Build pirate towns and battle in coliseums in One Piece Unlimited World Red

Yo ho ho!

Fire. Sand. Ice. Using these elements in epic battles is usually reserved for superheroes or gods--but in Eiichiro Odas One Piece, these powers are given to pirates. Its the tale of Monkey D. Luffy (who can stretch and bend his body like Marvels Mr. Fantastic) on a quest to become the worlds greatest pirate. Like its fellow manga--Bleach and Naruto come to mind--its video game adaptations have evolved from 1-on-1 fighters to mission-based action brawlers. But theres more than fisticuffs in One Piece Unlimited World Red.

This is an side story from Oda-san himself--like anime filler, but in a good way. Original characters like the helpful raccoon Pato and the villainous Red Baron make their debut, but taking down the big boss requires more than just punches and kicks. You will do plenty of fighting though, as the missions play as action brawlers like Dynasty Warriors--battling a ton of troops on your way to the goal.

Along the way, youll pick up materials, which feed into the games hub world. In this town, your goal is to build the ultimate pirate hangout. You can build a pharmacy for healing, a theater for watching cinematics, a concert hall for listening to the games tracks--you name it. You can even catch bugs and fish to create museum displays. Its almost a One Piece take on Animal Crossing. In fact, town building is your only goal after finishing the game--the games New Game Plus is meant solely for farming materials from missions.

The biggest addition to this stateside release (the game first hit 3DS in Japan) is the Battle Coliseum. This is where those classic 1-one-1 matches happen, along with other options like horde battles or replayable bosses--its a great place to blow off steam. Fans of the series will love the 20 playable characters, pulled from the mangas recent archs.

It seems like One Piece Unlimited World Red is putting together all the right pieces--original content from the series actual author is key--and that is exciting. Well see how well these pirates can sail very soon.

Check the following slides for more information and screenshots.

The Red Baron and Pato have their own powers. The Red Barons is a secret, but Pato is half raccoon, half dog.

Missions take place on new islands like Punk Hazard and Dressrosa. For non-readers of the manga, these locations are as recent as this year.

The missions can be played solo or with a friend. Drop-in play is supported too.

Special attacks and combos are plentiful. You can also use item words, catch phrases that briefly buff your character.

Since the game is so up-to-date with the manga, more recent characters like Caesar Clown and Trafalgar Law are playable, rather than older guys like Don Krieg and Kuro.