightly than any recreation I’ve performed in the previous few years. How do I carry out an motion? Press sq. to toggle whether or not or not the ever-present “listing” on the display. The place do I’m going subsequent? Comply with the large purple arrow on the map to the exclamation level. Can I work together with one thing? Nicely, both there’s a magnifying glass or a magnifying glass with an on-screen sparkle. The tutorials proceed nicely into the second chapter, to the purpose at which it’d really feel like over-explaining. Equipment begin out as big blocks that take up each area within the tools grid, locking somebody into just one potential merchandise they’ll use for buffs at time, but in addition making it quite simple to find out what it’s best to equip.

That is coupled with the sport typically being quite simple, particularly in the case of puzzles, till you hit the late recreation. The fights on Waford particularly are laughably so, with even bosses posing no risk. Characters acquire ranges at a stunning tempo, with my get together being at stage 18 earlier than I even headed into the Memoria model of Alabasta. Fairly than being difficult, some principal and facet quests can contain working forwards and backwards between apparent locations in a quite small map with few detours or further paths to go beat somebody up or retrieve sure objects. And whereas the Memoria segments imply the enemies will be harder, it could possibly typically really feel as an alternative like they simply have additional HP or deal barely extra injury than standard. 

The One Piece Odyssey battle system makes an attempt to make issues fascinating by having folks in sure areas when fights start and character traits. Characters belong to sure assault varieties like energy/pace/approach, as do enemies. So Luffy is “energy,” Nami is “pace,” and Zoro is “approach,” for instance. There are additionally totally different zones, with enemies and allies positioned in several ones when a battle begins. It’s novel, but it surely will get to really feel like irritating busywork in the case of consistently swapping get together members round to make the most of weaknesses. Likewise, motion placing sure characters in or out of vary of enemies or group therapeutic is annoying. Particularly since there is no such thing as a particular “transfer” command. It’s virtually simpler to depend on the auto battle characteristic, except you’re in opposition to a boss or later within the recreation.

Nonetheless, after I mentioned this was one for the followers, I meant it. The character designs look good when dropped at life. A lot in order that I’d have preferred to have seen extra authentic enemies. Earlier than you even depart the primary chapter, you’ll begin seeing palette swaps. There are entertaining asides between characters once you examine factors of curiosity or discover. Facet quests can carry again minor characters from the anime and manga asking for assist. Some people could briefly be part of your get together, although you gained’t be capable of management them in battle. You additionally get numerous time with allies. You may change your lead character to carry out particular actions or attain totally different areas, although Luffy and Chopper had been the 2 I ended to swap to most frequently for traversal functions. You can even unlock Bond Arts through utilizing Reminiscence Hyperlinks to get to Hysteria. These give folks an opportunity to unlock reminiscences with particular characters, getting a brilliant sturdy group assault in return.

When you all the time wished to hitch the Straw Hat Pirates, then One Piece Odyssey is the journey for you no matter your proficiency with video video games. Nonetheless, it wouldn’t essentially be one of the best recreation for everybody else. Those that love Tales titles or are skilled with turn-based RPGs would do higher with a distinct, more difficult title that doesn’t count on you to be conversant in the supply materials. It’s a very simple journey that expects a sure diploma of information about One Piece, even with Lim utilizing the reminiscence cubes to supply transient asides throughout chapters. However in case you are a fan and are up for a simple, nostalgic, and fairly stroll, it will depart you happy.

One Piece Odyssey will come to the PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Collection X, and PC on January 12, 2023. A demo is obtainable on consoles.