"Just to be clear- I don't watch One Piece. I actually don't even have the slightest clue what the series is about. All I know is that it is a popular anime that's been pretty long running."
One Piece: Romance Dawn is a game with a lot of potential, but feels like a missed opportunity. The pieces - comic/manga cutscenes, anime cutscenes, and a neat battle and crafting system, all sound like a recipe for success. But instead, we have a game that is mediocre, with flaws in all of them. If you are a hardcore fan of One Piece, you could do worse. And honestly, the game isn't all bad. But the Nintendo 3DS' library is so fantastic, there are so many better ways to spend your time than this game.
Save/Continue writes: No nonsense here. One Piece: Romance Dawn is a $40 piece of garbage. There is absolutely nothing engaging or likable or even moderately fun about Namco Bandai‘s latest entry into the One Piece series of game adaptations.
Anime and videogames have always had an ambivalent relationship. There is a clear connection between those who love anime and those who love videogames, but most licensed anime games tend to be cheap cash-ins that never bring the source material to life. The best of the bunch is PlayStation 2’s classic fighting game, Dragon Ball Z: Budokai 3. It was great for a very simple and juvenile reason; it made me feel like Goku in a fight. Sadly, they never went further with that concept. Where is the anime fan’s Arkham Asylum? When will developers make a true AAA anime title worthwhile? Better take a seat, because the search for this higher standard hasn’t been reached. And if One Piece: Romance Dawn is any indication, anime fans will be waiting for quite a while.
