It’s no secret that One Piece is one of the most mainstream anime franchises in the industry. Many factors have contributed to its success over the 20-odd years since it first burst onto the scene, but its sense of camaraderie in the Straw Hats’ crew relationships can be considered the catalyst. As such, while it’s not out of place for a select portion of the main cast to appear in fighting games, like Luffy, Zoro, Sanji, and Nico Robin did in Jump Force, it’s generally custom for the group to show up as a package deal. This trend is exemplified in the official One Piece games like One Piece Odyssey, but it’s an area that could use a few tweaks to inspire a bit more individualism going forward.
It’s easy to understand why the Straw Hat Pirates are hard to separate in any game that follows a storyline — canon or not. Not only do their personalities and abilities complement each other, but their lore is so deeply intertwined that it almost feels wrong for any member to be away from the rest for an extended period. Besides the two-year time skip in the aftermath of Ace’s death at Marineford, only Sanji’s prospective arranged marriage has separated a member from the crew after officially joining their ranks. However, it’s a dynamic that more One Piece games can explore to have more bang for their buck.
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One Piece Games Could Do With a Main Act
Owing to the aforementioned intertwined lore, the common method developers prefer is to bring every Straw Hat Pirate to the party in their titles. However, the problem with this approach is crafting an interactive experience to justify each inclusion. In most cases, it’s easy to forget a character is in the game due to the sheer scope. Party systems are one solution, as Bandai Namco implemented in One Piece Odyssey, but even those require far more story-building than the average title offers.
The Persona franchise is arguably the golden standard when it comes to modern JRPG party systems, and Persona 5 required a 96-hour playthrough at the very minimum to get through its narrative. One Piece Odyssey didn’t come close to this mark, and that’s one of the problem areas the developer could improve upon. To avoid this problem of a thinly spread narrative, future titles can circumvent the expectations of comprehensive narrative building by shifting the focus from a collective plot to a single character, fleshing out their story as a sole protagonist.
A Solitary Approach to One Piece Games Could Benefit Creativity
Naturally, one way of implementing this approach would be to take inspiration from the backstories of Straw Hat members. Zoro, for instance, has a depth of lore waiting to be explored in detail. From his struggles learning swordplay with Kuina in a village in East Blue to his arc as a bounty hunter before meeting Luffy and joining the crew, there’s plenty of material for a developer to build a solid solo story off of. This narrative has the added benefit of fitting into the One Piece timeline while offering creative freedom to play around with the lore without any consequences.
Additionally, the solo plot focus opens up unique spin-off opportunities that are separate from the canon material. Out of the 1123 and counting episodes aired, One Piece has about 95 fillers that deviate from the path of the main storyline. In the same vein, developers could choose to take a solitary Straw Hat pirate on a special mission away from the rest of the crew and the remaining arcs of the One Piece saga to chart their own course. One Piece Odyssey can be a blueprint in terms of story progression in this regard, albeit with a singular protagonist that has a more immersive appeal to gamers.
- Released
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January 13, 2023
- ESRB
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T For Teen Due To Mild Language, Suggestive Themes, Use of Tobacco, Violence
- Developer(s)
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ILCA