One Piece: Unlimited World Red Deluxe Edition (PC) Review

Most videogame adaptations of anime tend to either end up as fighters or RPGs. One Piece, always the one to forge its own path, instead opts for the action-adventure niche it's carved in for itself (albeit with RPG elements.) The fourth entry of the Unlimited sub-series, One Piece: Unlimited World Red Deluxe Edition is an enhanced port that follows the Straw Hat Pirates through an original story.

Previously the series has adapted arcs from the manga proper for games, so the new story may come as a shock for anyone who has been following One Piece's videogame career. That said, the story is surprisingly decent for an original piece not written by series' creator, Eiichiro Oda. It doesn't particularly fit in well anywhere in the narrative, but its references to past arcs are charming enough without undermining the original plot. The stakes are never raised so overwhelmingly high where it clashes with the manga's actual storyline, but there is a nice gradual build to conflict.

Gameplay is what's to be expected from an action-adventure title with an anime skin. Characters rummage through stages, mowing down fodder enemies, exploring a little bit, and then fighting a meaty boss. All nine Straw Hats are playable in the story with their own (mostly) unique play styles, and they all level up. Most missions allow for complete customisation over the party, which is nice since the main game can get repetitive at times due to a lack of challenge and variation. There are mini-games, such as fishing, to spice up the content, but they are mostly a distraction from the core gameplay.

Combat itself is rather simple, almost like a watered down Warriors title. Weak attacks and strong attacks can be chained into combos with the goal of non-stop attacking. Button prompts will occasionally show up in battle to incentivise a dodge or a counter, while certain characters have their own personalised prompts. Nami, for example, can steal from enemies who have been knocked down. The main story takes plenty of advantage of its gameplay with a 9-to-12 hour campaign, give or take, but there is an additional Coliseum mode that pits the Straw Hats against hordes of enemies.

It's in the Coliseum where the combat gets its most use, and the repetition comes out in full force. Fighting is fun in bursts, but trying to drudge through a huge chunk of the Coliseum at once will inevitably lead to exhaustion, especially for newcomers completely unattached to the main cast. The main story has the benefit of placing the Straw Hats in a variety of colourful environments, but the Coliseum feels unfortunately static in its presentation.

If nothing else, One Piece: Unlimited World Red Deluxe Edition is a charming, if a bit tiresome, action-adventure title that takes the player on a tour of the One Piece world. Anyone, regardless of their familiarity with the series, can enjoy the great visuals, pleasant soundtrack, and genuinely creative design of the universe. With plenty of content to wade through, it's certain to entice pirates to come back for more. Just don't play it in long stretches.