Gaming

One Piece Odyssey Hands-On: Open world, tactical battles

Designed like a true JRPG, felt like it too

Published

November 9, 2022

Gab Orlina

It dawned upon us that BANDAI NAMCO is known for having a string of One Piece video games out there. Across multiple systems, the franchise mostly hosted a ton of role-playing games and some fighting games here and there. This time around, the company is looking for some way to merge the two themes into the next generation.

One Piece Odyssey is the fruit of their labor, and is initially designed to be a “fully-fleshed out JPRG” by their standards. Their new, next-gen optimized title brings together all the role playing mixed with turn-based combat. All in an ideally open world setting. Of course, the stars of the show include your favorite characters from the popular anime itself!

We got a chance to try this game out for ourselves at the Thailand Game Show 2022. Here’s what we think about this upcoming JRPG:

The Straw Hat Pirates journey into the unknown

In One Piece Odyssey, you join the Straw Hat Pirates in an adventure to a mysterious island called Waford. Legend has it that it’s a place where no journeyman has ever come back, as a wild storm covers the island and all nearby areas. During the Thailand Game Show preview, we even got a preview of one of the areas you can visit, Alabasta.

No One Piece game is complete without the full force of the Straw Hat Pirates as some of your favorite characters are here. From Monkey D. Luffy to Chopper, everyone has a role to play especially in a more open world setting. Of course, it wouldn’t be an adventure without some back and forth banter within the crew, especially with the members you take with you. I only wished that the banter didn’t take up 60% of the time you spend playing the game.

Much like any open world game, you also get your fair share of main and side quests with the rest of the crew. With these, you get to explore some of the areas in a whole new way and even discover some secrets to help clear the storm. Visually, everything looked detailed enough and designed well against the One Piece art style.

Turn-based combat with some rock-paper-scissors

As a Japanese RPG, there’s no better way to express it than through turn-based, command-focused combat. For One Piece Odyssey, this comes in the form of enemy Encounters throughout both main and side quests that are usually done with groups of enemies. Much like all other JRPGs, each character comes with their own set of attacks designed for either combat or support.

In a rather unique twist, Encounters come with enemies in which you are either strong or weak against. Think of it like playing Pokémon but with One Piece characters and enemies, which I honestly found pretty cool. Instead of going into every battle and just keep attacking, there’s an added layer of strategy added to it. At the end of each Encounter, your crew members earn XP and even level up to gain some strength and attribute boosts.

Also, as an additional combat mechanic, you can even initiate attacks that deal damage within an area-of-effect and can heal other members, given the open world setting. This is honestly good when dealing with hordes of enemies during specific Encounters. Although, this is only available for a specific set of characters, so choose wisely.

Need more plot details

The thing though is, well, the short demo we played during the Thailand Game Show 2022 didn’t really provide much details on the full story. Somehow, the gang found themselves already within the island areas, fighting a storm that clouds the whole area. Also, there are a bunch of new characters you will meet along the way.

As revealed during the TGS 2022 festivities, One Piece Odyssey comes with the arrival of Lim and Adeo, two mysterious characters with their own sets of abilities. Although, it’s quite unclear as to what their intentions are for the Straw Hat Crew. Hopefully, more details will be revealed soon.

Overall, One Piece Odyssey serves up a promising title for JRPG fans and even One Piece fans alike. I honestly enjoyed the short time experiencing this game, from the exploration to the combat mechanics. If anything, I can give the amount of dialogue in between loading and cutscenes a pass despite how much of your time is consumed by it.

You might have to wait a while for the full game as One Piece Odyssey will be available January 2023 for both modern and next-gen consoles plus the PC.

Related Topics:Bandai Namco One Piece One Piece Odyssey

Gaming

Naruto X Boruto Ultimate Ninja Storm Connections release date

Pre-orders now available

Published

August 22, 2023

GadgetMatch

It doesn’t get any more ‘ultimate’ than this. The grand Naruto X Boruto Ultimate Ninja Storm Connections game is officially coming out on November 16 and pre-orders are now available.

Naruto X Boruto Ultimate Ninja Storm Connections retells the entire story of the classic Ani-Manga franchise. It’ll tackle everything from Naruto, Naruto Shippuden, and Boruto. A special story focused on Boruto has been created specifically for the game.

The game features over 130 characters — the most in an Ultimate Ninja Storm game. Announced alongside the release date are three new playable characters: Boro, Delta and Koji Kashin from the Kara Organisation.

Pre-order details

The game is now available for pre-order on PlayStation and Xbox digitally, and on all platforms physically except PC. Players will be able to choose different editions. Pre-order now on Bandai Namco Entertainment Asia’s e-store or visit any participating retailers in your country.

Package Early Purchase Bonus & Digital Pre-Order Bonus

All pre-orders of Naruto X Boruto Ultimate Ninja Storm Connections will give players access to the following bonus content:

Three (3) Costumes

Naruto Uzumaki (The Final Battle)
Naruto Uzumaki (TV Anime 20th Anniversary Costume)
Sasuke Uchiha (TV Anime 20th Anniversary Costume)

Receive an extra pre-order bonus item set which you can use in NARUTO TO BORUTO: SHINOBI STRIKER if you own this full game on top of Naruto X Boruto Ultimate Ninja Storm Connections.

