North American One Piece fans may be dismayed, as the One Piece World Seeker hot springs DLC mission “The Phantom Remedy” will not be available in their region. It was previously released in both Japan and Europe.
Twinfinite asked the publisher, Bandai Namco, about the possibility of the DLC releasing in North America, but the company confirmed it will not be coming with no further information given. Could it be a form of censorship?
Here’s a taste of what you’ll be missing, which starts at 1:30 in the video:
If you’re in Europe, you can get the DLC through the EP!C Rewards Club. In Japan, it was a bonus add-on for people who bought the game early. (As an additional perk, European Ep!c Rewards Club members get double rewards points in the box for the game, which can be redeemed before April 15th, 2019.)
Bandai Namco has been criticized for its censorship before. In Tales of Berseria, the opening was altered due to the violence shown on screen. The publisher said it was changed so they could keep the rating and, if it was kept, it would have prevented them from showing the game on social media, websites, and at public events. God Eater Resurrection was altered for Western audiences, based on the amount of blood shown during the devouring scenes and certain battle animations. Game Informer also reported that inappropriate custom characters on Soul Calibur VI were being taken down, and those who published them had their online features taken away.
Despite the lack of “The Phantom Remedy” DLC, Lucas White was surprised by the high quality of One Piece World Seeker. He said in his review,
It’s a massive, familiar, comfort food sort of open world game, that just happens to have the upbeat vibe, wacky characters, and bright colors of One Piece powering its engine. Thanks to its presentation backed by the muscles behind the larger arms of the One Piece media juggernaut, it feels like a “legitimate” part of the series rather than the usual IP tie-in.
