Summary
There have been a plethora ofOne Piecegames released over the years, spanning across a multitude of genres. While many of them are rooted in the fighting genre, Luffy and the gang have even been featured in RPGs, battle arenas, and even board games, with there being no end to the many uniqueOne Piecevideo game experiences that fans of the anime can come to enjoy. With that being said, although most of these games aredesigned to be very accessible, not all of them are a walk in the park and can prove to be pretty difficult to complete.
A good challenge can always help to make a playthrough of any game more engaging and immersive, and considering that the Strawhats are usually the underdogs whenever they land on a new island, it makes perfect sense why there are a fewOne Piecegames that dial up the difficulty. AnyOne Piecefans who are looking for a brand-new game to jump into that will test their abilities should try out these excellent titles.
One Piece Odysseyis a fairly unique and very popular title that dives head first into the RPG genre through itsturn-based combatand character leveling system. After a horrendous storm hits the Thousand Sunny, Luffy and the rest of the Strawhats become separated on the mysterious island of Waford, which has been completely overrun by swarms of dangerous monsters. Although the game starts fairly tame in its challenge, it quickly picks up pace once players become familiar with the battle system, with enemies hitting a lot harder and becoming far more strategic with their skills and abilities.
It’s heavily encouraged that players make use of all the tools at their disposal, especially Bond Moves, which are acquired fairly early on in the story, and can completely turn the tides of an intense battle. It’s also important to equip characters with particular accessories to lean into their strengths, such as boosting Zoro’s attack and speed for example. Otherwise, the enemies will gladly take advantage of anyone who’s not keeping up stat-wise.
6One Piece: Pirate Warriors 2
GameFAQs Difficulty Rating: 2.97
After the incredible success of the originalOne Piece: Pirate Warriorsgame, Omega Force immediately started work on a sequel which, rather than following canon events, would be based on a completely original story of its own. The gameplay also went through a few changes, primarily with the number of enemies appearing on-screen being drastically increased to more closely resemble theDynasty Warriors-style action gameplaythatPirate Warriorsis based on.
What this does mean though, is that taking out regular grunts can take a lot more work this time around, and although all characters have some pretty powerful combos, the aggressive enemies will still punish the player if they hesitate while in the middle of combat. In between battle encounters, Luffy will also take on some pretty brutal bosses, with the likes of Blackbeard and Magellan being especially tricky to defeat due to their speed and large-radius attacks.
5One Piece: Romance Dawn
GameFAQs Difficulty Rating: 3.1
Although thecore gameplay loopofOne Piece: Romance Dawnisn’t too difficult to get the hang of, with the game following a traditional turn-based combat system, what makes it such a challenging experience is the unexpected difficulty spikes. Don Krieg for example, who is one of the very early boss enemies, is capable of wiping out the party with just a handful of powerful moves, and the same occurs with Morgan not long after.
It’s pretty much essential to grind out as much Exp as possible in preparation for these fights since Luffy will then be able to acquire some pretty effective skills, but considering how long this can take, it can end up lengthening the game’s overall runtime quite significantly.Romance Dawnis still a fun handheld game that remains fairly manageable in its challenge for the majority of a playthrough, but it does feel as though it’s a little too difficult for its own good at times.
Not only have the regular grunt enemies been beefed up inPirate Warriors 4compared to the previous game, but the named enemies are also far more durable and can pack a punch if they are given the opportunity. Although in previous games, Luffy and the gang felt incredibly strong since they were able to easily throw outbig and powerful combo strings, they’ve also been adjusted forPirate Warriors 4to be much more vulnerable to damage and less effective in combat, at least until they’re upgraded a few times.
All of this comes together to make a pretty challenging experience overall which does a fantastic job of replicating just how fearsome a lot of the enemies are supposed to be at this point in the story. Just like previous entries,Pirate Warriors 4also includes some downright brutal bosses, with Akainu and Tashigi being notable examples. However, a lot of the stages also include off-screen projectiles like arrows and cannons which can chip away at the player’s health bar, making combat encounters all the more intense and arduous.
3One Piece: Grand Adventure
GameFAQs Difficulty Rating: 3.13
One Piece: Grand Adventureis a chaotic, fun, and fluid action adventure game that retells the Strawhats' adventure from the beginning of the series, all the way up until their final encounter withEnel in Skypeia. The game provides an incredibly formidable challenge due to how clever the enemy AI is, with opponents often playing very defensively and waiting for the perfect opportunity to punish the player for making a mistake.
Although there’s a pretty large roster of playable characters that players can take into battle, for them to be reliable and effective in any way, their stats will first need to be upgraded with Exp, which is earned from completing mini-games and extra challenges. Although these side missions are often very simple, usually requiring the player to break a certain number of boxes in a stage or participate in a race, completing more than a few of them becomes necessary to even stand a chance of taking on the hordes of durable enemies that the game throws at the player.
2One Piece: Unlimited Adventure
GameFAQs Difficulty Rating: 3.23
One Piece: Unlimited Adventureis afairly niche Wii titlethat is pretty basic in the way it plays, but very difficult to master. As players roam across numerous islands looking for treasure and key items, which are often hidden away in very obscure areas, Luffy and his allies will run into enemy pirates, monsters, and marines who they must take out by performing combos which, if pulled off successfully, will give them the ability to use a powerful Break Shot that can deal a considerable amount of damage.
While this sounds easy in practice, what makes executing these combat maneuvers so difficult is the strength and speed of the enemies, which can all interrupt the characters with a single hit. Therefore, while it might seem like a good idea to power up a Gomu Gomu shot to deal with a swarm of marines, all it takes is a single sword slash and Luffy will be back to square one, while also having a chunk of his HP chopped off in the process. Although there is an SP bar that can be spent to use a devastating Finisher Move, because the gauge can only be recovered through very specific means, such as through Recovery Balls and potions, it means that it’s never a good idea to rely on it too much, especially when a boss could be right around the corner.
1One Piece: Unlimited Cruise SP2
GameFAQs Difficulty Rating: 3.42
Due to intentional development decisions and unintentional issues with the game,One Piece Unlimited Cruise SP2for the 3DS can be an utterly brutal experience, often being very unforgiving in its challenge and a true test of the players' patience and willpower. Just like most of theOne Piecegames,Unlimited Cruise SP2primarily revolves around its battle encounters which take place in large and spacious arenas, but because of how weak Luffy’s attacks are, paired with the camera that often does a poor job at showing all enemies on-screen at once, it can result in nearly every battle being incredibly difficult.
The game also isn’t shy about throwing plenty of immensely powerful bosses the players' way, with Rob Lucci andeven Whitebeard himselfbeing just a few examples. Although there are items in the game that can be crafted from the menu, they usually require a staggering amount of resources, even if it’s just a simple HP potion, which adds yet another layer of challenge to the experience. Thankfully, some of the Strawhats are much stronger than others, which can result in the battles being made a little easier, butUnlimited Cruise SP2doesn’t pull any of its punches, throwing players in the deep end right from the get-go.
