One Piece: Pirate Warriors 3 Review

Being very familiar with and owning several Omega Force titles already, I had a good idea of what I might expect from One Piece: Pirate Warriors 3, but could they really capture the spirit of such a huge anime and please its fans with its next-gen continuation of the series?

From the moment I fired up the game I could definitely feel and answer that with a big yes! You are hit with One Piece humour and visuals right from the start and it never lets up. Even though it's the third title in the series, it brings you in and comforts you like it's the first. Anyone, be it an anime fan, gamer, new or old, can jump right in and instantly feel part of the world. Capturing that feeling and not assuming everyone's a veteran is something I think is often missed when a series has several titles under its belt, so to me that's something to definitely be praised.

If you have played any of Omega Force’s huge catalogue, Dynasty Warriors or Samurai Warriors to name the main two, you will be right at home with One Piece. It sticks to their well-known gameplay formula, throwing you on a map with thousands of enemies, progressive goals, and a combo system that's easy to pick up and a joy to master. I will never grow tired of taking out hundreds of enemies at a time, the combo counts reaching insane numbers, and with an array of themed attacks for every character it stays surprisingly fresh. Luffy and the gang are all present and playable, totalling over 30 unlockable characters, each with their own unique flavors and styles. At first that may sound daunting, but the feel and gameplay of each sticks to its roots with well refined controls, meaning switching between characters is quick and easy with no barrier to entry. That may lack depth for some, but in an anime setting I think it's very well suited; keeping things thick and fast with the kills and combos is the staple of Omega Force games’ success and this is clearly no different.

Every character has their own levelling and progression, and being able to improve characters across the board brings great replayability. A simple character change brings new challenge and feel to what are essentially the same scenarios each time, something not easily achieved. Boss fights are a blast, each map escalating to a final confrontation, and while I never felt overly challenged, it was no cakewalk either. A great balance of fun and being able to progress without an impossible difficulty makes for a great sense of achievement. When following the tales of Luffy building his pirate crew, you're really looking to make it through the story without too many hitches, it's an anime after all, so this balance is crucial and something they clearly worked hard on.

I have to say coming into a title so closely tied to a huge anime, arguably one of the biggest, it was a little worrying that they could have easily missed the mark. With such an established franchise there is always a huge expectation on the devs to deliver a true experience, and with One Piece you can really see that in every single moment of the game they took it to heart and respected that. There are masses of cutscenes, something I am not usually a huge fan of, but they really draw you into the anime and storyline. They are well placed, very well crafted, and match One Piece perfectly in every way. I am a huge anime fan and critic, and I have to give a massive round of applause to Omega Force, I cannot fault them in any way for the adaptation and presentation.

Continuing after the main storyline, literally everything is replayable and continuable, and as if that's not enough the new Dream Log mode brings a very dynamic and interesting spin. With Dream Log mode you roam the seas, living the pirate life, encountering battles and carrying out bounties, to both unlock even more playable characters and also boost those you already have. To be able to then bring those characters back to the main story and play with them there also, you really have a lot of paths to take with One Piece, and a fan will no doubt get countless hours out of the game. In a time when value for money is possibly more important now than it has ever been to gamers, Omega Force have really delivered a title that gives excellent bang for the buck.

I am really impressed with One Piece: Pirate Warriors 3, it's a huge nod to the anime, a very solid and well polished title, massively enjoyable and replayable, and while it's not a gigantic leap from their other titles, it's surprisingly very fresh and has its own unique take in the Omega Force lineup. Just in writing this review I am sat with a huge smile and finding myself waiting to get back to it and start once again flinging Luffy’s rubber arms around with reckless abandon.