Nanashi T-shirt
Merz Costume — Costume: Merz Style and Hair: Merz

These bonuses will be available in NARUTO TO BORUTO: SHINOBI STRIKER after 16 November 2023.

Standard, Deluxe & Sound Ultimate Edition

The contents for the Standard, Deluxe and Sound Ultimate Edition of the game are as follows:

Standard Edition

The main game, NARUTO X BORUTO Ultimate Ninja STORM CONNECTIONS

Deluxe Edition

The main game
Season Pass containing 5 playable characters that will be announced at a later date
Season Pass Bonus — 1 costume
Deluxe Bonus — 1 costume

Sound Ultimate Edition

Contains the same content as the Deluxe Edition
Ultimate Bonus — 5 costumes and 2 accessories
Nostalgic Anime Song & Item Pack — 5 anime songs and 3 in-game items

Premium Collector’s Edition

The main game
Two (2) Figurines
A Steelbook
Special Reversible Inlay
(Six) 6 Collectible Cards
(One) 1 Official Scroll
Season Pass containing 5 playable characters that will be announced at a later date
Season Pass Bonus — 1 costume
Deluxe Bonus — 1 costume
Ultimate Bonus — 5 costumes and 2 accessories

Additional DLC

Nostalgic Anime Song & Item Pack (available from launch)

With this pack, you’ll be able to change the in-game music during matches and enjoy the battle by listening to nostalgic Naruto songs. This pack comes with 5 iconic songs from the NARUTO anime and 3 in-game items.

NARUTO anime songs:

Haruka Kanata / ASIAN KUNG-FU GENERATION
GO!!! / FLOW
Blue Bird / Ikimonogakari
Silhouette / KANA-BOON
Kaze / Yamazaru

In-game items:

Substitution Item: Microphone
Substitution Item: Orange Headphones
Ninja Info Card Skin: Nostalgic Anime Song Skin

Gaming

The voice of Mario is retiring from the character

No replacement has been named yet

Published

August 22, 2023

Luigi Leonardo

No other video game character has a more iconic voice than Mario. For decades, the red-and-blue plumber has graced gamers with many an “It’s-a me, Mario” and a “Mamma mia.” However, as any fan of old cartoon characters can attest to, even iconic voices don’t last forever. Longtime voice actor Charles Martinet is officially retiring from his role as the Italian plumber.

Today, Nintendo, through a post on X, confirmed that Martinet is stepping back from all recording roles at the company. The voice actor had voiced the character since Super Mario 64, the character’s debut in 3D. He has since provided voice work in all games where Mario has a voice. He also voiced Luigi, Wario, and Waluigi. Outside of Nintendo, players might recognize him as the voice of Paarthunax, the dragon in Skyrim.

We have a message for fans of the Mushroom Kingdom. Please take a look. pic.twitter.com/U1ASicOuTO

— Nintendo of America (@NintendoAmerica) August 21, 2023

After the announcement, Martinet’s last foray as the plumber in a video game might be in the upcoming title, Super Mario Bros. Wonder. Nintendo recently announced the new 2D platformer coming in November.

Martinet is not leaving the company entirely. He is now Nintendo’s official Mario Ambassador. As the voice actor already does now, he will likely pop up for Nintendo during themed events.

Nintendo has not announced who will replace Martinet as the voice of Mario going forward. However, the announcement does say that a video message from both Shigeru Miyamoto and Charles Martinet is coming at a later date. Presumably, the video will address the character’s voiced future.

Gaming

Lenovo’s Legion Go can come bundled with AR glasses, leak says

Might be revealed during IFA 2023

Published

August 19, 2023

Luigi Leonardo

Image source: Windows Report

Is the Legion Go even real? The more we find out about the upcoming console, the more unbelievable it looks. Only a few days ago, a leak revealed that the device will have removable controllers like the Nintendo Switch — a feat yet to be accomplished by contemporary handheld consoles. Now, another leaks reveals something even more extraordinary: bundled AR glasses.

Again coming from Windows Report, the Legion Go can reportedly come bundled with a pair of AR glasses to go along with gaming sessions. Players can wear the glasses for their display and control the action with the main console. The report, however, does not reveal what specs the glasses will have. If anything, it’s expected to have a high refresh rate to accommodate gaming.

After news of a bundled pair of AR glasses, there isn’t much more to reveal from the report. Given previous rumors, the device might come with AMD Phoenix chipsets under the hood, along with other goodies.

Additionally, it might not take long before an official reveal. The report states that Lenovo might debut the new console during IFA 2023, which will happen in a few weeks. During the event, the brand might also reveal how the bundled glasses will work.

Given how the market doesn’t have removable controllers or a bundled pair of glasses, it will be interesting to see how the Legion Go will pair up against the more notable consoles already out in the segment.