One Piece, one of the longest-running manga and anime franchises from creator Eiichiro Oda, needs no introduction. From movies, merchandise and many games, One Piece is known around the world and has a pretty solid reputation that has only grown over the past 25 years! When it comes to games though, One Piece has had some windy storms. That’s why when One Piece Odyssey was announced by publisher Bandai Namco Entertainment, our hives buzzed! Unlike games like chibi or musoo games, One Piece Odyssey looked like a true JRPG that captures the world of One Piece in a way we’ve never seen it before. Okay, we got our hands on One Piece Odyssey but was it worth the wait or should we have thrown this treasure back in deep blue? We find out in our review of One Piece Odyssey for PS4/PS5!

One Piece Odyssey follows Monkey D. Luffy and his crew of Straw Hat pirates as they search for the legendary One Piece! A strange event occurs during their adventure, causing Always Sunny – Luffy’s mighty ship – to crash land on a strange island called Wofford, which will test the pirate crew in a new and exciting new way. We won’t spoil the surprises, and there are many in One Piece Odyssey, what we love is that this new story/game doesn’t require you to be knowledgeable about One Piece – although you will need to be somewhat familiar with the story for maximum enjoyment. Should be well versed. This is a completely new original story by Eiichiro Oda and you can tell from the minute these characters start their silly banter and goofy lines. Fans also needn’t worry if they want to see some of the last One Piece moments in One Piece Odyssey, there will be plenty of moments but the wonder of how they come to be is half the thrill. Now that we’ve explained what you can expect from the story, let’s dive into the gameplay where One Piece Odyssey shines most strongly!

When you start your adventure on the island, you will be greeted with a beautiful traditional JRPG experience. Players will navigate the uncharted island searching for items and new treasures, and defeat some beautiful wild creatures both familiar and brand new! Exploration-wise, One Piece Odyssey is pretty standard. You solve puzzles using the crew’s many skills – like Tony Chopper navigating small walls – or using Luffy’s rubber appendages to span large gaps. We loved that while some areas can feel quite basic, One Piece Odyssey always tries to add new gameplay additions to keep you from yawning after a long trek down a sandy beach or through a dark dungeon.

One of the big elements of One Piece Odyssey is the turn-based mechanics that are both familiar and pretty unique. Like any turn-based affair, players will use attacks, special attacks, and items to survive against opposing forces. Your team also fights in different parts of the arena, which means you have to micro-manage who you should fight first and whether you should throw a fellow warrior in harm’s way. The battles in One Piece Odyssey start out pretty easy, but soon enough, you’ll see that our Straw Hat crew are weakened and need to recuperate their powers. Similarly, there’s a really neat mechanic thrown into One Piece Odyssey that really threw us for a loop! There are times when your fellow Straw Hats will be in deadly situations surrounded by powerful enemies and may fear for their possible fate! This is when One Piece Odyssey uses sequences where the game will create conditions that need to be met or else your team will be at a disadvantage. You may be given a number of turns to defeat an enemy before a party member is incapacitated or takes additional damage in enemy territory. This prevents the battles from growing stale and repetitive while adding some flair to a very basic JRPG format! We also love the fact that you can scavenge the island for cubes that help you level up and power up your skills that you think are needed more than others! The addition of a triangle-like proficiency system where Luffy and his crew have a variety of abilities to hit enemies harder/weaker according to their individual weapons/skills. It follows a power, speed, and technique system that feels like nothing seen in the series. fire Emblem. Sometimes you’ll have to swap team members to face different enemies!

Without falling short of words, One Piece Odyssey is absolutely gorgeous! From the crisp settings to the extreme level of detail poured into each member of Luffy’s gang, One Piece Odyssey feels like you’re stepping into a manga/anime without missing a beat! We felt that some of the enemy models could have been a bit more blended, but there’s enough form to avoid excessive repetition, especially after the first several hours. We the developer ILCA Inc. Let’s give our straw hat to! You guys/girls throw some love at One Piece Odyssey because this might be the best looking anime-video game adaptation we’ve seen in ages!

We were ecstatic when we were given a review code for One Piece Odyssey that allowed us to play both the PS5 and PS4 versions of One Piece Odyssey, which we did because we love One Piece. We noticed that the PS5 is probably the best way to enjoy Odyssey as it runs smoothly, loads fast, and rarely stutters during some of the game’s larger sections. The PS4 version runs well and we haven’t had too many negative experiences – other than load times – but it’s a night/day difference when playing this title on both consoles!