A new developer diary showcases One Piece Odyssey gameplay

pcinvasion.com:

One Piece Odyssey was revealed just a few months ago as a brand-new JRPG set in the world of the popular anime and manga series. Bandai Namco Entertainment gave us a closer look at it’s gameplay earlier this month, and now, developer ILCA is giving us a bit more information on One Piece Odyssey in the form of a developer diary.

The One Piece Odyssey gameplay demonstration comes from producer Katsuaki Tsuzuki and composer Motoi Sakuraba, as well as the One Piece editor-in-chief at Weekly Shonen Jump, Ken Takano. The video goes over some exploration and platforming gameplay, as well as a first look at the game’s turn-based combat system.

Some interesting tidbits include the fact that the game began development five years ago while One Piece: Pirate Warriors 4 was being marketed. Scenario production started around the time the Whole Cake Island arc was ongoing in the manga. After creating the framework, the team contacted manga author Eiichiro Oda to ask if he could consult and provide art and character designs for the project. Oda ended up creating Adio and Lim, in addition to new animal characters like the Dry Penguin and Leviathan.

The team behind the game seems to care a lot about the project and it shows. Tsuzuki discussed making an adventure that captures the adventure and drama unique to the series, and that there is a hidden meaning to the “Let’s travel to the heart of memories” slogan seen in the reveal trailer. The studio also paid attention to minute details, such as what clouds look like in One Piece and how to accurately represent its world for an immersive, authentic experience.

In the game, players can switch between different members of the Straw Hat crew at will, explore environments, and enter battles with