Rishabh Borde
The long-running ‘One Piece’ Japanese manga series is one of the most successful examples of its medium, selling over 460 million copies worldwide as of December 2019. The series has even managed to bridge the gap to the west, selling quite well in North America as well as making The New York Times Manga Best Seller List numerous times.
The manga has also been adopted by multiple different mediums including several original video animation films, a highly successful anime series debuting in 1999 and airing well over 900 episodes since then, fourteen theatrical films, a series of light novels, an upcoming live-action TV series and several video games.
These video games have spanned genres and platforms across the years, including fighting games, Role Playing Games (RPGs) and action-adventure games. One of the more popular series of ‘One Piece’ video games is the ‘One Piece: Pirate Warriors’ series. The series debuted in 2012 and follows several of the story arcs from the anime, as well as a few original storylines as well.
With the impending release of the fourth installment in the Japanese pirate action-adventure series, read on to find out everything we know about ‘One Piece: Pirate Warriors 4’.
One Piece: Pirate Warriors 4 Gameplay: What to Expect?
The upcoming ‘One Piece: Pirate Warriors 4’ will feature the same core gameplay as the previous games in the franchise, which involves choosing a player character from a vast roster of hero and villain characters to fight through thousands upon thousands of enemies.
Each character has its own set of unique skills, abilities and combat styles. However, there are some key additions including the inclusion of a jumping mechanic. In the previous ‘One Piece: Pirate Warrior’, jumping was technically only possible for certain characters who could launch off the ground. Now, jumping is set to become a standard mechanic, possibly even allowing for extra move sets such as air dashes and combos.
Another addition is the game’s new stamina system, which while being a fairly standard affair, is quite new to the ‘One Piece: Pirate Warriors’ franchise. Certain actions and moves will drain your character’s stamina while avoiding demanding moves allows the stamina to replenish.
This means that stamina management will be key, particularly fighting the game’s new giant enemies. The giant enemies will take reduced damage from player characters and must be worn down over grueling and protracted battles.
One Piece: Pirate Warriors 4 Developers: Who Are the People Behind the Game?
‘One Piece: Pirate Warriors 4’ is being developed by the Japanese video game development studio Omega Force. Omega Force is a division of Koei Tecmo and was founded by Akihiro Suzuki and Kenichi Ogasawara in 1996.
Omega Force is best known for developing games such as the ‘Dynasty Warriors’ hack and slash franchise, the ‘Samurai Warriors’ series and the ‘Warriors Orochi’ series and more.
‘One Piece: Pirate Warriors 4’ will be published by Bandai Namco Entertainment
One Piece: Pirate Warriors 4 Release Date: When and Where Can I Play It?
‘One Piece: Pirate Warriors 4’ is set to release on March 27, 2020, on a variety of platforms including Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch. The game will also be making its Xbox debut by being available to the Xbox One users.
What Is the One Piece: Pirate Warriors Series About?
The ‘One Piece: Pirate Warriors’ is a series of action-adventure/beat em’ up games by Koei Tecmo’s Omega Force game development studio. Like the anime and the manga, the ‘One Piece: Pirate Warriors’ follows the adventures of Monkey D. Luffy, a young boy who, upon accidentally eating the magical Gum-Gum Fruit acquires the properties of rubber and assembles his eclectic crew of pirates called the “Straw Hats” to search for the famed treasure of the same name. Throughout his journey, Luffy makes new friends and allies as well as enemies.
The first game in the series titled ‘One Piece: Pirate Warriors’ released in 2012 exclusively for the PlayStation 3. The game plays through several iconic arcs in the storyline, as well as several exclusive ones. The gameplay is inspired by the Omega Force’s own ‘Dynasty Warrior’ series of hack and slash games. The game received mixed reviews from critics but sold rather well, especially in Japan.
A second game titled ‘One Piece: Pirate Warriors 2’ came out one year later in 2013 for the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita. The game followed an entirely original non-canon storyline taking place two years after the band of pirates known as the Straw Hats emerged. The game fared slightly better with critics but underperformed commercially.
A couple of years later a third game in the series titled ‘One Piece: Pirate Warriors 3’ released with a bunch of gameplay tweaks as well as the new Dream Log mode which features randomized battles that unlock new characters and items. The platform support was also expanded to include PlayStation 4, Microsoft Windows and Nintendo Switch in addition to the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita.
One Piece: Pirate Warriors 4 Trailer:
You can watch the trailer for ‘One Piece: Pirate Warriors 4’ right here.
Read More: Best Upcoming Fighting Games
