Octopath Traveler is one of the ultimate love letters to classic JRPGs.
While it isn't perfect, it does so much right.
Whether it's the great sprites, incredibly beautiful graphics, a strategic but easy to
understand turn-based battle system, or 8 fully-fledged stories, Octopath Traveler has
so much to offer and harkens back to the golden era of JRPGs while also forging it's own
"path" in its genre.
I don't usually start with this, but I think for most of us the graphics were the original
aspect of Octopath Traveler that drew us all in.
With well-done 2D sprites in a gorgeous 3d, 16-bit textured world, Octopath's graphics
are a true sight to behold.
Whether I was walking through a haunting forest, traversing a snow-capped peak, or trudging
through a scorching desert, I couldn't get over the look of this game.
On top of the basic textures, the sand, water, and snow all have a more realistic feel to
them, with light sparkling off particles and movement that makes them feel alive.
You can also see trees move, and all of this together makes for some powerful scenes, and
also shows that Octopath took what was great about classic RPG graphics and brought them
to the future.
The lighting system in Octopath Traveler also looks great, with sunbeams shining through
windows and moving through the room, shadows sliding behind trees and obscuring objects,
and even in dark areas using lanterns which makes it even more atmospheric.
However, there were times when the shadows were so dark it obscured the area and made
it hard to see, and on the other end of the spectrum there were times where the sunlight
almost completely obscured talking characters.
While none of this was a big deal, it was kind of jarring when the rest of the graphics
and lighting system are so well done.
The world of Octopath Traveler itself is also brilliantly well done.
You will explore many different locales like golden deserts, snowy mountains, beautiful
coastlines, somber forests and meandering caves.
All of this makes sure the game never feels too repetitive, and I always wanted to see
what the next area looked like.
One thing to note is the linearity of the game.
When exploring the world, there are specified paths to go down, with just enough deviation
to hide chests and other items as well as dungeon entrances and other secrets.
You don't go into an area and have options to go anywhere, you are shepherded down a
path that rewards explorers with quality loot.
I actually liked this about the game though, because Octopath Traveler is quite large and
has plenty to see and do.
There are also a few small design decisions of the world that make the gameplay even more
immersive.
First, I loved being able to just walk in and out of a building without any type of
loading screen, and felt the same with the way entering and exiting rooms feels.
It makes the world for more cohesive.
I also loved that, when going to shops, instead of having to open a door, go through a loading
screen, and then walk up and talk to someone, you could just click on the door and be immediately
in the shop UI.
Little touches like this go a long way to improving immersion when spending hours in
a jrpg like this.
To touch on it shortly here as well, the music in Octopath Traveler is insanely good.
This is one of the best soundtracks I have heard in a very long time.
I consistently stopped to listen, and the atmosphere of so many moments was boosted
by music perfectly suited for it.
Also, the voice acting is well done for the most parts, with a few areas missing the mark.
While the whole game is not voice acted, all of the main story beats are, and the characters
are all accented by their respective actors.
But seriously, that music though.
As you probably know, Octopath Traveler sees eight different people embark on a quest together,
but also separately.
One of the things to note at the top is that there is no singular narrative in Octopath
Traveler.
Each character has their own, separate and self-contained story.
You will start off choosing whichever character you want to begin with, and the only real
ramification of that choice is you will have to have that character in your party for the
rest of the game.
However, you will quickly have the opportunity to pick up the other seven characters.
You can play each of the characters origin story and first mission, and then from there
you can choose how much you play of each character's story.
To be honest, the first few hours of this game are kind of rough, because each character's
beginning, while different atmospherically and story-wise, are the exact same formula
for gameplay.
You start off with a lot of dialogue and backstory, a problem arises, you go through a dungeon,
and then fight a boss at the end.
While that may just sound like standard rpg style, doing eight of these in a small period
of time can feel daunting.
However, once the second chapters start and you get further into the story, the game really
picks up the pace.
If you choose, you could technically just grind through a couple characters stories
and completely ignore the other characters.
However, Having all eight will not only make the game more fun, but you should definitely
pick them up for the sake of your party and the differences in abilities.
The progression of story with one character doesn't affect the progression of the others,
which is both weird and good at the same time.
The stories are all well-written and I love the dialogue in the game, but not all the
stories are equal in terms of being compelling and interesting.
I'd like to say though that I really like the fact that all the stories are self-contained.
While I do wish they came together or crossed paths in a way that made them interact more,
characters will make comments from time to time on other character's stories.
However, I like that there is not some main big bad that the whole party is going after.
