Octopath Traveler 0 Is a Bold New Direction for the Series

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Octopath Traveler II is the newest game in the series from Square Enix, combining features from the original Octopath Traveler and the mobile game, Champions of the Continent. The first Octopath Traveler was a critically acclaimed JRPG that popularized a unique ‘HD-2D’ visual style, and the second game expands on that successful foundation. Now, with the third installment, Square Enix is significantly evolving the series’ story and how it plays.

Okay, so the game, Octopath Traveler 0, starts in this town called Wishvale. First, you get to build your character, then you’re getting ready for this big festival, the Day of Reverance. But things go south fast – the town gets attacked! That’s how the game kicks off the four main storylines. I got to play through the beginning parts of all four of them in the preview, and it was awesome.

Octopath Traveler 0’s Divergent Narratives

A key change in Octopath Traveler II is the way the story unfolds. Unlike the first game’s eight separate character stories, this time you follow a single main character whose journey splits into four different paths. You can tackle these paths in any order, and they’ll take you across the world where you’ll meet and recruit companions. While these characters have their own histories and motivations, their stories generally connect to your character and a special ring you find early in the game.

As a fan, I’m really invested in how the story unfolds in this game. It seems like the main goal is to restore Wishvale while tracking down three villains: the Kindlers of the Flame, and the Masters of Power, Fame, and Wealth. Each villain is driven by what their ‘path’ represents – power, fame, or wealth – but honestly, they initially come across as just plain evil! I’ve played a lot of JRPGs, and they often have pretty one-dimensional bad guys, though that’s not always true. I actually liked the villains in the first two games, so I’m hoping my first impression of Tytos, Herminia, and Auguste is off, and they turn out to be more complex characters than they appear.

One of the biggest drawbacks is the main character. While I appreciated being able to create and customize my own character, I was disappointed that they don’t speak or have much personality. I would have preferred a character with a defined background and voice, but still allowing customization of appearance and how they play – like the character V in Cyberpunk 2077. Despite this, I’ve really enjoyed the supporting characters I’ve encountered and added to my team.

Combat Feels Even More Tactical in Octopath Traveler 0

The story begins a bit slowly and some characters lack clear reasons for their actions, but the battle system is one of the best in the Octopath Traveler series. The game keeps the Break system from previous titles, but enhances it by letting you control a team of eight characters arranged in two rows. This new system would have been a great addition to the first two games – it adds a lot of strategic depth and lets you really exploit enemy vulnerabilities. Plus, you don’t have to worry about limiting your character choices until you’ve unlocked more than eight.

Changing the order of characters in your battle line isn’t just about maximizing damage and exploiting enemy weaknesses. It also provides opportunities to recover health and special points. This allows you to switch characters in and out of battle, and certain abilities, like Macy’s Expert First Aid, can even change your characters’ positions. Some attacks are more effective when used from the back row, like the Warrior’s Assault skill. This creates a dynamic flow to combat, though you can still succeed with a consistent team of four if you prefer.

The Job system has been updated. In the original game, you could freely change any character’s job, but in Octopath Traveler II, it appears you can only change the main character’s job. However, learning new skills through job changes expands your options and lets you build a character that fits how you like to play. While it’s still unknown if hidden jobs exist, new jobs like the Architect, belonging to Stia, are available for characters other than the protagonist.

Square Enix Still Hasn’t Fixed Pacing

I was really hoping the game’s pacing, especially how quickly you level up, would be improved. I like to experience each storyline one after another, like in previous games, and I tried to do that in Octopath Traveler II. However, completing the first chapter of each character’s story quickly made me overleveled. This means you’re stuck choosing between easily completing the stories or starting new ones with weaker characters to keep the challenge up.

It’s a shame Square Enix and DokiDoki didn’t implement a system to adjust the difficulty based on my progress. The first part of the Master of Power quest was tough, but after that, everything was surprisingly easy – I even defeated the optional bosses without much trouble. This same problem existed in the previous two games, and it’s frustrating to see it hasn’t been addressed.

The game starts a bit slowly with lots of cutscenes, but the pace improves as you progress, although there are still quite a few cutscenes throughout. Considering how important the story is in Octopath Traveler 0, these cutscenes are understandable, and I’ve found the characters and storylines I’ve experienced so far to be engaging. After the initial slow start, the game really begins to shine.

The highly anticipated game, Octopath Traveler 0, will be released on December 4th for PC, Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S. It will be priced at $49.99.

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2025-11-12 23:41