One Piece: Unlimited Adventure

"From 4kids to Funimation, we now see what's in store for us."

Welcome to One Piece: Unlimited Adventure for the Wii. This is, as you may have guessed, the latest installment of video games based on the One Piece anime and manga series by Eiichiro Oda. However, unlike the past few One Piece games for the PS2 and the Gamecube, this game is being brought to you by the Funimation dubbing company rather than 4kids Entertainment.

Allow me to elaborate a moment; back in 2004, 4kids Entertainment announced that they had acquired the license to bring One Piece to America. This displeased many fans, as 4kids is infamous for their severe edits on anime in terms of violence, language, suggestive content, and overall seriousness. One Piece was no exception. What was once an exceptional anime filled with creative characters ranging from serious to goofy, thrilling battles, and awe-inspiring character drama was reduced into a lame, pun-filled, poorly written, poorly acted, and underwhelming disappointment. Thankfully, they later dropped the license after 104 episodes and the popular Funimation company recently picked it up, and began releasing the series uncut, with a new, vastly superior cast. This is the first video game that they are releasing since.

I'd like to say one other thing: If you are not a person who has watched the fan-subbed anime or fan-scanned manga online, then you may not want to pick up this game. It takes place right after the entire Enies Lobby story arc, and if you don't know what that is, and care about the story, then this game will reveal massive spoilers. If you don't want spoilers, don't play this game. The anime has been pulled from the air, and it wasn't even close to the time line of this game. My guess is that Funimation wanted to show fans who have read or watched online that they can handle nearly all the series so far.

Anyway, time for the review...

The game begins with the Straw Hat crew admiring their new clothes (designed for the game), tailored by their greedy navigator, Nami. Soon, their Captain, the charmingly simple-minded Monkey D. Luffy, reveals that the doctor, sniper, and himself had eaten all the stocked food. While fishing for provisions, Luffy reels in a mysterious orb that reacts to a nearby sunken island, violently raising it from the depths, scattering the crew on said island. Thus, Luffy and his crew begin a light adventure on a mysterious island, where the only other inhabitant is a small, furry creature that has the ability to bring out people's memories to life.

The story itself never transcends anything beyond a minor filler. Nothing truly spectacular happens by means of plot; it is simply a creature trying to prevent the Straw Hats from unsealing a certain "treasure" that could bring destruction on the island. Sounds pretty standard, right? You won't really feel anything emotional from this game.

Story: 5/10

I suppose I will point out all aspects of the game here. The gameplay is varied. The island has six large areas, not including the starting plains, to explore and exploit. Actions range from fighting marines (called the navy in this game), pirates, and mechanical soldiers, and the bosses, to fishing and bug catching, and collecting items to fill the orb's power gauges, cook with to increase health and stamina, building new weapons and materials, and make medicine for the battles ahead. You will quickly find that this has "fetch quest" written all over it. However, with the diversity and usefulness of several items, and the fact that item locations are relatively easy to memorize, you may find that doing so is not quite as frustrating as you might think. Tedious? Yes. Frustrating? Not so much, depending on your tolerance.

Combat is pretty fun as you have eight people to choose from to fight with. Each of the Straw Hats has, unfortunately, a rather short move set. Despite that, each move proves itself to have some use in a fight. Some more than others, of course, but I think you understand. However, another frustrating detail is that some of the weaker characters have to wait until later in the game to unlock their more useful techniques, by means of building a certain item that can only be acquired at a certain point in the game. Boss fights range from pushovers to powerhouses that require time learning an attack pattern, then countering it using your own powerful moves.

Bug/Creature catching is a mix of luck and skill. As the Wii-mote does not always comprehend a downward swing from a sideways swing, you may find yourself scaring away several potential catches.

Fishing is a bit easier, control-wise, but takes longer. You wag the Wii-mote to cast the line, jerk it back when the bobber dunks rapidly, and use the A button to reel in the catch, while turning the Wii-mote on it's side, depending on where the fish is pulling the rod.

Probably the last of the gameplay's flaws include the fact that the game gives you a vague description as to where to go next, although, I believe that after you fight the first two bosses, you will understand the objective more clearly: Pass through "orb points" by feeding the orb different objects found and unlocking more routes, eventually leading you to two bosses, whereupon you are transported back to the plains after defeating the second boss, go to the next area, until you reach the end of the game. But, since the areas are, indeed, large, you will find a complete map of the area soon after your arrival in said area that are invaluable for navigation. So, depending on how tedious you find all these things, it will make or break your enjoyment of this game.

Gameplay (in my opinion): 7/10

Control in the game is mostly very accurate. You control whichever character using the Nunchuck and Wii-mote, using the nunchuck's control stick for movement, the Z trigger for camera movement and locking on to targets, and the C button for special attacks and dashing. The Wii-mote consists of using the B button for jumping, the A button for attack combos, A and B together for a dodge roll (which, done RIGHT when an attack is about to hit you, gives you an invincible blue aura for about 2 seconds), the + and - buttons for menus, and the 1 button for shoulder view. Plus the occasional shake of the Wii-mote for the shake attack, swinging the bug net, pick ax, or casting the fishing rod. Like I said, the swinging can be inaccurate, plus the game sometimes registers small shakes as a shake attack. Otherwise, expect a Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess feel. The controls are very similar to that game in terms of tightness, so expect very responsive controls.

