Title: One Piece Unlimited World Red
Format: PS3(reviewed), 3DS, PS Vita, Wii U
Release Date: July 8th, 2014
Publisher: Bandai Namco
Developer: Ganbarion
Price: $29.99 (3DS), $39.99 (Vita), $49.99 (PS3, Wii U)
ESRB Rating: E
One Piece fans can rejoice, they finally have a good game to play alongside the hundreds of episodes of the show.
Story and Presentation:
The game quickly throws you into the illustrious world of One Piece as Monkey D. Luffy and his pirate crew, the infamous Straw Hat Pirates. You and your crew make their way to the massive city of Trans town, and you soon realize that your entire crew has been captured. This sends Luffy on a non stop action thrill ride to find all of his mates and rescue them. This game is purely for the hardcore fans of the anime, so if you looking for backstory or an explanation of each character, you're going to be out of luck. I myself didn't know who everybody in the game was, but I still found a lot of enjoyment in the game. New fans of the show will be a little lost at first, but you'll be able to recognize a few of the marquee characters. Monkey isn't just an ordinary pirate, because he tasted the cursed Gum-Gum Fruit, he has rubber powers that allow him to stretch his limbs like Mr Fantastic. That's the gist of Luffy's character background, and it's basically all you need to know. Just like in the previous One Piece game, the visuals are very solid, and it comes very close to the anime. One gripe I do have with the game is not having the english voice actors. The Japanese voiceovers are voiced well, but I love watching the show in English, and I would have loved to have the game in English as well. You're either going to be on one side or the other. Other than that small gripe, the presentation does the anime justice.
Core Gameplay:If you played One Piece Pirate Warriors 2, then you'll be pretty familiar with the game's simple fighting mechanics. What these two games have in common is that the gameplay is pretty shallow, and that's putting it lightly. You can blast through the game only using the most basic of combos, with you rarely having to use your special abilities. You'll enter a certain level that's reminiscent of the show, fight through tons of grunts, then fight a unique looking boss. Sometimes, you may need all the practice that you can get. Bosses can be very tough if you're slow to read their attacks, and at their worst, these pivotal encounters will require a fair bit of trial and error. There is a competent dodge and counter mechanic included as well, but it's no where near as sophisticated as the system found in Assassin's Creed or Batman: Arkham City. That's basically it for the entirety of the game. It's your classic beat em up fan, that was made specifically for fans of the show or manga. The combat isn't too heavily inspired, but when you start gaining and using new characters, the diversity will help ease the tedium throughout the 20 hour campaign. Being half RPG, there are ways to boost your abilities if you're in a spot of trouble, right alongside a wealth of single-use trinkets that can provide attack buffs or health bonuses. Leveling up your entire party with XP you gain throughout your journey will definitely help you out in the long run. The gameplay can get a bit repetitive, but if you stick with it, you'll gain some satisfaction when you finish it.
Final Thoughts:One Piece Unlimited World Red is a good game, and I would say it's a must play for hardcore fans of the anime. The gameplay can get stale for some, but fans will find a way to forgive it.
+Fast Paced Action +Great Visuals -Repetitive Nature -No English Dubs S&S Rating: 7/10 @whatsPlay
