Translating the vast world of One Piece into a video game typically means focusing on action, but One Piece: Grand Gourmet takes an inspired approach by centering on Sanji's restaurant-building endeavors. While the premise of feeding nearly every character from across the series and revisiting iconic locations is appealing, the gameplay often feels as shallow as the lovestruck chef it's based on.
Seafood, They Eat It
The game begins with Sanji and Luffy discovering a restaurant ship under threat from imposters tarnishing the name of Sanji's mentor's establishment, the Baratie. To clear its name, the duo embarks on a journey across the Grand Line, engaging in culinary battles. The narrative loosely follows the manga and anime's chronological path, from the East Blue to more recent arcs, prioritizing fan service over an original story. Grand Gourmet embraces Sanji's philosophy of feeding anyone in need, extending this to virtually every character encountered in the One Piece universe.
Players start with a small, basic restaurant that expands with more tables, attractions, and decorations as customers are served and cash is earned. Increased comfort levels lead to happier customers and higher spending. However, the interior design aspect falls short. Despite the potential for creative decor inspired by various islands and arcs, the execution is clumsy. The game rewards players for cramming every available space with items to boost stats, disregarding actual comfort or aesthetic appeal. Reorganization tools are cumbersome, leading to cluttered dining areas that, ironically, still generate significant revenue.
Beyond dining, attractions like meeting spots for sea kings or land crabs add unique elements and showcase the series' eccentric creature designs. Collecting fish for aquariums or housing visitors' pets are other features, but these largely function as passive income generators with minimal impact on the surroundings beyond a small comfort boost.
Meal Prep
The food preparation system also shows promise but lacks depth. Sanji can create a wide range of dishes, from simple staples to fantastical concoctions inspired by characters and events. While combining up to four items can increase prices, and pairing them with similar Straw Hat-affiliated foods offers further boosts, customers are not discerning. The game prioritizes profit, and an automatic meal tool effectively handles this by suggesting the highest-priced combinations. There are few incentives for creating themed or regionally inspired meals, leading to a monotonous cycle of serving the most profitable dishes.
Even the fake Baratie boss battles, which are essentially cooking competitions, can be won with automatic meal selections. While players can craft bespoke plates and decorate meals, there's little reason to do so beyond personal preference.
Unlocking new recipes is a matter of luck, as it's unclear which characters are inspired by which foods or who might know specific recipes. This often leads to fortunate discoveries, but frustrating moments arise when crucial recipes remain elusive, potentially causing players to leave behind favorite characters.
Pressureless Cooker
While Sanji manages the kitchen, the rest of the Straw Hat crew undertakes expeditions, a task that meaningfully contributes to the restaurant's growth. Sending the crew to various locations costs in-game currency but rewards players with new characters to recruit, items to increase profitability, and ingredients for new dishes. Some rewards are level-gated or require specific crew members, encouraging player engagement with the entire cast.
Each crew member contributes uniquely: Sanji cooks, Franky builds and expands the ship, Ussop crafts decorations, and Zoro trains the crew. Nami, the navigator, provides financial assistance and daily discounts on amenities, proving particularly useful for acquiring expensive upgrades.
Despite the daily overhead of running a business, the game offers little pressure or punishment for poor financial management. Players can incur significant debt, but the game often provides immediate bailouts, removing any real challenge from business management. This lack of consequence diminishes the strategic element of running the restaurant.
What keeps players engaged, even after the main story concludes, is the sheer volume of character interactions. Seeing hundreds of One Piece characters mingling, sharing tables, or even discussing unlikely topics provides a consistent source of amusement. The game includes references to its own narrative continuity, leading to unique meetups between characters who might not logically exist in the same time or place.
Raising characters' affection levels unlocks new crafting items and attracts more customers, adding another layer of engagement. The game's visuals are impressive, with detailed character sprites and animations that bring the normally mundane character movements to life, such as Akainu preparing a dish with a magma fist.
However, the audio design is a notable weak point. The soundtrack consists of a limited number of nondescript background themes on a short loop, accompanied by a small sample of sound effects. This limited audio presentation feels reminiscent of early mobile games, a stark contrast to the rich audio landscape that defines the One Piece series.
Ultimately, One Piece: Grand Gourmet offers a carefree experience that prioritizes fan service over deep strategy. While managing the restaurant lacks engagement due to its shallow mechanics and lack of consequence, the joy of encountering and interacting with a vast cast of characters provides a consistent source of smiles. It serves as a charming, albeit mindless, diversion for dedicated One Piece fans, but may not warrant a voyage for others.