“You know how fuzzy memories can be.” It’s a convenient and fluid line delivered by new character Lim, warning the Straw Hat Pirates of impending adventures in some of One Piece’s most famous storylines. Likewise, One Piece Odyssey can be a lackluster experience. It oscillates between thrilling and tedious. The promise to explore “what if…?” Scenarios are appealing to longtime fans, but it rarely plays out in a meaningful way. And as a potential introduction point for new fans, One Piece Odyssey faltered as most of the setting and characters in the story’s core flashbacks were removed. While I feel conflicted about my time with One Piece Odyssey, it’s a testament to the series’ RPG outing that I enjoy the adventure overall despite some glaring holes through transparent.
The completely original content of One Piece Odyssey starts off slow but builds up a good plot every time I return to Waford Island. That’s where the versatile outlaw Monkey D. Luffy and his notorious crew find themselves trapped. Trouble quickly finds their way when a stoic girl named Lim uses her powers to separate Luffy and his friends from their powers and abilities, storing them in mysterious cubes that lie in the ground. scattered all over the island. Together with her caretaker, an adventurer named Adio, Lim helps restore the Straw Hats’ power. To do that, they must enter the world of memory to find what was lost.
These early hours introduce not only turn-based battles, but exploration as well. Most of the Straw Hat crew members can be switched between characters while traveling around the world, each with unique and valuable skills that naturally fit the character. As a rubber man, Luffy is able to stretch his arms to grapple with areas of the environment that are inaccessible to other characters or to grab glittering jewels in the distance. Likewise, Chopper’s small frame allows entry into tight spaces that only he can fit. Crafting systems, such as cooking healing items with Sanji and forging accessories with Robin, are interesting touches that meaningfully expand the characters’ ship roles in gameplay. Combined with the authentic dialogue between the crew, One Piece Odyssey realizes these characters wonderfully.
With a blend of sketchy and realistic textures, One Piece author Eiichiro Oda’s style has transformed spectacularly into character models and worlds. Areas like Alabasta and Water Seven are clearly realized, along with the funky-looking creatures and characters that inhabit them. The crew’s signature attacks, like Zoro’s sword technique or Chopper’s shapeshifting Devil Fruit powers, are killer in motion. The anime’s Japanese VO cast also adds a welcome level of authenticity, making Odyssey feel like another chapter of the anime. While the addition of English VO or scores of anime and theme music would be appreciated, what’s there works well.
Attention to detail is on full display in Odyssey’s turn-based battles where, like Luffy, there’s plenty of versatility. Perhaps too much. Combat feels epic, splitting the party into multiple mini-fights, often leaving them fighting their enemies before helping elsewhere unless there’s a ranged or AOE ability. The process of eliminating enemies and then consolidating the entire force to wipe out the surviving enemies is satisfying, as is completing bonus objectives that give extra experience. What makes battles so easy is the option to swap any character’s position at any time without penalty, as long as they haven’t attacked. Swapping the locations of Nami and Brook, who are said to be tied up in different areas, is like cheating. The combat system has a lot of potential but not enough limitations to make it really special.
While the initial adventures into Memoria drag on, the second half ramps up dramatically as the action and stakes in Memoria and on Waford go viral. Much of the content Odyssey revisits is impressive and has no context for current events, save for some lore stock in the game’s menu. However, the key moments in the final hours left me in awe, thanks to amusing hypothetical situations with characters that did not occur in the classic story. I wish more of those moments were spread throughout One Piece Odyssey to make better use of the amazing settings and characters at hand.
I’m apprehensive about this whole experience – however, I can’t help but smile when I think about this adventure with the Straw Hats. It shapes the core cast of characters, the areas of Memoria are fun to revisit, and the revelations surrounding Waford, Lim, and Adio are ultimately satisfying. Of course, I can’t thoroughly recommend this trip to those new to One Piece, but seasoned pirates will find a worthy adventure on the horizon.
