We’ve been graced with another One Piece: World Seeker trailer, and this one brings the heat. Literally.During Gamescom 2018, Bandai Namco released a new story trailer for the game, showing off extended cuts of boss battle gameplay and even giving us our first glimpse as to how the Straw Hats end up on Prison Island.The trailer begins with Monkey D. Luffy, shackled with Sea-Prism handcuffs, being transported by a group of marines through an Impel Down-like prison. As the camera cuts to shots of each of the different Straw Hat Pirates, Luffy and the marines approach a massive pair of metal doors. As Luffy and the marines walk through the doors, the camera pans out to reveal that Luffy is being held on a floating Marine base. The screen then cuts to black, and a marine says, “Welcome to Prison Island.”While not much to go off of, the first half of the trailer seems to suggest that World Seeker begins with Luffy breaking out of prison, most likely through the help of his fellow crewmates.This might explain the second half of the story trailer, which pits Luffy against some of the strongest members of the World Government. From Smoker and Tashigi, to Borsalino and Fujitora, to Akainu and Rob Lucci, it seems as if Luffy is being hunted down by everyone under the sun.Curiously, though, the trailer also includes glimpses of other key One Piece characters. Crocodile, the former Warlord who aided Luffy during the Battle of Marineford, and Aokiji, who defected from the Marines after losing a fight against Akainu to become Fleet Admiral, are both seemingly adversaries of Luffy and the gang this time around, as are the more recently introduced Vinsmoke brothers. Following an explosive fight with Aokiji, the game even provides a split-second look at Luffy’s brother Sabo, before ending on a shot of Luffy in front of a throne-like chair.
While one can only guess what all these characters’ motivations might be, I just hope this isn’t an indication that developer Ganbarion is creating a generic “Luffy fights everybody” sort of narrative. Past One Piece games have been extremely lacking, especially in the story department. With series creator Eiichiro Oda seemingly consulting with the studio on aspects of the game and its story, I have to hope that World Seeker will pull these characters into the fold in interesting ways. We’ll see soon enough.One Piece: World Seeker is on track to release on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC sometime in 2018.Wish to get caught up on One Piece: World Seeker? Read why I think it’s the most exciting entry in the series to date, and check out my impression’s of the game’s city traversal gameplay trailer.
David is the founder of The Punished Backlog. He has a problem finishing games he starts. Just beat: Astro Bot, Final Fantasy VII Rebirth. Working on: UFO 50, Echoes of Wisdom, Persona 5: Royal. Can't wait for: Hollow Knight: Silksong. Follow David on Twitter at @David_Silbert to keep up to date with all things The Punished Backlog.
