One Piece Odyssey, Bandai Namco's turn-based role-playing game set in the universe of the popular manga with an original story and characters created under the supervision of creator Eiichiro Oda, officially released this month. The game retains the charm, humor, and chemistry of the franchise thanks to its colorful art style and stunning visual effects, and it stars the original Japanese voice actors from the series.
One Piece Odyssey transports the Straw Hat crew to a mysterious new island called Waford after an incredible storm nearly sinks their ship, where they embark on quests and fight powerful enemies. The game allows players to take control of each of the main characters from the acclaimed anime, using their unique abilities for exploration or combat with unique One Piece twists - such as the new 'Scramble Area Battle' system.
One Piece Odyssey's Gameplay and Plot
While exploring Waford and its ancient ruins, the Straw Hats meet Lim and Adio, and Lim's mysterious power strips the crew of their powers. For this game, a turn-based system allows each member of the Straw Hat crew to play an active role in each battle. Although classic RPG turn-based battles make rules easier to understand, it can also be monotonous as players casually press the attack button until all their enemies are defeated.
One Piece Odyssey stands out for its more nuanced combat system in which tactics are based on rock-paper-scissors advantages, incorporating a randomized positioning element with multiple areas. Players can swap characters and use unique skills to make the best tactical decision based on various changing situations, such as the number of enemies and their positions. The 'Scramble Area Battle' system consists of several basic components: areas, skill affinities, and dramatic scenarios.
Areas in One Piece Odyssey
When a battle begins, characters and enemies are placed in random zones facing each other. The status bar on the left side of the screen shows which characters are grouped together and what threats they will face. These areas affect which of the anime's heroes can be targeted by attacks, as well as the skills they can use.
If the player wants to use a melee attack or ability, they will only be able to attack enemies in the same zone, but ranged attacks can hit enemies in other zones. In addition, some powerful attacks can cause enemies to leave their zone and enter another, often hitting another enemy in the process. As long as there are enemies in a character's area, they cannot leave, which may be problematic if someone needs help in another area. Players can also use ranged attacks and stay in the rear if they want to keep their One Piece character out of the path of villains.
Skill Affinities in One Piece Odyssey
The strengths and weaknesses of characters are determined by a rock-paper-scissors affinity chart. Each enemy and character is assigned with one of three possible affinities: Power (represented by a red fist), Speed (represented by an orange gun), and Technique (represented by a green sword). Power defeats Speed, Speed defeats Technique, and Technique defeats Power. In addition, there are three types of techniques: Burn damage, Freeze damage, and Electric damage. Both characters and enemies can be strong, weak, or neutral to these techniques.
To determine the effectiveness of a technique, players can select it in the menu and choose an enemy. If red arrows moving up appear, it means that the character has an affinity advantage over the enemies; and if the word 'weak' appears, it means that they are susceptible to the elemental affinity of the technique. If blue arrows moving down appear, it means that the enemies have an affinity advantage; and if the word 'resist' appears, it means that they will withstand the elemental affinity of the technique.
Dramatic Scenes in One Piece Odyssey
During battles, several Dramatic Scenes will occur. When one of these is initiated, a warning sign will appear along with an objective at the top right of the screen. If the player successfully completes these objectives, they will receive more experience, coins, and other loot.
These small missions during One Piece Odyssey's combat will offer unexpected situations, such as a specific character having to defeat a particular enemy even if that crew member is weak to their affinity. In most cases, the player will not be penalized for not fulfilling the objectives. It may be that the character gets knocked out or the fight ends before completing it, but in this case they just lose out on extra rewards. Thus, the game still encourages players to think strategically without forcing them into one particular style of play.
One Piece Odyssey is available now on PC, PS4, PS5 and Xbox Series X/S.
