Nintendo World Report

Preview

Bathing suit not included.

For those of you not in the know, One Piece is an anime and manga series that deals with the adventures of Monkey D. Luffy, a young pirate composed completely of rubber. After acquiring this gift through eating Devil Fruit, he sets off on a whirlwind journey to find the One Piece, a grand treasure that makes gold look like gravel. He’s not without competition, however, as many other would-be treasurers who’ve also eaten various types of Devil Fruit are after the One Piece as well. Along the way, Luffy will make tons of friends and quite a few enemies. As one of the more popular series in Japan, its story is one of the most cherished as a tale of brave hearts on an often-tumultuous adventure.

This is not an adventure game.

No, Grand Battle is a title of the fighting persuasion. Along with a horde of other pirates, Luffy will clash fists to close in on the One Piece and claim the title of being the best at sea. Being rubber may not help him, though, as his enemies will have their own special techniques, from Usopp’s exploding tricks to Tony Tony Chopper’s shape-shifting abilities. Although mostly intended to be a party game (in a similar fashion to Super Smash Bros. Melee, there will be a ton of mini-games to be had), the skill variety looks to be interesting from a single-player perspective as well.

As far as presentation goes, One Piece has got itself covered in spades. A beautiful cel-shaded look perfectly compliments the anime, albeit in a more exaggerated manner, seeing as how they’re all fitted to a chibi (child-like) style. All in all, One Piece: Grand Battle should be an interesting title once in releases come September.