One Pieceis an absolutely massive manga series, spanning well over 1,000 chapters since it first releases in 1997 and spawning a long-running anime series, many movies, merchandise, and more.One Piecedoes have its fair share of video game tie-ins, but these games are not usually as popular as titles from similarly sized series likeNarutoorDragon Ball.
NarutoandDragon Ballare well known for their fast-paced fighting games, withDragon Ball FighterZcurrently standing at the top.One Piecefans have been craving a similar game for years, as the series has countless characters with tons of unique fighting abilities, which would undoubtedly make for a great game. WhileOne Piece’sfights are great, the true focus of the story is on its sense of adventure in a world that is still full of mysteries 25 years into publication. The most recent game to encapsulate this feeling is the three-year-oldOne Piece: World Seeker,so fans are due for another.
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One Piece’s Recent Video Games
One Piecehas many video games under its belt, ranging from the 3D fighting gameOne Piece: Burning Blood,to theOne Piece Grand CruiseVR experience. Undoubtedly the most popular of these games is theOne Piece: Pirate Warriorsseries. ThePirate Warriorsgames are part of theDynasty Warriorsseries with aOne Piececoat of paint. This results in players choosing one of many characters to wreak havoc on hundreds of enemies across a large map. These games are a treat forOne Piecefans, as each character has a unique moveset that is filled with tons of references to the manga. These games are not perfect though, even for the most die-hardOne Piecefans, and their problems lie with story.
Out of the fourPirate Warriorsgames, three of them stick to the manga’s original story. The first game did it best because it contained linear platforming levels on top of the large-scale battles, but3and4only had battle stages.As great asOne Piece’sstory is, thePirate Warriorsseries' gameplay is not strong enough to make sitting through a rushed version of that narrative three times worthwhile.Pirate Warriors 2did things differently.
One Piece: Pirate Warriors 2did not follow the manga’s original story, instead opting to create its own. While this story did not include any new characters and took place in some well-known locations, it was at least novel to see these characters in new situations. The world ofOne Piecealmost feels alive, so it’d be a shame if the games did not attempt to expand on it. Luckily, there are a few games that do just that.
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Original One Piece Games
Throughout the years, there have been a handful of games to expandOne Piece’sworld through the use of original stories. The two most recent ones,One Piece: Unlimited World RedandOne Piece: World Seeker,do so exceptionally well. Both games' stories feel likefiller arcs for theOne Pieceanime: they’re non-essential in understanding the series, but serve as fun, bite-sized adventures for the Straw Hat crew.
One Piece: Unlimited World Redis an ambitious game. Through the main story, players can control any of the (at the time) nine Straw Hat pirates and explore vast levels filled with enemies to fight, items to collect, and some fishing mini-games. The game also sports a large hub town rife with shops and side quests. The setting ofUnlimited World Redfeels like something straight out of theOne Piece’ssprawling world, and that feeling is amplified by the game’s original villain Patrick Redfield. There is no need to condenseOne Piece’smassive story into every video game, and the developers ofUnlimited World Redknew this. This story is contained, and the game is better for it.
The Ups and Downs of One Piece: World Seeker
One Piece: World Seekeris more of a mixed bag. Starting with the negatives,World Seeker’smap is a large open world filled with nothing to do; at least nothing that has not been done in countless other games. On top of this, fans were upset to learn series protagonist Luffy would be the only playable character. That being said,WorldSeekerhas an entertaining story along the lines ofUnlimited World Red,and Luffy has never felt more detailed and better to control.
One Piece: World Seeker’siteration of Luffy is incredibly accurate. Players can utilize his gear-based fighting styles and haki. While not to the level of something likeInsomniac’sMarvel’s Spider-Man,Luffy can stretch and fling himself atop tall buildings and across the landscape.World Seekerreceived three smaller DLC campaigns in which players can select fan-favorite characters Zoro, Law, and Sabo, who have all been crafted with the same attention to detail.
WhileOne Piece: World Seekeris not a game for everyone, it is most certainly a love letter toOne Piecefans. Luffy’s great controls and the game’s standalone story make players feel like a part ofOne Piecemore than ever. FutureOne Piecegames should learn from the successes ofUnlimited World RedandWorld Seeker, developing new places and stories as opposed to truncating the original manga. It has been three years sinceWorld Seeker’srelease, so fans will hopefully hear about a new original game sometime in the near future.
One Piece: World Seekeris available now on PC, PS4, Stadia, and Xbox One.
