A Veteran One Piece-fanatic Recommends Upcoming One Piece: Grand Gourmet To YOU! – Gamezebo

I’m something of a Jehovah’s Witness for One Piece, constantly spouting my gospel and praising Monkey D. Luffy as my all-time favourite MC. I AM that annoying fan, which is why I absolutely need to introduce you to the latest franchise instalment: One Piece: Grand Gourmet.

Announced via Nintendo Direct yesterday, this unexpected drop has immediately opened the gaming floodgates to a whole other side of the One Piece fanbase, and potentially piqued the interest of those yet to convert into pirates.

If you’ll entertain my audience, I’d love to tell you my five reasons why this game is a must-have for all One Piece fans. Believe me, this isn’t sponsored.

Let’s set sail!

Grand Gourmet: Genre and Themes

One Piece often finishes each main arc with a banquet shared between the Strawhats and their new comrades. This commemoration celebrates their growth and connection, whilst honouring those who struggled before their liberation.

Eichiiro Oda, creator of One Piece, seems to adore this theme of love. To me, it seems he’s trying to say that there isn’t an act more bond-defining than taking the time to feast with friends. In the story itself, starvation is presented as one of the most unforgivable acts a person can inflict upon another, enemy or not.

What I’m getting at here is that Grand Gourmet is embracing this lesser-appreciated theme of One Piece, where typical shonen strife isn’t the end-goal of your playthrough, and I, for one, am extremely excited about that.

The hustle and bustle of Baratie 2 is both a charming throwback and a fun way to immerse into the love-defining culture that the Strawhats synonymously agree on.

Charming Style

Kairosoft Co, known for its beloved chibi pixelated style and popular works such as Doraemon Dorayaki Shop Story, Game Dev Story, Dream Town Island, and many, many more are bringing over 400 One Piece characters to life for this game. A stylistic choice never-before-seen in any other One Piece IP game.

The pixelated heartbeat that drums throughout the trailer truly captured my heart. One Piece: Grand Gourmet is imbued with so much charm that it feels like a love letter to the franchise at large. Each meal, each model, and each scene presented in the short preview felt so full of life and wonder.

FOUR HUNDRED FRIENDS (and some foes)

I mentioned it briefly in my previous heading, but I need to gush about the stacked NPC roster. Over 400 iconic (and some niche) characters will feature in One Piece: Grand Gourmet. Whilst this isn’t even half of the true One Piece universe cast, I think it’s impressive that this many have made the cut altogether.

Can you imagine serving Imu a burger on the Baratie? Oh, how far we have strayed from canon. (I don’t know if Imu is part of the cast.)

Teeming with special interactions, it puts the lesser-appreciated characters on the map. I know someone (my best friend) who will be extremely happy anytime Sabo visits the Baratie. Plus, tending to each visitor will increase your bond with them, so if you have a niche favourite that you want to see more representation of, you can absolutely do that by being the perfect chef and hostess anytime they visit,  encouraging them to return more often.

The Gameplay Itself

Quite embarrassing, but I’ve yapped about so many random game features without explaining the game itself and why I think it will be so fun to play.

One Piece: Grand Gourmet at its core is a pixelated cooking simulator and city-builder title. You seat customers, tend to their requests with flashy food spreads, and use profits to expand your Baratie, including creating island-themed rooms.

Mixing and matching ingredients will unlock new menu items, which you can then develop further with the help of Devil Fruit users. For example, the trailer shows Enel shocking a dish to create Numbing Mapo Tantanmen, followed by Ace heating things up to make a Sizzling Steak.

One particular feature I really like is the plate accessories. It seems random to provide little trinkets and gifts to patrons, but I think playing a Baratie Happy Meal simulator is both hilarious and charming.

I know I’d definitely be a returning customer to any place that gave me a Zoro or Luffy plushie.

Oh, and during intervals, you’ll go hunting for ingredients, bringing back some of that classic combat RPG-style gameplay into the mix.

You Are a Strawhat

I’m a firm believer that as you watch/read One Piece, you’re being taken on a journey alongside the Strawhats, through every strife, every heartbreak, and every celebration. This game is no different. The trailer literally proclaims that you are helping the Strawhats as a rookie staff member.

I’m a Strawhat, and so are you, if you want to be.

I think this game is impressive and inspirational, finally breaking that fourth wall and allowing losers like me to become a Strawhat too, rather than control their digital shell in other One Piece IP games.

I’m not saying those are bad games, but I am saying that the uniqueness of this title makes it entirely standalone and newbie-friendly to even those who haven’t ever consumed One Piece content. Meeting the Strawhats as a stranger to later become their allies drops you into the same boat as the rest of us fans, pardon the pun.

And hey, I think the more the (going) merrier in terms of real-world fans. One Piece has something for everyone, now including cosy gamers.

If you love One Piece, this is the perfect game, unlike any other, to look forward to, and if you haven’t ever consumed One Piece, the game will still feel like a fun little cookery journey to fall in love with.

The One Piece is Real!

The One Piece is real, and it’s called One Piece: Grand Gourmet. October 23rd, 2026, cannot come fast enough.

If the rambles of a slightly deranged One Piece-crazed fan have convinced you, check out One Piece: Grand Gourmet via the Bandai Namco website and Steam to pre-buy.

Or, for more self-indulgent features, I also took a deep dive into the longing for Modern Nostalgia in Gaming recently, which I think the notes of that feature are wonderfully applicable here, too.

Thanks for reading!