A vintage turn-based RPG within the taste of Dragon Quest isn’t precisely the primary position my thoughts is going in the case of considering of recreation genres that will pair smartly with the action-heavy global of One Piece, however as One Piece Odyssey proves, it’s in truth more or less a super are compatible. The Straw Hats make for one hell of a birthday celebration of RPG characters; Eichiro Oda’s one-of-a-kind artwork taste lends itself smartly to filling the arena with fantastical and fun creatures; and the over-the-top nature of battles from the true manga and anime offers numerous subject material for probably the most coolest (and funniest) particular assaults I’ve noticed in any turn-based RPG. The ones fights would’ve been higher in the event that they have been a extra constant problem, and I may just’ve performed with much less backtracking thru spaces I’d already explored, however that is nonetheless a shockingly pleasurable JRPG that’s no longer relatively by means of the numbers.
The tale starts with Luffy and staff unexpectedly discovering themselves marooned at the mysterious island of Waford. It’s not lengthy sooner than they meet two authentic characters: Lim and Adio, who’ve an understandably deep mistrust of pirates. Such a lot in order that, upon first assembly, they thieve the powers of the Straw Hats, offering a handy means to give an explanation for why Luffy and corporate don’t win each and every fight simply by taking a look at their enemies. (Regardless that, that does come later.)
What follows is a grand tale that performs out on two fronts: The journey in Waford sees The Straw Hat staff making an attempt to lend a hand Adio and Lim by means of defeating a handful of elemental colossi which might be answerable for the enormous hurricane that surrounds the island (I do know, what’s the worst that would occur?); and every other that performs out in Memoria, an international of reminiscence created thru Lim’s particular talent that permits the Straw Hats to revisit explicit places and occasions of their historical past. The revelations and twists gained’t surprise any one, however I nonetheless very a lot loved either side of Odyssey’s tale. Lim, particularly, is a superb addition to the solid, and I liked observing her pass from being extraordinarily cautious and chilly in opposition to the staff to being intrigued and every so often flabbergasted by means of each and every in their person quirks, and sooner or later absolutely embracing the Straw Hats as her buddies.
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It must be famous that Odyssey is aimed at once at long-time One Piece fanatics, with its tale selecting up smartly after the Dressrosa arc (about 750 episodes in), and it isn’t shy about diving deep into probably the most largest surprises of the display. This makes it a difficult advice for any one new to the collection, however if you happen to’re deeply invested on the earth and characters of One Piece, there are some in point of fact nice payoffs within the Memoria chapters. Those come within the type of “what if”-like eventualities that experience the staff revisiting pivotal moments from the collection with new views. Even small issues, just like the staff reacting to seeing the Going Merry docked at Alabasta, is a second that gives a formidable emotional intestine punch for any long-time fan like myself. Moments like those are the guts of One Piece Odyssey’s tale, and so they’re dropped at lifestyles brilliantly because of writing that feels utterly in keeping with the anime and manga, very good performances, and an implausible artwork taste that authentically interprets the original taste of One Piece to 3-D.
A Straw Hat Scrap
One Piece Odyssey’s battle is refreshingly easy, although that simplicity does finally end up being a double-edged sword. The normal turn-based battle is powered by means of a rock/paper/scissors common sense that assigns each and every birthday celebration member, enemy, and boss a injury form of both energy, pace, or methodology. Energy beats pace, methodology beats energy, and pace beats methodology. What makes the program paintings is that there’s no conventional flip order, and you’ll be able to simply freely select no matter personality you need to take the primary transfer in battle. Although they’re no longer on your lively birthday celebration of 4 characters, you’ll be able to freely switch them in with out taking on a flip. You’re additionally in a position to peer which of your enemies will likely be subsequent as much as take their flip and take a look at and plan round that as smartly. As soon as all 4 characters on your lively birthday celebration have taken an motion, the spherical of battle ends and everybody is in a position to act as soon as once more.
The only complication to all of that is that there are more than one zones within the battle box, and to ensure that one personality to transport from one to every other, they should first defeat the entire enemies in their very own zone. So on paper, there’s some technique concerned about deciding the order of which of your characters must assault first. Let’s say for instance, there’s a bunch of enemies in a single zone that experience a weak point to Methodology, however my most powerful methodology personality, Zoro, is caught in a zone with a unmarried enemy that’s vulnerable to Pace. I will have Usopp, my Pace personality, pass first by means of the use of a ranged assault to hit enemies in different zones to liberate Zoro; then, Zoro can blank up the opposite zone with considered one of his assaults that hit more than one enemies.
