One Piece: Grand Cruise Gets a Release Date in Japan

The PlayStation VR game One Piece: Grand Cruise now has a release date in Japan that schedules the game to be out on May 24.

Bandai Namco recently announced that the new One Piece game that's based on the popular anime and manga would be released in Japan next month through the latest issue of Weekly Shonen Jump. A scan of the magazine showed several screenshots that were already seen in the past with shots that included Luffy and other iconic characters, but the May release date is new information from Bandai Namco.

While this isn't the first time that One Piece will be adapted into a video game, it is the first occasion that players will be able to experience the Straw Hat Pirates and the rest of the One Piece world in virtual reality. The PSVR game was officially announced last year with Bandai Namco confirming that it would be coming to the PlayStation 4's virtual reality component.

Alongside the initial announcement last year, Bandai Namco provided a description of the game to give players an idea of what would be involved.

"A pirate's life is fun, but dangerous," a description from the game's site reads. "Go on a journey to the ocean together with the Straw Hat Pirates. The player is an apprentice pirate of the Straw Hat Pirates, and embark on a 'one day voyage' on the Thousand Sunny. Adventures and events only unique to virtual reality will unfold, including navy shooting battles and communication events in which you'll become closer with the Straw Hat Pirates."

As far as the different modes that the game will offer to players, there will be two different battle modes available. The first is a mode where players will be tasked with fighting the Marines and fending off various attacks from opposing ships. The second mode, however, will let players use cannon attacks to fight the Kraken before it destroys your ship. An emphasis will also be put on the interactions between characters since you'll be able to experience all of the communications in VR.

One Piece: Grand Cruise is scheduled to be out on May 24 in Japan as a PSVR exclusive, though a Western release date has also been confirmed for sometime this year. It's unclear at this time exactly when Bandai Namco plans on releasing the game outside of Japan.