One Piece Odyssey Review(PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S, PC)

One Piece Odyssey is a turn-based JRPG based on the highly successful manga and anime. Players will be able to journey throughout the world of One Piece and visit many different iconic characters and locations. It is throughout these locations that players are introduced to the Straw Hat Crew as they go on their adventures. So whether you are familiar with the story or not, the game does a great job of introducing you to the world. Also, players worried about story spoilers will be glad to know that this review will contain very light story spoilers. So without further ado, let's start the One Piece Odyssey review.

Do You Need to Read One Piece to Play?

For the uninitiated, One Piece is a manga written by Eiichiro Oda that primarily revolves around pirates. The story begins with the main character, Monkey D. Luffy as a child. It is during his childhood that he meets a pirate by the name of Red Haired Shanks. Who goes on to inspire Luffy to become a pirate. That said, what exactly makes a pirate is a question that often comes up in the series. Much like our own world throughout the world of One Piece, there are good and bad people, and even more that exist in the moral grey area in between.

At its core, One Piece is a story about friendship. The importance of a crew and camaraderie are usually topics that the series covers often. It is through these journeys that we see Luffy gather his crew. These are people we meet in One Piece Odyssey who would be people who are considered closer than family to our main character. The bond that these characters share is genuinely at the heart of what makes this story one that is so enthralling. That isn't to say that that is all there is to enjoy in the series. It also happens to have some of the best world-building that fiction can offer. So if you want a tale of adventure and mystery, then definitely feel free to check out the series.

Story

One of the many fantastic things about One Piece Odyssey is that it presents the original story content in the game exceptionally well. This is certainly no small feat, as the breadth of the One Piece world is rather vast. In fact, I'd go as far as to say that the world in which the game takes place does a fabulous job of pulling from the source material. While the story mainly consists of original content. Within that original content, there are many allusions and references to canon material from the manga.

This can be seen in many of the environments that the player finds themselves in. In addition, players familiar with the story will find themselves exploring locations that have been shown extensively in the manga. This creates a fulfilling sense of immersion in exploring these locations alongside the Straw Hat Crew. There are, in fact, many instances in which the game will elaborate on canon material, or make its own additions to it, which is phenomenal for the game.

The primary framing of the story for One Piece Odyssey involves the island of Waford and its history. Within this frame, the game chooses to enrich its world with many different characters and lore. This creates a feeling of existence that places the island that we get to visit in the game on par with some of the islands from the manga. The developers didn't stop there, however, as they also incorporated elements from the manga into the game for connective tissue.

How the Story is Told

For example, the game uses the powers of one of its characters to allow the player to explore many different lands from the manga. Doing this allows the player to get immersed in the world while also seeing many familiar places and faces. Furthermore, these many different things in the game are all presented in a way that is lore-accurate. This goes a long way in terms of letting the One Piece faithful know the story they have come to love so much is in good hands.

How this is presented is incredibly important to the game, as you don't want to spoil too much of the series while retaining the heart of the story at its core. They did a fantastic job of pulling this off, in my opinion. As an avid One Piece fan, I was thoroughly impressed. Even the story's original content is conveyed in such a way that holds the original source material in high regard, and you can tell that the developers of this game really did their research going into this game.

Gameplay

The gameplay for One Piece Odyssey is a beautiful adaption of the combat from the series. Whether it be through a nod to a move from the manga or even certain jokes within the animations. One Piece Odyssey pays attention to detail. The gameplay primarily consists of the player exploring and discovering different things around the world that they are in, whether this is on Waford. The island which is original to the game or one of the five canon islands that we see in-game.

The combat within the game is presented wonderfully, with it operating on a simple rock-paper-scissors system. This gives the combat an approachable appeal to even those not seasoned in the turn-based RPG genre. The game's different attack types are Power, Speed, and Technique. Each of these has a harmonious relationship with the other that allows the combat to flow quite well. Players will quickly learn to use each of these to their advantage as they make their way through the game.

Players who are hoping that they will be able to immerse themselves in the combat will be glad to know that the heart of the series is still here in its combat system. The game doesn't bog itself down with overly complicated mechanics and simply lets the player enjoy playing. Players can also work their way through the game in order to unlock new moves, each with their own really cool animation that feels like something straight out of the anime. Overall, this game's gameplay far exceeds expectations while remaining utterly faithful to the source material.

Soundtrack

The soundtrack for One Piece Odyssey is simply phenomenal. The game pulls from the genius of Motoi Sakuraba, a composer that has been known for his work on both the Dark Souls series, as well as many of the Tales of games. The soundtrack features many different songs that do a great job of capturing the atmosphere and essence of One Piece. In addition, the themes given to the characters and locations of the game all match up exceptionally well.

With every soaring moment that the soundtrack accompanies, you can feel yourself getting closer to the crew as a whole. This is fantastic. The music also immerses the player in the fantasy world in which the game takes place, whether it be the bombastic and adventurous Main Theme, the high-energy horns of the Main Battle theme, or the driving themes of the Alabasta and Crew Themes.

Each of these themes does its part in further immersing the player in the world. It is in no small part due to the soundtrack that the game is as beautiful as it is. At the same time, the soundtrack isn't extensive, with many tracks. However, the pieces on hand all feel as if they were composed with the spirit of the manga in mind. So if you enjoy the music from the anime, then this game's soundtrack will feel right at home for you to enjoy throughout your adventures.

Design

The design choices within One Piece Odyssey all feel natural in the world of One Piece. This is partially due to the fact series creator Eiichiro Oda. Oversaw many of the monster designs for One Piece Odyssey. The creature designs all have a distinct feel that will be very familiar to fans of the series, as well as many monsters and creatures that are pulled directly from the manga. Whether you are a fan of the funny and often goofy designs is really down to personal preference.

Overall, the game's design feels like an incredibly faithful attempt to capture the world of One Piece. This can be seen in the love that is poured into every character model and game mechanic. It is these elements that, when combined, make One Piece Odyssey the fantastic adventure that it is. So whether players are familiar with the series or not, there is plenty on offer here for any turn-based JRPG fan to enjoy.

One Piece Odyssey is a journey that I myself am glad that I embarked on. This is despite being a tad skeptical due to the series being close to my heart. I was pleasantly surprised, however. When I discovered that many design decisions and elements of the game reflected a love for the series that I found familiar. One Piece Odyssey shows a passion and attention to detail that is not only commendable from a design standpoint but truly makes it a journey worth experiencing.