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That’s an instance of the way the method may just come into play. The issue is that One Piece Odyssey is really easy for 95% of its battles that technique is never required, and there’s no method to alter the trouble. I by no means grinded – in reality, I ran previous a large number of enemies that would’ve given me much more exp – and nonetheless felt wildly overpowered for many of the 40 or so hours it took me to achieve the tip. A large number of this stems from the Dramatic Scenes machine, which randomly offers you an extra goal all through positive enemy encounters. They’re virtually at all times trivially simple, like “defeat enemy C sooner than a staff member will get knocked out,” however the bonus they praise is simply astronomical, infrequently doubling or greater than tripling the quantity of exp earned for a unmarried struggle. I’ve fought packs of rats that gave extra exp than large, chapter-ending boss battles. That simply turns out poorly balanced.
In opposition to the very finish there’s a vital bump in problem, however even then I by no means felt find it irresistible made for tougher or specifically a laugh battles. It was once extra that it compelled me to pay extra consideration to my characters’ apparatus loadouts, which no less than is a laugh in its personal proper. Quite than in finding new guns or items of armor, you in finding equipment of various dimensions and shapes that you just should are compatible onto an ever-expanding grid. It’s an overly versatile machine that lets you assign your personal roles to each and every personality, and simply as simply transfer them up if you wish to center of attention on a distinct personality or bolster a distinct characteristic. You might want to even make Nami your large injury broker by means of loading her up with assault tools, which is unusually efficient given the truth that for some time, she’s the one personality that may hit each and every, without reference to what zone they’re in. In the end, you acquire the power to fuse those artifacts and upload as much as 4 results on them, permitting you to in point of fact flip your birthday celebration into absolute beasts.
In spite of the loss of pressure all through fights, I nonetheless loved Odyssey’s battle general, basically for the reason that particular abilities are such a lot a laugh to look at. They completely nail the glance, have an effect on, and comedy present in with regards to each and every notable assault utilized by the Straw Hats. Whether or not it’s the ridiculousness of Usopp’s Rubber Band of Doom, absolutely the badassery of almost any of Zoro’s strikes, or the sheer devastation of Luffy’s Equipment third and 4th talents. The eye to element in the case of how the builders took those iconic strikes from the supply subject material and put them into Odyssey is in point of fact one thing to behold.
In Memoria
To your adventure thru Memoria, you’ll discuss with 4 primary places from One Piece’s storied historical past and credit score is going to developer ILCA for doing an important activity of creating each and every of them really feel like actual, lived-in places. The Kingdom of Alabasta is gigantic, with two bustling cities to discover – Nanohana and Alubarna – and huge deserts connecting them; Water Seven has the vibe of a sit back Venetian town with rivers working along its many streets; and whilst you handiest to get to discover it in spite of everything of the birdcage similar insanity is going down, there’s a chilling sense of grief and overwhelming loss as you stroll the streets of the not too long ago ravaged kingdom of Dressrosa.
Of the 4, the one person who wore out its welcome was once the first actual Memoria location of Alabasta. The primary quest pads out its period by means of bouncing you backward and forward between places you’ve already visited, sending you on a host of errands and fetch quests, and forcing you thru drab caves. It’s an overly gradual burn to get to the true meat of the tale you’re reliving, and it is made particularly repetitive because of the truth that you don’t get any new tactics or talents whilst you degree up. As an alternative, you simply free up a ton of talents directly on the conclusion of the bankruptcy, making the sensation of development asymmetric. So it is simply hours of the similar kinds of battles in opposition to most commonly the similar kinds of enemies till you achieve the tip of this one extremely lengthy bankruptcy.
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It was once particularly a bummer for me as a result of Alabasta is considered one of my non-public favourite One Piece arcs. Thankfully, the others strike a greater steadiness of conserving their primary quest pointed and targeted at the tale, whilst relegating the extra menial duties to not obligatory sidequests, of which there are lots of, although few of which have been in truth compelling to start out or rewarding to finish. The Hysteria sidemissions are the notable exception, as they no less than praise you with neat team-up particular strikes that collect up 3 birthday celebration participants for a unmarried tremendous tough assault.
Outdoor of Memoria you’ll discover a handful of extra puzzle-focused dungeons, which typicallsy require you to make use of each and every person personality’s distinctive box tactics. Luffy can use grapple issues to move gaps in addition to take hold of pieces from a distance, Usopp can use his slingshot to knock down pieces or turn on positive switches from afar, Zoro can lower thru metal doorways, and Chopper can are compatible thru small passages and get right of entry to hidden spaces. None of those talents in point of fact improve the puzzles or exploration in any vital means, however they do a pleasing activity of various up the visible design of the dungeons, including some hidden collectibles off the overwhelmed trail, and providing you with one thing to do rather then simply stroll on a trail preventing enemies for hours.