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Does One Piece Odyssey’s turn-based battle system make sense?

The latest trailer for One Piece Odyssey hints that the battle style will focus on using a turn-based system, but is this the right choice?

Anime games have always had a challenge when it comes to finding the right combat style for their games. One of the most popular options is to create a fighting game in which the characters fight each other in a small arena. This system is popular for many reasons, mainly because it allows the player to engage in fights that are reminiscent of the battles they see on screen. However, a new game has chosen to go down a very different route.

One piece is one of the most popular shonen anime and over the years has had several different video game adaptations. These range from fighters to games similar to the warrior dynasty Serie. However, the next game in the series, one piece odyssey, seems to be testing a turn-based battle system. Is this the right choice?


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One of the strengths of the turn-based battle system is how it portrays character movements. The system means that players have the best angle to see their character use their special moves, which are usually shown in a very cinematic way. This connects the game to the source material and helps draw fans to the property. Each new move that is unlocked is exciting for the player and allows fans to relive the moment they saw it in the anime or manga. However, there is a weakness here in that movements slowly become repetitive and the lack of impact becomes more apparent as the limited number of enemies remains constant.



one piece luffy odyssey

Another strength of turn-based combat is that it allows the game to be more tactical. For example, him One Piece: Pirate Warriors The series allowed players to battle against a large number of opponents. However, there was little real thought that needed to go into each battle. The game’s tactics rarely went beyond certain button combinations and quickly became repetitive.

Turn-based systems don’t have that problem and instead can allow for more tactical flexibility. For example, Luffy is bullet resistant but has a weakness against swords. The player could choose to have the characters swap positions so that in Luffy’s case he is not under threat from a sword-wielding enemy while Zoro is. The same can be done for attacks. For example, Sanji’s kicks are strong, but he lacks ranged abilities.


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Turn-based systems also allow players to take their time dealing with their enemies. This fuels tactical options as it allows players to take their time choosing their actions as there is less of a rush. This can be especially attractive when dealing with bosses or more powerful enemies. However, this can lead to a lack of fluidity during combat, and when dealing with more run-of-the-mill enemies, it can stop the pace. This can be mitigated by properly scaling against enemies and increasing the variety of opponents to keep players engaged and thinking through each fight. Another way is to minimize the amount of grinding required and keep a reasonable experience point allocation.



Going with a turn-based system is a big decision for any developer and, if done right, could help set the game apart from others in its genre. The variety offered by the style of play will benefit One piece In particular. One of the attacks shown is a perfect example of this: the trailer showed combo moves that had three characters attacking together in a stylized chain. The variety of fighting styles for each character encourages players to experiment with different crew combinations. This type of attack also helps break up some of the repetition of battles and is visually stunning to help engage the player.


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One piece is a series that focuses on the crew working together to achieve their dreams and goals. A turn-based system allows the player to take on enemies as if they were controlling the entire team, instead of just focusing on a single character. This means that the bonds between crewmates that are evident in other media carry over to this new game as well. It is possible that the game will allow the player to build these relationships in-game, which could open up new gameplay paths for the player to explore.

Currently, there is not much information about the gameplay of one piece odyssey but what has been shown is interesting in what it could mean for the series. Gameplay information, which will be revealed slowly, will soon offer more information about the gameplay and how it will be implemented.

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