One Piece: Unlimited World Red Deluxe Edition on Switch is the best way to experience Unlimited World Red and exactly how a licensed game should be.

One Piece: Unlimited World Red Deluxe Edition is a decent addition to the stable of Nintendo Switch games and of course from a Once Piece perspective. It’s a fun experience on the Nintendo Switch with lots of quests to embark on and is a relatively sturdy gaming system. The multiplayer component of the game could have been fleshed out more but nonetheless, it creates a fun game for fans of the One Piece series.

I mentioned earlier that this isn’t the first go-round for Ultimate World Red. This version has been optimized for Switch and it shows; the animations are more buttery smooth, while the assets themselves look crisper and clearer here. Everything runs at 60fps, though the cutscenes have noticeably not received the same level of augmentation. Regardless, this version comes with the benefit of all the DLC as well as Switch’s portability, meaning you get to take a console-level experience with you on the road. Again, as a One Piece fan, this game really scratched that itch of wanting to cut loose with Nami, Luffy, Chopper, and everyone else the way that the manga portrays them: brutal, efficient, over-the-top, and just downright glorious to behold.

Not much has changed since its Wii U and 3DS days, but Unlimited World Red is still a swashbuckling good time for anime action aficionados. The handful of extra quests and costumes included in this ‘Deluxe Edition’ probably won’t be enough to tempt anyone into double (or triple) dipping, but excellent visuals and drop-in co-op with single Joy Con controls make the Switch version a great place to jump in. It’s a shame that there isn’t more of an effort to introduce Oda’s incredible world to players unfamiliar with the manga source material, but if you’re already a Straw Hat supporter this is an easy recommendation.

One Piece: Unlimited World Red Deluxe Edition provides an entertaining but flawed take on the One Piece franchise. Its story and gameplay show signs of promise, but repetitive and recycled missions, levels, and enemies drag down the game, especially during its later hours. Those looking for quick, mindless One Piece action should enjoy Unlimited World Red Deluxe Edition. However, those looking for a more complex and original game should keep waiting; the One Piece game of our dreams hasn't arrived just yet.

All and all this is an acceptable title for a fan of One Piece who also happens to be a Switch owner. For someone who has never heard of the series this game is not exactly a great tool to expose them to series. Something like One Piece Pirate Warriors would be more suitable. With the impending release of other major titles on the platform, this title might sink to the bottom of the ocean, never to be seen again.

The boss battles remain a highlight and almost enough of a reason to play the game in itself, but the rest of the game structured around them is so pedestrian and bland that keeping motivation in this one is perhaps the greatest challenge of them all.