One Piece: Unlimited World Red
Top Critic Average
Critics Recommend
Critic Reviews for One Piece: Unlimited World Red
One Piece Unlimited World Red offers simple but refined brawler play, and boasts attractive anime-styled scenery throughout, though it still eventually runs out of tricks to conceal the fact that it's a repetitive beat-em-up. The only thing close to a puzzle to be found is the tricky goals to be met in tougher side-quests, and those still require the same combat and exploration skills. But with a mix of varied characters, as well as three difficulty options and a slew of side-missions and Battle Coliseum challenges, Unlimited World Red is not short on ways to extend your play.
One Piece Unlimited World Red offers great combat, even if the battles occur in dull places.
Next to games like Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Storm and JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: All Star Battle, Unlimited World Red is a real disappointment.
For fans of the series though, it's not a difficult recommendation — the game is passable on it's own merit, but filled with many nods to established characters and events that One Piece enthusiasts will love. Overall, this title goes some way to take the series away from some of the mis-steps in its past.
Unlimited World Red is a good example of a licensed game done well. If you're a One Piece fan, you'll be in high-seas heaven; the gang's all here, they look and sound great, and the gameplay — while it has its issues — provides a solid foundation for the adventure. Poor camera controls and some repetitive design dampen the experience, and will be harder to swallow for non-fans, but even players who can't tell a Straw Hat from a straw hat can enjoy the the bright, high-energy action and colourful characters.
If One Piece is a series you follow, my words aren't going to impact your choice to buy this. But if, like me, you're new to the series, Unlimited World Red is surprisingly enjoyable. It's all silly and over the top, full of daft enemies and exaggerated characters, and it positively screams "I am a game! Have fun with me!" Sometimes, though, that's exactly what you want.
Overall this game is a must have for fans of the series and newcomers will enjoy how easy it is to jump in and play. I would advise newcomers to keep up with the anime in order to get the full experience but since the game has an original story, it isn't much of a requirement. Aside from the Coliseum Mode, this has to be one of the greatest One Piece games I've played yet.
One Piece Unlimited World Red is a very standard action game that won't excite masters of the genre, but it has more than enough charm to make up for its simplicity. It also certainly helps that it's an original story, so hardcore fans of the manga or show will want to get in on Red even at a discount just to experience more Straw Hat goodness.
