Nintendo is trying to make a statement by releasing Japanese titles into the European continent exclusively. It’s not certain what that statement is, but at the very least the Western world should just be pleased with this blessing. In the case of the 3DS port of One Piece Unlimited Cruise SP, this blessing comes at a rather peculiar price, as the game only carries 1 of 2 episodes that were released for Wii. Perhaps that’s why they called it one piece. Still, the 3DS cartridge offers more than just one episode, though it’s also not certain whether or not that will suffice.

Luffy picks up a plot device or something. Too bad, I thought it would be a Pinata.

As mentioned, the cartridge simply holds a port from the original on it, along with the Marineford episodes and a Survival mode that offers either enemy waves or consecutive boss fights. If all this sounds strange, it’s because One Piece caters to fans and fans mostly, by picking up along the storyline of the anime with little to no explanation. As such, the characters, settings and motives revealed will only connect to the fans of the series, particularly because the game is narrated in Japanese with subtitles. This might be a huge steeple to lure in the youngest players, as well as newcomers that have no idea who Luffy or his comrades are, even after a lengthy introduction. Luckily, it’s not all bad, as the game still retains the universal charm of One Piece, along with the quirky and foremost loud humor the series is known for.

However, it needs to cut back in a few spots in order to fit on a small cartridge, so the 3D adaptation isn’t always as successful. The depth aspect seems to be on point, even if the outlines remain blurry, but the game has a dark standard. Even if the outlook is colorful, with bright vibrant 3D models, the brightness setting needs to be full on in order to enjoy it and turning on the 3D slider adds to the darkness. The world portrayed in the top screen serves mostly as a background canvas to the character models, which get a scary transition in their computer-generated imagery (CGI) state. Fields are a verdant green and beaches and mountains get painted in muted earthen colors, but there isn’t a ton of contrast. Focus points will get presented by differing décor types, such as flowers or streams of lava. It does however all flow into one non-descriptive whole.

The first episode called The Treasure Beneath The Waves is more of that same generic approach, even if it is built on a grand scale. The adventure takes the characters through maps that require certain items to unlock paths. By defeating enemies and defeating bosses, the characters can collect loot and treasure, while also advancing through the story, leveling up and acquiring new moves. Unfortunately, all this is marred in ad nauseum repetition. A batch of enemies appears on the same part of the map, they get dispatched and the player continues to parts that need to be unlocked. There’s a ton of busywork in updating characters while also trying to unlock the next part.

Luckily, the action has some incentives in order to stay appealing for a certain amount of time. By meeting move requirements on the map screen below, players can unlock a Break Rush that temporarily increases the fighting power. By using these moves, new moves can get unlocked and eventually the game will break away from the one-trick pony scheme. Jumping, dashing and other specials get woven into moves and combo skills get added to the roster, which soften the strenuous task a bit.

Additionally, both game modes also offer an illusion of openness to the story progression. Characters can get switched effortlessly through the touch screen’s simple interface, also revealing a touchable item palette and inventory menu. More so, maps open up in several parts and collecting items can also serve to build new objects and so on. Again, this all reverts to busywork on all fronts, but at least it’s more than a one-dimensional RPG. In reality, Episode 1 feels more like an MMO of sorts, with tons of fetch and grind.

Fighting against the marines with this guy from Rocky Horror.

The Marineford episodes drop most of that and center themselves on the fighting aspect of the game, pitting players in versus battles. The action is stripped down to its core and redressed in a simple brawler, where objectives are given such as surviving for a set amount of time or defeating opponents. It’s the same myriad of characters from the series with an equal lack of explanation, but in a different, more focused pace. Still, by offering two polarizing gameplay modes, it’s hard to imagine if anyone will love both traits equally. More than probably, one will seem appealing, while the other one will seem trite. However, both are lacking, despite their barrage of licensed material.

There are a few more blemishes to go out on, which further make playing a chore, rather than a pleasure. For one, the camera in both modes leaves much to be desired and its slacking attitude can create painful scenarios. In particular, the Marineford episodes will get harmed by this and not even the hit-or-miss lock on feature will be of any help. Secondly, the game’s transition also comes paired with some dreadful framerate drops. This is by far its biggest issue. Scenes with heavy actions or multiple enemies often get chopped up into barely viewable pieces, but even just dashing can trigger this unfortunate event.

Check out more screenshots below and form your opinion then.

One Piece: Unlimited Cruise SP isn’t a bad game per se, but it is a bad port. Its bright outlook and quirky demeanor offers a load of content, but that content is repetitive and cut down to size. Additional flaws and a lacking drive also keep it from overcoming this gripe, even if it has several gameplay options to go through. It does however have ups to come along with the downs and can still bring a smile to one’s face, but it will only bring true joy to its dedicated fan base. To anyone else, it’s no more than a pocket version of a mildly amusing MMO.

Screenshots

Daav Valentaten, NoobFeed. (@Daavpuke)