Unknown to the general public, the One Piece series is nonetheless one of the flagship shônens of the last decade, just like an overrated Naruto, a Bleach lacking in genius, or even a Hunter x Hunter victim of the state of health of its author. This lack of popularity, he certainly owes it to a hero who is not very charismatic at first sight and to a humor with a strong character (drawing its source light years away from what a manga for male teenagers generally serves us). Whether you like it or not, it's this strong personality that helps the series bring the crowds together and get out of the easy and rewarding "fight / new character / fight / new character" loop. The antagonism between Zorro and Sanji, the cowardice of Usopp, the naivety of Chopper or the good jokes of Brooke clearly allow One Piece to avoid some – unavoidable – impressions of deja vu and the mountain of stereotypes that spring when the 'we're talking shônen-like manga / anime. But unfortunately, this solid gold legacy, GANBAR!ON only partially digested it during the production of One Piece Unlimited Cruise 1: The Treasure Under the Waves.
"Ready to go on a journey with me, buccaneer?"
If the Japanese development studio has perfectly grasped the essence of the different protagonists, the fact remains that it forgot to assimilate in passing the "great adventure" aspect yet inseparable from One Piece. The less demanding will be delighted to find the nine current crew members correctly modeled, with their valves, their facial expressions and their Japanese voice, while the others will point out the narrative and playful weaknesses that dot the title. Never seeking to exploit the slightest existing narrative arc, One Piece Unlimited Cruise 1: The Treasure Under the Waves is simply content to bet on the exploration and the collection of items to open up new paths, before swinging a representative of its Hall of Fame at regular intervals. All without providing us with either the why or the how. No form of logic or chronology seems to have been used by the "screenwriters" (note the quotation marks), so it is particularly easy to drop out of the adventure. It must be recognized that the idea of spanking Eneru, Moria and other Kuro is pleasant, just as much as the one that wants us to exploit the DIY capacities of Usopp and Francky or Sanji's cook. But still it all has to make sense. Admittedly, the many treasures and resources – scattered all over the four islands that make up the game – serve well to push the limits of exploration ever further. But the fact that Le Trésor sous les Flots has the particularity of letting us go in a fairly open environment and that we are more or less free to browse it as we see fit greatly harms the immersion, and inevitably the interest intrinsic to the software. Some will appreciate the non-linearity of the debates and the lifespan that this generates, but without exaggerating, this is a great compilation of side quests, necessarily redundant, that we will not even take pleasure in completing as long as the comings and goings in soulless settings that they impose on us consume our good will. One missing object to trigger a mechanism and you'll be good for a good little walk.
But the fact that Le Trésor sous les Flots has the particularity of letting us go in a fairly open environment and that we are more or less free to browse it as we see fit greatly harms the immersion, and inevitably the interest intrinsic to the software."
Even players who claim to be from the school of gameplay cannot, in good faith, declare themselves satisfied by the qualities of the title. Judging by the composition of the troops, One Piece Unlimited Cruise 1: The Treasure Under the Waves is located in a fairly advanced parallel dimension in the series, which is absolutely not found at the start of the adventure. Limited to a poor attack, our nine heroes – who can be swapped around at will – actually turn out to be very heavy to handle, especially since the camera has no idea of putting its own into it. As a result, we find ourselves faced with a sluggish and discouraging start, fortunately quickly filled by an easy leveling, allowing us to derive more pleasure from the clashes. Moreover, one of the great qualities that we will recognize in One Piece Unlimited Cruise 1: The Treasure Under the Waves is the large margin of progression available to all the characters. With a minimum of patience, it is then possible to acquire their most emblematic moves, as well as – for some – their transformation. Fortunately, moreover, because with an action / adventure orientation favorable to the release of enemies, it would have been a shame that we ended up with a command list as thick as rolling paper. This does not detract from the proven repetitiveness of the game, but we appreciate it. The Break Rush system brings in the same way a bit of technicality. This temporary stage of fury which grants more power and gain is triggered by completing a list of combos located on the screen, with the only condition of not registering heavy damage. Make no mistake about it, however, the presence of a "Versus" mode does not make it a potential fighting game, the lack of depth not being able to offer something credible. As you will have understood, unless you blindly love the work of Eiichirô Oda, there is objectively little chance that you will find a place in the cult repertoire of your toy library for One Piece Unlimited Cruise 1: The Treasure under the Floats.
