Site Synopsis:

ONE PIECE ODYSSEY is an RPG project to commemorate ONE PIECE brand’s 25th Anniversary, which combines classic staples of the JRPG genre with the unique elements of ONE PIECE. This game has been lovingly crafted over many years to ensure that fans can truly touch the world of ONE PIECE… and now, ONE PIECE ODYSSEY is ready to set sail!

Produced with a direct involvement from Eiichiro Oda, the author of ONE PIECE contributed to this project both with new characters and monster designs and with the main plot. The game is also complemented by a soaring soundtrack scored by composer Motoi Sakuraba, well known for his musical contributions to video games such as the Dark Souls and Tales of series.

The Thousand Sunny in tatters… crew members scattered… and Luffy has lost his straw hat!

During their voyage along the Grand Line, Captain Monkey.D.Luffy and the Straw Hat Crew are caught in a sudden storm at sea. When the storm subsides, they find themselves stranded on a lush, but mysterious island called Waford, becoming separated from each other in the process. The crew sets out on a new, daring adventure filled with marvels of nature, powerful enemies, and strange encounters with island locals.

Join Luffy and work together with the Straw Hat Crew to set sail once again!

In case you didn’t know, One Piece is getting a JRPG game titled One Piece Odyssey and the game will be released on January 13 for PS4/5, Xbox Series X|S and PC. Bandai Namco recently released a free demo for the game on January 10th so players can get a feel of the game and decide if they want the full game. Game producer Katsuaki Tsuzuki revealed that players who complete the demo will be able to transfer their data to full game if they decide to buy it. Players will also be rewarded with a game item to help them in their progress called “Golden Jelly”.

Katsuaki Tsuzuki also worked on other games such as Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2 and Digimon Survive. While Bandai Namco is the game’s publisher, One Piece Odyssey got developed by ILCA (I Love Computer Art). ILCA is a game company that worked on titles such as Pokémon Shining Pearl and Pokémon Brilliant, NieR Automata and Replicant and Dragon Quest XI. I got the chance to play this demo recently to get the feel of the game and after completing it, I will give you feedback on what I thought and let you decide if it’s a hit or pass.

Story: Mysterious Island with shipwrecked Sunny? Memories locked up in cubes?

The story begins with the Straw Hat Crew getting shipwrecked and landing on the mysterious island Waford. Luffy and his friends must regroup and figure out the mystery of the island. After regrouping, Luffy and his friends fight weird animals and encounter a mysterious giant enemy. While fighting, the crew encounters a mysterious girl named Lim who touches the stomach of the crew and pulls out these mysterious cubes out of the cast. It turns out these cubes are the memories of the Straw Hat’s powers and skills, and because of that, the crew are unable to perform their iconic skills. Luffy can’t remember his rubber powers like Gum-Gum Pistol and characters like Zoro and Sanji are easily fatigued. Now in a pinch, Luffy and his friends are unable to fight the island’s mysterious enemies. There is hope for Straw Hat when they encounter a mysterious man named Adio who saves them. Teaming up with Adio, Luffy and his friends work together to reclaim their memories and restore the hip, the Thousand Sunny.

Gameplay: turn-based strategy and equal leveling up.

Unlike the Pirate Warriors game, One Piece Odyssey requires strategy and exploration. The game’s combat is turn-based RPG where the player must take turns with the AI enemies and fight. In this game, players can use all members of the Straw Hat in combat which also means everyone will get the chance to gain experience. Each of the characters, including the enemies, will be labeled as three different types of fighters: Power, Technique and Speed. Power relies on physical attacks such as Luffy and Sanji. Technique uses own skills to fight such as Zoro. Speed is alternative methods to fight such as Usopp and his sniping skills. Outside of combat, players can observe the environment and use skills (Zoro’s slicing down walls or Luffy’s stretchy arms to reach) to find hidden items. While combat there will be special moments where players can earn more experience points if they follow the criteria. For example, the game might say, win this fight without having Usopp knocked out or complete fight with this member having more than half health.

Overall: A new change of pace One Piece game.

Having played this demo for an hour, One Piece Odyssey shows off the beauty of the world and characters in full 3D. One Piece has been in many titles in 3D such as Pirate Warriors, Burning Blood and World Seeker, but in this game, the people who helped make Dragon’s Quest and Pokémon really wanted players to appreciate the 3D models. The Straw Hats look amazing in every angle and the island, Waford, really makes me want to explore everything. It was a nice twist to have my abilities stripped away and going back to square one. I really enjoyed the conversations between the characters while exploring and fighting; I got a sense of feeling as if I was in the anime. The combat system was fun and it really makes me think and plan ahead before I got head on. I thought that having the ability to use all the members of Straw Hat and swap out the members in combat makes the fight easy and fun to handle in situations. I was disappointed that I couldn’t play as Brook, but I assume it’s because of the plot and maybe once I get the main game, I can use everyone. The demo is short and once you get to learn the basics of combat, you’ll be able to breeze through the game. If you want a break from the “Warrior style” games like Pirate Warriors or step away from fighting games like “Burning Blood”, you might take pleasure in this JRPG.

Did you play the demo? If so, do you plan on buying it?

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