New One Piece Odyssey screenshots show off its RPG battles

destructoid.com:

Bandai Namco is showing a bit more of the battle side of its upcoming One Piece Odyssey. The role-playing game based on hit manga One Piece is launching sometime this year, and it certainly has some RPG systems in place.

When the new One Piece game was first revealed, it definitely had some RPG vibes. Some new screenshots from the Japanese One Piece Odyssey site (as spotted by RPG Site) really emphasize just how it’s tackling battles, though.

There’s HP and TP, as well as a weapon triangle of sorts. There are definitely some Persona vibes to the UI elements here, and I think they actually work pretty well.

Another screenshot, shown above, also highlights some positioning mechanics. It looks like range and position on the field will be important too.

Other screenshots show different members of the Straw Hat Pirates using their various abilities to navigate the environment. From slicing a gate in half to seemingly flying across the map, it looks like overworld traversal mechanics will play a role too.

I am, admittedly, not a huge follower of One Piece. I’ve dug other Shonen Jump series like Jujutsu Kaisen and My Hero Academia, but never taken the dive on One Piece, due in large part to just how lengthy it is. My backlog is already gigantic.

That said, these screenshots are making a pretty good case for checking out One Piece Odyssey. While anime spinoffs usually veer into fighting games or other action-oriented formats, RPGs are relatively unexplored territory. Bandai Namco seems to really be going for a full-on RPG with One Piece Odyssey though, with screenshots more evocative of Persona and the Atelier series.

No firm date’s been set yet, but One Piece Odyssey is due out sometime this year for PC, Xbox Series X|S,