Before I get into this One Piece Odyssey review, I need to reminisce on something. I was extremely excited about this game. The announcement of One Piece Odyssey was memorable for me. The idea of a One Piece JRPG was so fascinating to me. The best JRPGs out there consist of a diverse cast with beautiful personalities. One Piece is filled with that so I instantly saw the potential.
This was also one of the huge chances for licensed anime games to stand out. As of recent, there has been talk about how licensed anime games are mostly always action games or arena fighters. People want more genres out of this section of anime games, and rightfully so. So, you can imagine that when it was announced that One Piece was getting a turn-based RPG, people were relieved.
After playing One Piece Odyssey for tons of hours, I can confirm that this game is mostly good. While this game gets a lot right, there are some setbacks that could turn players away. Without further ado, let’s get into the One Piece Odyssey review.
One Piece Odyssey Review – [Story]
The premise of the story is pretty simple. Luffy and his friends are traveling across the sea when they come across an unknown island. They crash land and reunite with each other only to find two mysterious individuals, Adio Suerte and Lim. For some reason, Lim takes away all of the Straw Hats’ powers and leaves them weaker than they were before. With their mysterious motive remaining, Adio and Lim help the Straw Hats to regain their powers by going into Memoria. This area is a place built from their memories, giving them their skills back as they complete each arc. This is pretty much the flow of the game.
Going back to their memories, they recall past events that happened in the main story of One Piece. You come across this situation a lot in the game, and unfortunately, it has its issues. While it’s cool to see older characters again, it kind of drags and slows the pacing. While you’re out here experiencing the old One Piece story each time, you’re still left wanting more. Instead of learning more about Lim, Adio, and the mysterious island, you keep doing these long Memoria stories. It’s also an open-world game so it takes a long time to get from one point to another. Thankfully you eventually get fast travel in the game.
However, once you complete the Memoria quests the game gets back on track very quickly. You’ll feel a lot of emotion for the cast in the final parts of the game. It just takes a long, taxing time to get there.
[Combat] – 1/2
The combat is the most interesting thing about this game. To give context, obviously, this game is a turn-based RPG but not in the same way that older JRPGs are. While you do take turns, there are key differences in how the strategy works. Your allies aren’t in a straight line fighting against one or two enemies. There are different areas on the battlefield for this combat. You might have one ally on one field, two allies on another, and so on. Different people will be fighting against different enemies. You can also switch out or bring in allies to different fields, which leads to my next point.
Every character and enemy has an attack type. They are either power, speed, or technique and they all have weaknesses. Speed is weak to power, power is weak to technique, and technique is weak to speed. Placing people in areas where they are at their strongest is the strategy of this game.
Adding on, the battles get even more interactive. Sometimes there will be objectives that pop up mid-fight for you to complete. Sometimes you have to defeat a specific enemy with a specific character. Either way, completing it will give you rewards such as EXP boosts, which you will definitely need in this game!
There are also a few quality-of-life options in battle. You have the option to speed up the battle to make animations and turns go very quickly. One Piece Odyssey battles can take a long time so this is very refreshing for those who want quick fights. There’s also an auto-battle option that allows the game to play itself. With all of these different options and strategies, I think this game’s combat has a lot going on for itself. So let’s get into how you can make yourself stronger.
[Upgrading Your Stats]
As you unlock your abilities over time, you can further strengthen some of them. There are some items in the open world you can claim called “Cube Fragments”. Each of your cast members can get one and they help to level up your skills.
On that note, Sanji and Nami have unique ways to help you increase your character’s stats. If you change to Sanji in the open world, he can find small ingredients in different areas. These ingredients are great for going into Sanji’s kitchen and making food items. These food items temporarily buff your character, cures negative status effects, and heal you. On the other hand, you can switch to Nami in exploration and she can find money on the ground. You can use money in the game to buy equipment that will increase your character’s stats in your stats grids.
On a side note, you can also go to Usopp to get items that debuff your opponent. These kinds of items are really important against super-strong bosses.
One Piece Odyssey Review – [Conclusion]
Overall, I think this game is a step in the right direction for licensed anime games. Yes, it definitely takes a long time for the story to get interesting. However, when it reaches that point, it gets really intense and emotional. The combat and stat upgrade system is also nothing to overlook. Honestly, I would love to see more anime games dive into different video game genres such as RPGs. It allows many gamers to see the magic behind these anime characters and why people love them so much.
