One Piece is notorious for its length, so much so that many anime fans put off the show out of sheer intimidation. This problem obviously extends to adaptations of the game, whether it’s the wildly successful Netflix live-action adaptation or any video games inspired by One Piece. Both Netflix and the franchise’s many video game adaptations have circumvented these issues by tackling arcs one at a time. However, in the case of video game adaptations, this has led to titles where players play as existing characters rather than dropping in their own personal avatar.
After all, being a member of One Piece's Straw Hat crew would be enticing. Pirates are a staple of make-believe gameplay starting at a very young age, so it would make perfect sense for a One Piece video game to involve players in this form of RPG. Yet, the insurmountable scope of the story in One Piece undoubtedly seems to get in the way of this form of adaptation.
One Piece: Who Will Luffy Fight? Shamrock Or Shanks?
Luffy's next big fight will be against one of the Figarland Twins.
How Past One Piece Video Games Have Adapted the Franchise
Past One Piece titles have aimed their focus at specific arcs from the decades-long story, but plenty of titles also incorporate their own new narrative as well. This form of adaptation is most prevalent in any action-adventure or role-playing games based on One Piece, like World Seeker and Odyssey. World Seeker allows players to feel connected to the Straw Hat crew, not just by letting them play as Luffy himself but also due to an open-world environment. In contrast, Odyssey mixes its new story with old arcs that have long since been adapted in the anime, like Alabasta, Water 7, Enies Lobby, Marineford, and Dressrosa.
Still, it feels as though video game adaptations of One Piece have shied away from exploring the franchise’s full potential in the medium. The Straw Hats are undoubtedly the heart of One Piece, but fighting as a pirate alongside the crew is an avenue that the franchise’s video games have yet to take. A thirst for this type of game from One Piece is definitely present, and developers could certainly make it happen, so long as the game’s plot is handled carefully.
One Piece's Next RPG Should Focus on Just One Arc
Rather than adapting One Piece’s overarching plot, its hundreds of important characters, and various power-scaling structures, a hypothetical One Piece game could scale back. Dropping players in one specific One Piece arc and essentially playing that storyline through could lead to some easy ways for the player to be added to the Straw Hats. Of course, playing as a member of the Straw Hats would be easier if a pre-time skip arc like East Blue or Alabasta was chosen for this hypothetical video game.
Nonetheless, if developers wanted to adapt any of One Piece’s later arcs into this format, it might be easier to have players find their own crew and simply create alliances with pirate crews already present in One Piece.
This second format would be great for multiplayer and co-op gameplay, allowing players to choose their own role before officially forming a crew with other players. From there, players could journey down the Grand Line together and interact with One Piece’s cast of colorful characters as they hunt for treasure.
Some players may not find this as fun as being a member of the Straw Hats, but it would still allow players to create their own unique pirate persona. Add in gameplay features like Marine fights, a bounty leaderboard, or Devil Fruit hunting, and the power scaling of this hypothetical One Piece game could go off the charts. Overall, One Piece video game adaptations could be even more ambitious if the developers behind these titles narrowed in on any of the franchise’s specific arcs.
One Piece Odyssey
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 74 /100 Critics Rec: 60%
- Released
- January 13, 2023
- ESRB
- T For Teen Due To Mild Language, Suggestive Themes, Use of Tobacco, Violence
- Developer(s)
- ILCA
- Publisher(s)
- Bandai Namco Entertainment
- Engine
- Unreal Engine 4
- Franchise
- One Piece
WHERE TO PLAY
- Genre(s)
- JRPG
- Platform(s)
- PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Nintendo Switch
- OpenCritic Rating
- Fair
- How Long To Beat
- 35 Hours
- Legendary Edition Available
- Deluxe Edition
