One Piece Odyssey: Test & review

Test conditions

• Platform : Steam (PC)
• Setup: 64 GB RAM, RTX 3080, I9 12900K, SSD
• Game time : 31 hours
• Finished story: Yes
• Joystick/Keypad: Controller

memory island

Far from the standards to which we have been accustomed, One Piece Odyssey aims to be innovative both in substance and in form with, as a bonus, the support ofEiichiro Oda, the manga’s original author. If this does not necessarily speak to you, for fans it is a real guarantee of quality on the content to come as well as the reliability of the story and the characters.

The story of One Piece Odyssey is divided into two complementary phases. Our merry crew having violently landed on an island called Wafordthey are stuck there following damage to the Sunny, but above all meet Lim, a resident of the island. The latter will disperse all the powers and strength of the crew members, in the form of cubesat the four corners of Waford.

This is where the second phase comes in with “Memoria” an instance that makes you experience past events and whose resolution allows the assimilation of some of your powers. An exhaustive summary of the pivotal episodes of the series, which we take pleasure in browsing for the umpteenth time, intoxicated with nostalgia.

Note that the story around Waford quickly sees itself eaten away by the power of the anime’s past arcs. Is it due to a long-standing relationship with the characters and story of One Piece that keeps nostalgia in us, or the sheer lack of depth of Waford ? In any case, the title struggles to arouse in us the attractive curiosity offered by the manga, yet supported in writing by Oda himself.

Exploration

One Piece Odyssey is composed of sequenced areas. The environments are graphically very conclusive and highlight the charm of the universe One Piece, both in its colors and its artistic direction. You cross plains, deserts or cities all in accordance with what you can expect from the title.

Nevertheless, the contrast is played out on the freedom of evolution of the embodied character. No open environment is available and the progression is similar to the corridor, encouraging us to follow a marked path. This concept does not stop at the simple progression, because although our character is able to jump or run, many invisible walls are present going up to prevent you from stepping over a fence no higher than your knees.

These points might not have been disabling if the story did not have the habit of taking us back and forth. Which is very frustrating. Indeed, if the title asks more than 30h to be completely closed, we often hoped to see it end sooner. The rhythm is quite chaotic and certain events only seem present to waste our time.

Cutscenes are plentiful

and the game sometimes offers you to play to only climb a staircase before going back to the cutscene. Despite many side quests like bonuses, quizzes or otherthe Fedex aspect pushes us to leave the area as quickly as we have surveyed it, especially since the RPG aspect offers fairly empty environmentscertainly to avoid being invaded by enemies.

Finally, a small motion for the dungeons which completely break the rhythm of the game. If some round trips are necessary, the progression is still intended linear and gives the impression of advancing in the adventure.

fan service

Here we go! We are there, and it is certainly the most enjoyable aspect of the title, provided you are a fan of manga or anime. He proposes to relive key elements with the fights and/or emotions that go with them. If the stories differ slightly in order to bring an innovative aspect for the gamethe purposes remain the same, enough to delight again in events that are sometimes forgotten.

One Piece Odyssey does not stop in such a good way and offers the possibility of playing almost the entire crew. In addition, each has abilities useful for progression in the universe and related to their temperaments. Roronoa Zoro will be able to cut steel elements while Chopper will be used to sneak into narrow places.

Finally, the interactions between the crew members are extraordinary, even if sometimes over the phone. Sanji and Zoro will not cease to take the lead while Nami will always find a way to reach a chest, even if the latter is humanly inaccessible. It is also this touch of humor that follows you throughout the adventure and that allows you to keep smiling, even when progress drags on.

fights

When the combat style was first revealed, many of you were struck by the turn-based choice. However, whatever your opinion, it is clear that this system once again helps to fuel fan service. De facto, all the skills of the crew are available and, above all, with a notable animation quality.

The turn-based system therefore quickly had its small effect, but comes to run out of steam in principle by the lack of technicality. Indeed, the most powerful skills, once unlocked, will be the only ones you will use, provided you have enough SP. In addition, the fights are quickly redundant, in question: a falsely loaded bestiary and repetitive patterns.

Since groups of enemies do not change if the attacked monster is the same, it suffices to adapt an identical approach methodology. Pleasant during the trial and error of the first fights, the desire to dodge the next ones quickly takes over, only undermined by the need for progression in level of the team.

To spice it up, combat objectives are announced in order to gain more experience and / or avoid suffering a devastating attack or according to the affinity of the opponent with one or other of the protagonists.

The situations that reverse the trend are those of boss fights or special enemies. Although animated by the nostalgia of the moment, it is clear that the only difference with these characters is the number of assigned life points. The fights wear themselves out in lengths while the life of the antagonist struggles to empty itself. The idea is therefore to rehash the combos, but over an even longer period. A concept that had everything to please, but which will hopefully serve as a prototype for the studio’s next title.

Note however that it is possible to modify the composition of your team as well as the attached equipment. So it’s up to you to choose who will do the most damage, or who will serve as bait to tank enemy skills. Very interesting tactical aspect which, like the rest, loses charm when we find a suitable combination for 80% of situations.