Control: 9/10

The graphics in this game are nothing special. Like several Wii games, nothing here is anything the Gamecube couldn't handle. There are about the same amount of polygons and effects as the Gamecube was capable of, and it's nothing you haven't seen before. The scenery itself is a tad mixed, as the texturing and design of the main areas you explore range from "meh" to "I like this!" The game does have small, mostly unnoticed details like leaves swaying in the the tree from the wind, but those things are too minor and sparse that they are inconsequential at best. The water splashes are quite decent, as are character movements. They are fluid and smooth, and don't feel very janky at all. Each attack is swiftly combo'd and executed with efficiency. Watching your favorite characters is relaxing and assuring of the game's otherwise smooth execution of the graphics.

Graphics: 7/10

The music in this game is mostly fun, adventurous fare. The symphony tunes that play while you explore the vast regions of the island are light, poppy, and enjoyable. Nothing too memorable, mind you, but you won't dislike it at all. Combat music ranges from symphony, to harpsichord, and even a One-Winged Angel-like chorus in the final boss fight. Each of the combat scores bring different mood to the fight, be it a normal enemy encounter, or a boss battle. That said, you won't be disappointed at this game's adventurous music.

Music: 8/10

Next up is the overall "feel" or "impact" of the game. By this, I mean how fans of the series may react to it. Being a big fan of One Piece, myself, I'll both try to speak for but not represent all of One Piece enthusiasts. The biggest draw of this game is the new cast and writing staff. Gone are the cheesy, lame puns and lines that 4kids had their actors spew out. In their place, we have a near-perfectly accurate script translation, and a much more suitable voice cast for the endearing protagonists and villains. I know that not all fans like this new dub, but to completely ignore the fact that Funimation is taking One Piece under a safer helm is downright foolishness. (I suppose I should point out that there is NO option to switch to Japanese language.) The new actors deliver their lines with incredible effect, making the experience that much richer. As the story revolves around the memories of the Straw Hats and the mysterious creature that brings them out, we are treated to computer-generated versions of some of the series most memorable moments, such as when each member joins the crew, and the memories of the past of some characters. Boss fights are a special treat, as each boss is introduced by a memory showing one of their more prominent monologues, all along with the new voice cast. Each new villain/ally voice, in my opinion, expresses the "fighting voice" very well for the game. Let us hope that they will express the same fortitude for the anime. Villains in this game haven't even been seen in the American broadcast yet, so this is a great way to show what Funimation has in store for the series. Overall, the feel of this game brought on by a cast of talented actors really makes the experience fun and enjoyable for many One Piece fans. The feel alone may even make up for some of the game's shortcomings.

Impact: 9.5/10

Extras are a bit limited, sadly. There are six optional boss fights outside of the normal bosses, most of which are surprising to fight. However, these bosses ALL have to be defeated before killing the final boss in order to unlock the rest of the game's extras. Doing so will allow you to go back to each battle ground and fight every boss again, AS MANY TIMES AS YOU WANT. With the second defeat of each boss, they drop an item that can be used to unlock new costumes, a video and music gallery, and even change the visual theme of the menus. The game does record what you've done, and has one of those Final Fantasy-like 100% meters. Getting 100% in this game requires, as you might expect, building all items that are listed to you, completing every list, fighting every boss twice, finding every treasure chest, and upgrading every attack to the max level. Unfortunately, getting 100% garners you nothing extra. Only satisfaction. On the bright side, if you enjoy this game play, you'll be enjoying it for a while. It took me at least 80 hours to achieve 100%, and around 40 hours to just beat the game itself. That said, once you get 100%, there is no reason to go back and play again, unless you like fighting all the bosses again. The replay value is virtually nil.

Extras/Lifespan: 8/10

The vs. mode can be fun, as well. In a single-player mode, you can have any character you play as, defeat, or sometimes just run into in the story mode, fight off two-hundred enemies in an arena-style battle. Again, this is for fun, nothing is unlocked due to it. The two-player vs. matches are a bit strange. The fights are like Soul Calibur's Team Battles, both players get to choose characters they want on their team, and keep fighting until one has none left. You can even move kinda like in Soul Calibur's 8-way run. The only difference is that each character is worth a certain amount of points depending on their power, and you are limited to how many total people you can have on a team based on how many points their worth. For example, Luffy is ranked at the highest of five points. If it is a 8-point match, you can now only choose characters ranked 3, or lower until you can't hold anymore. An interesting twist, but it is otherwise brought down by the even more limited move set of some of the playable boss and normal enemy characters.

Vs. mode: 5/10

This said, I found that One Piece: Unlimited Adventure is an utterly enjoyable game if you can look past a few tedious flaws. It is mostly for fans, of course, as I don't think anyone unfamiliar with One Piece will have a clue as to what's going on here, or even bother with this review. This is a great way for Funimation to show what they are capable of by giving us a game filled with characters that hardcore fans know and love. As for a rental or purchase, I recommend a rental first, just to make sure you don't mind the flaws.

Until next time, keep your flag held high.

Final Score: 7/10

-ShogunGino

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 05/05/08

Game Release: One Piece: Unlimited Adventure (US, 01/22/08)