There’s something to be said about the longevity of franchises. There are those that end way too short or those that have passed their prime and the creator’s don’t know when to stop. Luckily for the iconic and cherished manga One Piece, a series that has been around for the last two decades, it has seemed to find its place somewhere comfortably in-between the spectrums. The series’ latest incarnation in the video game world hits this year with the release of One Piece: Unlimited World Red – Deluxe Edition on PC.
It’s nice to see One Piece on the PC as it joins the list of ported console/handheld games to potentially benefit from PC hardware. While not every port has actually benefited for some reason or another, One Piece: Unlimited World Red – Deluxe Edition has seemed to handle itself rather well during my playthrough with only a few common problems. It’s also one of the few One Piece titles to actually hit PC so fans of the source have another way to play.
One Piece: Unlimited World Red – Deluxe Edition follows the story of Monkey D. Luffy and the Straw Hats as they arrive at an Island of Promises and village of Transtown. This is preceded by story antagonist “Red Count” Redfield’s escape being discussed by Monkey D. Garp and Sengoku after the events of Blackbeard’s raid on the maximum security prison Impel Down. At first players will see Luffy with Pato, a pen that has the form of a tanuki, depart company as they land ashore having paid off an unknown favor to the Straw Hats.
After saving the local innkeeper, Yadoya, from pirates she feeds him and allows him to stay the night. In repayment for his actions she asks him for a favor in exchange for paying for his meal and board. Things take a turn as all the members of his crew disappear and Pato returns to help Luffy find them. Fans and newcomers will then relive past events in One Piece story arcs as Luffy works to rescue his friends in this new story all the while aiding in Transtown’s expansion which acts as the title’s main hub area.
To be honest, I haven’t kept up with the One Piece world over the years. Even though I played a One Piece game nearly five years ago my only real knowledge of the series is with its original arc or so and it’s supporting cast of characters. While a lot has happened in that time, One Piece has only grown from its Shonen roots with a catalog that spans 87 volumes to date its heart and memorable characters remain strong. For newcomers you may come to love Luffy and Co.’s crazy adventures and for those already in love the series it’s another fine addition to the franchise.
Like most One Piece games, it’s all about the combat and One Piece: Unlimited World Red – Deluxe Edition definitely has it. For this adventure player can only play solo which is a bit of a departure from previous entries. What I originally thought was a feature better suited for a PC title but I found out that the console versions also lack co-op so it was overall design choice. That being said it doesn’t detract from the combat overall. As you progress you will unlock more and more of the 20 cast roster of playable characters to add to your max of a three man unit when going through the story and side quests.
The combat in Unlimited World Red – Deluxe Edition while unique for each character breaks down into three fronts: close, ranged and special attacks. While the fight system isn’t overly complex it is at least enjoyable as it showcases many of the signature attacks and abilities that fans will recognize. Unlike the last One Piece title that I played, Unlimited World Red – Deluxe Edition has a lot less enemies to fight which I find a shame since the levels you navigate though could have been used for so much more given their size.
That said there is another combat option outside of the story mode that is pure combat without any of the RPG elements for players to enjoy. The Battle Coliseum is a fun way to sample each characters abilities all the while seeing just how far you can go. The earlier stages are pretty simple but the farther I got the tougher things got. The combat itself is pretty solid either with the keyboard or a gamepad but the controller option is far better for the most part.
One of the biggest issues with the controls however is that when using a controller the developers didn’t fully adapt it for the whole game. When doing some of the side quests you have to do a mini game like when catching rats. This quick time event requires you to hit the buttons when they appear but things get near impossible when they start throwing out buttons like “29 and 31”. These are the D-pad inputs by the way as the game is not designed to make them show up as their desired icons. Considering that this is also on console it doesn’t make any sense in this design choice.
The one design choice that is solid though is the art style. One Piece is known for having a really unique style and it lends itself well to the 3D world found in One Piece: Unlimited World Red – Deluxe Edition. The camera angles are problematic at times more so when navigating places like Transtown when trying to look around at the scenery or when trying to find your way. The combat animations are smooth though and the cutscenes capture each character’s signature personalities. This is good considering the game is voiced entirely in Japanese with subtitles so you get the native vocal emotions to go along with the animations.
This deluxe edition also contains over 50 pieces of DLC which as far as I can tell features mostly cosmetic outfits from various One Piece sources. There may be some side quests mixed in there but since this is my first time playing this title in any form I can’t tell. These outfits aren’t purely cosmetic though as each one offers stat or effect modifiers to them such as reducing the damaged caused by falling in water which is hazardous to Luffy.
There is plenty to offer players with this release with its story and Battle Coliseum. One of my favorite things about the One Piece: Unlimited World Red – Deluxe Edition is that the combat is fun with a huge cast of memorable characters. Even though I’m woefully out of touch with the story arcs I found that I still had a lot of fun and it kind of made me want to catch up at the same time. Despite some issues with the camera angles and control design it doesn’t stop One Piece: Unlimited World Red – Deluxe Edition from being an awesome addition to PC. If you’re a new or a long-term fan of One Piece then be sure to check out this release via Steam today.
