Published by Bandai Namco and developed by Ganbarion, One Piece: World Seeker has finally been issued an official release date slated for launch on March 15, 2019! This action adventure starring the Strawhat crew will be sailing onto PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC early next year.
One Piece: World Seeker will present players with a brand new story unfolding upon Prison Island; solely from Luffy’s perspective, stretchy limbs and all. And don’t fret, all of the loveable Strawhats are in attendance and will appear throughout the game; aiding their airheaded (more so steam actually) Captain on this adventure.
The latest trailer demonstrated many mechanics that Luffy can utilize, from traversing the environment to felling foes, both pirate and marine alike. Even detailing the nuances of Skills and Abilities as well as the Mission system. So, let’s demonstrate our Observation Haki for a moment and go through the various gameplay elements which are offered to players of One Piece: World Seeker.
Haki, and the Battle System, stretching the limits of your Devil Fruit abilities. In this title, Luffy will be letting loose strings of attacks on foes, resembling any combo you’d see in a hack ‘n’ slash styled game. However, most likely a bit more relaxed than an actual hack ‘n’ slash and a lot less frantic. Luffy can engage enemies while in two stances or modes, the first being a normal state and the second imploring Haki. This second state will coat your limbs in a sleek armor due to Armament Hardening and grants the player attacks that hit at a wider range of effect. This mode of combat will leave you battling at a slower speed, so make sure to utilize the guard mechanic when need be.
Aside from the aggressive playstyle, come other methods of battling enemies; introducing reticle aiming and stealth takedowns. The former will allow Luffy to fire off punches like a slingshot, hitting baddies at longer ranges with the power of a rifle or worse. And by activating your Observation Haki, Luffy can momentarily slow down the passing of time in order to accurately aim at enemies. This Observation Haki has other uses as well, such as locating enemies through walls, which can be extremely helpful for pinpointing enemies to quickly dispatch under the guise of stealth.
Are these abilities still not enough to satiate the Devil Fruit hunger pains? Looking for more destructive moves to break out against would-be enemies? Then how about a Skill Tree, where you the player, can allocate Skill Points to unlock more Gum-Gum abilities like the devastating Elephant Gatling Gun? By acquiring “Skill Points” earned by fighting off baddies and completing missions, you can further your mastery of the Gum-Gum Fruit.
Speaking of which, both Side and Main Missions are accessible to Luffy while exploring Prison Island. Jeanne, an important NPC to One Piece: World Seeker, will set players out on various tasks or missions to complete which will reward you with some mouth-watering Skill Points. Simply approach and engage an NPC with an indicator highlighting an available Mission to begin it. Be sure to remain on the lookout for available Missions as you bounce around the place.
Traversing the open landscape as the rubber man, Monkey D. Luffy seems to be a focal point to the overall gameplay. While running on the ground always gets the job done, why settle for trivial means of travel when you can latch onto the environment and propel yourself across the world. Thanks to the physics of elasticity, players can grab certain points of the geometry and fling themselves forward and upward like a rocket. Or how about mangling your legs into a functioning propeller and floating across a city marketplaces? Maybe shift gears and jet across the land by just actually flying? Anything is seemingly possible when you’re made out of rubber.
As you roam the land just make sure to keep a keen eye for treasures and materials. These resources can be used to develop equipment and gear for increasing Luffy’s stats. With the help of Usopp and Franky that is, the technical gearheads aboard the Thousand Sunny, they’ll be the ones engineering your requested items. Sanji, the crew’s chef, can whip up lunch boxes which mean more than just a full stomach for crewmates. If another Strawhat member is given a lunch box, you can set them out into the world on a hunt for items. Nami will navigate the island for mineral items and Robin will navigate the island for fabric items. And Zoro will probably get lost regardless of having two navigators help in locating useful resources.
I’m personally really looking forward to this game; it reminds me of the Gravity Rush series in many ways. And I happened to love both Gravity Rush 1 and 2; the movement and freedom of mobility within One Piece: World Seeker reminds me of those games as does the wide, open landscape. I even get Gravity Rush vibes from the soundtrack composition of One Piece: World Seeker. Maybe it’s just me though, anyway…
One Piece: World Seeker launches March 15, 2019, on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC.
