Summary
One Pieceis a manga series going on for over two decades, and its popularity is known throughout the world. With a great anime adaptation running for over a thousand episodes and a live action adaptation that is wildly loved by long-time fans ofOne Pieceand new ones alike, the series has proven itself to be doing exceptionally well in different mediums.
The firstOne Piecevideo game came out in the year 2000, and from that point onwards, the series has received a huge number of game adaptations that are featured on different devices, ranging from the Game Boy Advance to the Playstation 5. The games mostly do the job of retellingthe manga’s iconic storyso that players can experience the adventures of the Straw Hat pirates. However, some of the games go beyond and spin their own unique tale that is not canonically tied to the original events of the story. While there is no connection between these games and the main story, they serve as interesting side narratives for the players in the grand world ofOne Piece. With this list mainly focusing on such games, here are thebestOne Piecegames that have their own original story.
Genre(s)
Fighting game, Adventure game
WhilePirate Warriorsseries is mainly known for its strict retelling of the original Story,One Piece: Pirate Warriors 3follows the same route as it retells the story of One Pieceall the way from Romance Dawn to Dressrosa. The entry might feel odd on this list, but it all makes sense when it is revealed thatPirate Warriors 3featuresan entirely original endingto the Dressrosa Arc, as at the time of the game’s release, the arc was ongoing in the manga.
Pirate Warriors 3also does things differently than the source material here and there as it adds its own elements to the story that might not have happened in the original. Paired up with the best gameplay in thePirate Warriorsseries, the game becomes a fun treat forOne Piecefans looking to relive the story while experiencing some new things that they hadn’t seen before.
Action game
WhenPirate Warriors 1came out, it was known to faithfully follow the original story, butOne Piece: Pirate Warriors 2took things in the opposite direction. Telling an entirely new story,Pirate Warriors 2spins a new tale that does not follow the manga.
Pirate Warriors 2tells a unique story but does a somewhat sloppy job as it uses the elements ofOne Pieceto tell a tale that feels like fanfiction. The brand-new story, labeled as Dream Story, takes the players on a journey in the Grand Line to see a three-way battle unfolding between an alliance formed by the Straw Hat Pirates and the Whitebeard Pirates, Akainu’s post-timeskip Marine HQ and the alliance formed by Gecko Moria and Blackbeard. The new story is inconsistent, but withPirate Warriors 2’s fleshed out gameplay and aroster twice the size ofPirate Warriors 1, the game is great forOne Piecefans looking to see some interesting events that never happened in the original story, all the while enjoying a fun beat-em up style of game.
Fighting game, Action-adventure game, Role-playing Video Game
Released as a game for Wii,One Piece: Unlimited Adventurefeatures an original storyline that selectively adapts some sections of the manga. The story ofUnlimited Adventureunfolds ina veryZelda-esque way, as the Straw Hat crew is thrown onto a mysterious island and finds a mysterious orb. Players regroup, form a base on the island, and fight against hoards of enemies, pirates and marines alike, while collecting items to unlock seals spread across the island and finally fight phantasms, which are basically summons of the past enemies of the Straw Hat pirates.
The island has its own unique narrative, and players come across it as the story progresses.Unlimited Adventuredoes a fine job at making players revisit the original content of the manga in an entirely new story. Overall, it is a fun game where gamers can play as any character from Luffy’s Pirate crew as they walk, run, and dash around the island and fight enemies using various attacks ranging in size, range, and power.
One Piece Odysseyis the latest addition to the grand list ofOne Piecegames, and it might not be wrong to say thatOdysseyis one of the bestOne Piecegames players have seen thus far.One Piece: Odysseyis a turn-based gamethat features a story that takes a 50-50 approach. i.e.,Odysseytells an entirely new story but blends in the events from the manga and does a splendid job at retelling those events.
The story unfolds as the Straw Hat crew find themselves separated and shipwrecked on a mysterious island during their voyage. During their expedition, the crew meet a strange woman who steals their abilities and spreads them across the island, and the pirate crew must collect them to regain their powers. To learn their powers again, players must collect cubes, as each cube takes them into a memory related to the Straw Hats. On top of that, players must regain their powers before the Marines intercept the pirates on the island. The unique story is sure to keep both newcomers to theOne Pieceseries and long-time fans engaged. It’s well-written and features an array of excellent characters, making it an excellent JRPG for fans to try out.
One Piece: Unlimited World Redis the fourth installment in theOne Piece: Unlimited seriesthat features an all-original story with characters designed by Eichiro Oda. The storyUnlimited World Redfollows is a full-blown shonen adventure, making players take the mantle of the cheerful and stretchy pirate Monkey D. Luffy and his crewmates. The story takes place on an island where Luffy and Co. make friends with a magical tanuki named Pato. As the story progresses, Luffy finds out that the other crewmates have been kidnapped, forcing him to begin an epic adventure to save the friends and uncover the person controlling the things behind the scenes.
Unlimited World Redtells a fresh tale but does little to less of a job explaining thebackgrounds of the characters, which is fine for the fans of the series, but newcomers might find themselves having a hard time keeping up. However, with an original story, players can still enjoy the fun beat ‘em up game while saving their nakamas in an action-packed adventure story full of fun, plot twists, and surprises.
One Piece: World Seekeris an open world action game, and while it’s true that the anime open world action game is not exactly on par with the standards ofOne Piece, the game does a solid job with its story nonetheless. Having a story of its own,World Seekertakes place on a Prison Island in New World where the Pirate group gets involved in a conflict between the marines, the anti-government rebels, and the inhabitants of the island. The story unfolds even darker secrets of the island, leading players to confront Isaac, the warden with a dark past.
WhileOne Piecegames that have their own original stories have often been mediocre,World Seekerstands apart from them as it tells a story that is not only good but heartfelt at times. Theexpansive open world is simply stunningdespite being limited to a single island, and with beautiful graphics and a detailed combat system,World Seekeris not as bad of a game as some have made it out to be. The story was supervised by Eichiro Oda, and this can clearly be seen through how the narrative and characters are fleshed out. While the story might not be on par with that of the original, it is still legitimately well-written, serving as one of the best original stories found in anyOne Piecegame.
