As a big fan of the Warriors series, and a relatively new fan of One Piece, I really enjoyed my time with the game. It's over-the-top, much like the show, and brimming with content, much like other titles in the Warriors series. Outside of its dedication to sticking to the canon storyline of the show, it really is Dynasty Warriors with a One Piece skin more or less. For those with an aversion to the Warriors games, Pirate Warriors 3 does little to convince you otherwise.
Those who have previously played the non-canon Pirate Warriors 2 and even the first game, will be treated with some new playable characters, such as the flamboyant Ivankov, Sabo, Magellan and even Red Haired Shanks.
It might not have the same emotional impact as the show, and you certainly won't get the same characterization, it does a fairly decent job at recapping the major plot points to either get you up to speed, or simply allow you to relive the moments you've previously watched or read in the manga.
The Positives
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Bandai and Omega Force has certainly trimmed a lot of fat when it comes to the content. While that may at first sound negative, doing so allowed them to focus on storylines and arcs in single battles, instead of stretching it out over a series. What that does is makes each story battle take slightly longer, but it also makes it that much more engaging.
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The cast of characters is truly diverse. I know the general public likes to classify Warriors games as button-mashers, and while they certainly can be played that way (ask my wife) there is still a whole lot of depth in the combat, if you choose to look for it.
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The Kizuna Rush feature allows you to team up with other characters on the fly. By pressing the d-pad up or down, you can switch between partners, with each one having a unique follow up attack. When the Kizuna Rush gauge builds up, the support character will always unleash a final attack at the end of your combo. Once maxed, you can activate the Kizuna Rush to power-up your combos, as well as your partner's, and finish it up with a joined ultimate attack. It's not only brutally powerful, but it also looks incredibly badass.
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Unlike other Warriors games, there are no weapons to collect, which streamlines the process a bit, and allows you to focus on combat, rather than running around the map to collect new weapons. However, character growth is tied to both levels and Coins. Coins can be earned through playing various stages, and then those sets can be applied to characters to permanently raise their stats.
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Newly unlocked characters can be used immediately (if you have enough currency) since you can immediately level them up to match the highest level character. This means you won't have to waste time playing through easier stages just to make their character stronger.
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Entire arcs are, for the most part, contained to a single stage, meaning you don't waste time fighting minor characters only to fight the major characters in later stages. Now minor enemies appear alongside major enemies in a single stage, and a lot of the time they're also tied to bonus objectives, meaning you can skip them altogether.
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Free Mode allows you to replay any unlocked mission as any character, and Dream Log is an entirely new mode which has you hopping from island to island, taking on major characters from the show. Dream Log in general is a great secondary mode apart from the main story, as it also allows you to unlock new characters that way as well.
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Omega Force nailed the look of the game this time around. While the second Pirate Warriors certainly looked more like an animated cartoon rather than 3D models, the third game ups the ante with some gorgeous cel-shading, which pops even more during character's special attacks
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The presentation is fantastic as well, showcasing cutscenes through manga panels, some of which animate while others are stills. Of course iconic scenes from the show are fully recreated and animated.
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The framerate, at least on the PS4, was consistently 60fps, with very rare dips happening when executing a multiple character Kizuna Rush finisher.
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The seamless online co-op is back in Pirate Warriors 3, as the game alerts you when someone is looking for co-op partners, and you can instantly join them with a press of a button.
The Negatives
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Kizuna Rush, while fun to execute, is simply each character executing their super moves all at once. It would have been cool if there were some unique combo attacks between characters, though given the large amount of characters, it's understandable why Omega Force didn't implement this.
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Even though I liked the fast paced nature of Arcs having one stage per villain, I would have liked some of the stories slightly more fleshed out, especially in a game that completely retells the story all the way from the beginning.
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Upgrading with Coins can get tedious, as you have to replay certain mission that award those coins multiple times, and also complete all the secondary objectives to receive Rare Coins.
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Those damn exclamation marks! When you start building your Kizuna Rush gauge, and support characters can be used to finish your combos, the enemies hit by those attacks will generate exclamation marks (!). For some reason, these are used as yet another way to track your performance, as well as raise your crew level. It's a little unnecessary.
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Pirate Warriors 3 won't make a Warriors fan out of you, if you already had an aversion to the series before. Being a One Piece fan definitely helps, but if you struggled to find enjoyment in past Warriors entries, you won't find any new redeeming qualities here.
I can honestly say that I never prepared myself for a game review as much as I have prepared for One Piece: Pirate Warriors 3. You see, I played the first game, and mildly touched on the second, but I felt disconnected from them. Sure, you could say it's just Dynasty Warriors with a One Piece skin, but I wasn't connected to the story or the characters, both of what One Piece is apparently very well known for, and known for doing extremely well.
I decided earlier this year to actually watch all available episodes. Thanks to Crunchyroll, which has all the episodes available, I had all the means to do so. Unfortunately, I never met my goal to watch all 700+ episodes, though I did finish just over 500 of them, way more than enough to get myself acquainted with the story and characters. I now knew all about Monkey D. Luffy and his crew, his beginnings with Shanks, his trials with various Warlords and his unbridled determination to become the Pirate King.
While it may seem excessive to watch that many episodes simply to get myself prepped for a review, I do admit that a part of me has always wanted to watch the show, and this was the perfect excuse. But how does the game actually hold up?
Chances are you've heard of Tecmo Koei's vastly popular Warriors series. Pirate Warriors 3 is essentially those games, but gone are the flamboyant Chinese Dynasty and Samurai characters, but replaced with the colorful cast of One Piece. It's Bandai's third take on the One Piece X Dynasty Warriors formula and it certainly seems the most refined.
Pirate Warriors 3 focuses on delivering the series' canon storyline, by focusing on major battles throughout the various arcs with dozens of wild characters to unlock with even wilder powers. That means you'll start off with the recruitment of your crew, starting with Zoro, and ultimately make your way to locations like Skypiea, Thriller Bark and even take part in the great Summit War.
Let's look at what works, what doesn't and what we think of Bandai's latest foray into the world of Pirates.
