This week, I intended to start my backlog of Resident Evil games. I wanted to try to go through both RE 7 & 8 in the hopes of having them played before Requiem is out. But instead, a different game held my attention. So, this week, I am looking back at One Piece Bounty Rush, a mobile-first MOBA-lite that I can’t believe is as fun as it is.
Some background around my interest in One Piece
I began reading manga and watching anime about three years ago. It began with Spy X Family but has grown into quite the hobby. I spend more time reading manga than watching anime. My evenings before bed are almost always spent reading something. Some nights it’s a few chapters, others it’s an entire volume. I have about 7-8 series that I am reading, including One Piece.
With that series, I am reading the manga, but I have watched a few episodes of the anime. There are only 110 volumes, so it’s easier to read than watching over 1000 episodes. At the moment, I finished the first 24 volumes and have begun the Skypiea Arc. With the anime, I’m watching it in Japanese, but I have only seen the first 10.
I am consuming other One Piece content. I’ve become addicted to the TCG. It’s an easy to learn game with a lot of variety. As a new player, I haven’t found my rhythm yet, but I have spent a lot of time and money on deck building, which is what I love most. I have been posting a few videos on my TCG YouTube Channel with the plan of sharing more.
One Piece Games
On top of that, I started looking into One Piece video games. Over the last month, I picked up a few on sale. The first was One Piece Odyssey. The other is One Piece Warriors 3. For the former, I heard that it contains an original story, so you don’t need to worry about spoilers. Meanwhile, One Piece Warriors 3 does rehash plots from the story, but it’s the easier entry point. I was considering picking up One Piece Warriors 4, but I’ll wait to get that at a later date.
But there are also a ton of mobile games around One Piece, or at least it feels that way. I have been getting ads on my phone for various games that look like One Piece but don’t say the name of the series. It’s strange because these games all use One Piece assets, but none make any mention of Bandai. How are these games able to advertise online and not have them shut down immediately? I also worry that those games are phishing schemes meant to collect your phone data. If you ever see something that seems suspicious, report it.
One Piece Bounty Rush is an official game. It’s been around for over seven years now. It was popular enough that they published a PC version in 2024. The game has cross-play, so mobile players can play with PC players. Unfortunately, the PC version doesn’t feel optimized. It lacks the customization you’d expect for a PC game. It’s like they took the iPad version of the game, threw it onto Steam, and only gave it controller support. That’s it. If anything, I’d recommend playing it on your phone, and that’s where I am playing it.
What exactly is Bounty Rush?
I don’t have a lot of MOBA experience. I have only played two games, both on mobile devices. LoL’: Wild Rift and Honor of Kings. Bounty Rush isn’t like those games. Yes, it does have MOBA-like qualities, but not in the same way as those other games. Instead of attacking bases, you’re aiming to gain control of treasure spots. The team that controls the most at the end of three minutes wins. You can end the match earlier if your team manages to control all the treasure spots for at least 12 seconds.
Most MOBA games are a bit longer; this one is short. Early on, you and your bot teammates can finish a match in about a minute. As you get paired with humans, matches do tend to run the full three minutes unless there is a clear imbalance. There are different character classes, so the key to winning is having a strong side and a balance of unit types.
You select two characters to play with. It’s a good idea to have them be of different types so you can have some team variety. Also, when you die in battle, playing as the other character allows you to respawn immediately. If you decide to wait, then you’ll be stuck on the respawn screen for about 5-6 seconds.
Fast Matches keeps me playing
The fast-paced nature of matches is one of the main reasons I am having so much fun. Because a match won’t last longer than three minutes, you can play a handful in under an hour. Because of that, I’ve gone up the game’s Battle Mode ladder, recently reaching League B+.
But I am noticing some issues with matchmaking. The teams are never balanced. When you begin a match, it will show the two teams’ power level. One team always has a clear advantage, power-wise. In one battle, my team had a power level of 125K, our opponents had 146K. We did end up winning the match, but it was close. Also, when the result screen appeared, I saw that I was the only member of my team from League B. Everyone else was in B+.
As a new player, I also feel I am behind the curve in comparison to other players. I’m spreading EXP and other abilities across my entire roster instead of only focusing on one or two. The more I play, the more I can see myself “catching up,” but I don’t know how long that will take.
On the flip side, I have found a character I am enjoying. I’ve been using Ulti the most, and she’s been a blast to play with. I’ve dabbled with a few others, but she has been my main, and I’d love to be able to get her to 6-Stars and max her out. Unlocking characters is easy. Getting them upgraded is the challenge.
Gacha mechanics don’t feel predatory.
Like with most Gacha games, characters have star levels. Anything 4-Star and higher is Ultra Rare. There are many ways to unlock characters, but opening up Scout Packs is the most common. You’ll get 10 characters, but most of them are 2 and 3-star characters. The occasional 4-star character pops up every once in a while. But, prepare yourself to see a lot of the same characters. But, at least this means that those 2-star characters will level up to 4-star.
Since I’m new to the game, it feels like the game is throwing a lot of “free” upgrades and boosts to help me catch up. Even with the rarity of 4-star characters, I have unlocked many of them. I’m even at the point that my 4-star characters are now 5-star. I do have one 6-star character, which is the max, but it’s a support one that I don’t use.
Some aspects of this game are behind a paywall. I was earning battle points that you can exchange for items. Unfortunately, you must pay to gain access to them. There are battle rewards that do have a free tier, but the better items are part of the paid reward track. Pricing begins at $4 for the Standard Season Pass and $7 for the Premium. I don’t know how long a Season lasts, but I would guess it’s a month. If that’s the case, then the pricing structure feels fair for a free-to-play game.
Having fun, but not sure for how long
One Piece Bounty Rush is a lot of fun. But I can also admit that I am still in the honeymoon phase, so my perception will change the longer I play. There is more to the game outside of the standard Battle Mode. There is plenty of content here to keep me occupied for a lot longer. Now, I’m curious to try Pokémon Unite, another MOBA-lite that I could enjoy.
