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One Piece: Burning Blood is the upcoming game based on the One Piece anime series from Namco Bandai games, it’s a dynamic-styled 3v3 fighting game in free roaming 3D, depicted with cell-shaded graphics which goes well with it being an anime-styled game.
Story mode has you playing as Luffy from the Straw Hat Pirates, who wishes to become Pirate King as he takes on other pirate crews to do so. I have not watched the anime series and my only prior knowledge is through meeting people at different gaming and anime conventions. I have heard from these fans that they are disappointed that the story is only based around one ark of the canon and they wish that it had more to offer. The story mode is less than 2 hours long, which is a real let-down for a fighting game which has story already out there to use as reference.
The fighting in the game is fluid and fun with many button combinations that can result in stylised hit animations and specials which are fun to watch. The game goes from being a cake walk to hard as nails in no time – I found myself stuck on the 4th round of the story mode due to the hike in difficulty against a character that can take you down in one move easily, when it takes a lot to take him down.
The game I find to be newcomer-friendly, especially when performing badass combos and special moves, and I love how you can K.O. your opponent by destroying him into the background where they are punched through a wall at a great distance. The gameplay can be quite strategic, especially when utilising evades, parrys and counter attacks; these are needed as running and gunning will just get you beat in the end.
It offers 40 characters (once unlocked via points collected in-game) but the story is based on the main character in the anime series. There are other modes to play through such as Collection, Wanted VS, Free Battle and an Online Mode.
Go to page 2 for more thoughts on the game plus conclusions.
The graphics use cell-shading which really suits the anime style of the game. As a fan of this process, I really enjoyed the look of the game although it seemed a little plain in parts especially with some of the wide open backgrounds in the arenas. Saying this, I guess it’s better than looking too messy but I still felt as if there was something missing, sometimes tighter landscapes and fighting arenas can make the game seem more intense and alive.
As for the sound, there’s really nothing special here. The music is good but a little typical in the fact that I’ve heard similar music in many anime-style fighting games before. Voice acting is done in its original Japanese, which I liked as many animes are ruined with bad English dubbing, especially when the translation is lost between languages.
(French dialogue, but has some great action)
Final Notes:
Story/Enjoyment: I’m a newcomer to this series and I feel that the game is best catered to those who are fans, as I know none of the characters, and I only recognise Luffy due to cosplays and tattoos seen at conventions and online. The game didn’t grab me and gave me no interest to watch the anime. If you are a fan, I’d say to look into the game but otherwise, unless the trailers appeal to you, I’d give the game a miss if you have never watched the series.
Graphics: I am a fan of cell-shaded graphics, especially when utilised on games based on Comics or anime, the graphics can look a little plain at times but still look great.
Sound: good but unremarkable, nothing stood out to me, I could have heard this with my eyes closed and seen many different anime’s in my mind but this may be due to my unfamiliarity to this series
Gameplay: the difficulty spike can be jarring but the gameplay is fun and fluid.Enjoyment (and Story): 5/10 as a newcomer to the series I had no idea what was going on. From what I’ve been told the story is also disappointing to fans so my score is based upon this and the short lifespan of the mode.
Overall: I can’t see me playing this game much. Again, this may be due to me not being a fan of the series but it can also be difficult to keep fighting games engaging especially if the game is not the type that would be seen on the fighting circuit. This game was veering between a 6 and 7, and I’m sure fans would get more playability due to the large range of characters in the game, and it averages out to 6.5/10, but this is buoyed by the graphics and sound.
Due to the disappointment shown by fans I’ve met regarding the story and my own personal disinterest in the game aside from the fun gameplay, this is the overall score I couldn’t help but choose. I have to be honest to myself and you readers who are hoping for a good game. I’d say, if you are a fan of the Anime to wait for the price to drop before picking the game up.
Thanks to the Youtube channels featured for the gaming footage.
One Piece: Burning Blood is released on Friday June 3rd on Xbox One, PS4, PC and PS Vita. Click on the packshot for the full-size version.
– Bandai Namco Entertainment Europe
Important info:
- Publisher: Bandai Namco Entertainment
- Players: 1-2
- HDTV options: up to 1080p
- Sound: Dolby Digital 5.1
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GRAPHICS SOUND GAMEPLAY ENJOYMENT |
8 6 7 5 |
| OVERALL | 6.5 |
Retro game fan, comic book reader, board game lover and film fanatic. I have loved videogames since I was 5 years old after visiting my first arcade, I have grown up with gaming since having my Atari 2600 then Commodore 64. I ended up building my own career crafting pixelised characters and have had the pleasure of meeting many of my retro gaming heroes who developed some of my absolute favourite games.
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