I like how each of the characters are their own person, and have their own path and journey
they are on.
As the games title suggest, the main purpose is to go down eight paths.
Each of these stories are like small vignettes in a larger narrative rather than just switching
between people on the same road.
Each story felt new and refreshing, and seeing basically eight different stories is such
a great concept I thoroughly enjoy.
What's more, the stories are very different, and each character differs in their personality
and approach.
There are definitely some I wanted to play through and learn about more, but all of them
are compelling enough to see their story through (which I still have not done at this point.)
After over 70 hours, I still haven't been able to complete everything, and I also still
want to keep jumping back in.
One last thing I would like to mention is that each character has a path action.
These are mainly used outside of combat, with characters like Therion the thief being able
to steal from people, and others bring able to do things like provoke a person to battle.
These add unique ways to interact with the NPCs of the world and can even influence the
story by changing reputation and affecting the way people think about you.
While not the most in-depth system, it is a nice addition.
The battle system in Octopath Traveler is one of the biggest highlights of the game.
Much like the rest of it's inspirations, Octopath takes what makes turn-based battles
great and adds some much-needed and refreshing levels of complexity.
First is the vulnerability system.
Each enemy has a set of vulnerabilities, and rather than targeting a single weak point
or having a basic elemental weakness, enemies have a combination of them all, and it takes
experimentation with attacking them to figure them out.
Once found, you have to decide how to use attacks on them.
Do you use a weak axe you have because it will cause a break in the enemy's defenses,
and then unleash a magic ability that is super-effective and wreck them?
Or do you just go straight to their weakness and hope it breaks them eventually while dealing
lots of damage in the process?
You will find that you use weapons and abilities you never would have used in another game,
and the best weapons you have may not be your first choice.
What's so great about this is that it encourages experimentation with every battle.
When you encounter new enemies, you don't know what their weaknesses are or what to
use against them.
Because of this, each battle will require new tactics and a different approach.
There are a few other mechanics like the fact that enemies scale up as you progress, enemies
armor has to be brought down before doing full damage, and the fact that you gain bonus
points which let you do more powerful attacks.
With bonus points, you can save them up and then unleash a devastatingly powerful magic
attack or physically hit enemies the same amount of times as points you have.
Bonus points also allow your healing spells to heal more HP or buffs and debuffs to last
longer.
You could use the bonus points to try and break your enemy for the next attack or save
up your points until after an enemy is fully vulnerable.
Then, each character has their own class of sorts, and each has different abilities and
move sets.
Also, each class is only capable of using certain types of weapons.
This not only makes each character useful, but necessary depending on the battle.
Then, there is the job system.
Around the world you will find shrines, and at these shrines you can find jobs.
When these jobs are chosen, they allow characters to wield more types of weapons or have different
abilities.
This means a character who could not use magic may be able to after learning a job type.
Some of the special jobs are hidden behind extremely powerful bosses I haven't even
been able to beat yet.
This gives each character and even greater amount of customizability and let's you
spec your party in even deeper ways.
However, only one character can equip a job type, so you can never have two characters
with the same job.
The bosses in the game ramp up in difficulty quickly, and for the few final bosses I have
beaten at then end of a few characters' storylines, they required a significant amount
of time and strategy to beat.
This is a very satisfying feeling, and I am excited to finally be able to beat the stronger
bosses hiding the special jobs.
The game may feel kind of easy and repetitive at first in battle but trust me when I say
it changes and becomes more difficult as you progress.
Octopath Traveler is one of the best JRPGs I have played in quite a while.
Successfully playing to nostalgia while also iterating and making a more modern take on
this type of game sets it apart from the rest.
For pros, the graphics and world are stunning.
I still can't get over how much I love the art style of the game.
I love the eight stories and each character, and I have had so much fun going through each
of them.
The battle system is complex and requires strategy while never feeling over complicated
or clunky.
For cons, while there weren't many, sometimes the lighting effects were a little weird,
there were a few spots with messy voice acting, and I would have liked for the stories to
intertwine more, considering they were all traveling together.
Also, the first hours are a bit of a drag, but the game picks up after the beginnings
of each character.
Octopath Traveler was made by those who loved the golden era of SNES JRPGs.
It was made as both a love letter and a desire to be something new.
Octopath accomplishes those things and more, with visuals unparalleled in gaming, a unique
take to storytelling, and strategic and very satisfying turn-based battle system.
While it has its issues here and there, Octopath Traveler is an amazing game.
I'm going to give it a 9.25 out of 10.
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