First Octopath Traveler was released in 2018 and marked the first time Square Enix used the HD-2D design aesthetic. Seven years later, after a series of classic games remade using the same technology, we have a new game in the series. Octopath Traveler 0. While most of its elements are taken from previous games, giving it a familiar feel, a few changes are enough to make Octopath Traveler 0 a unique game – both for better and for worse.
Octopath Traveler 0 this is an interesting project. Using story and combat Octopath Traveler: Continental Champions (a mobile gacha game released in 2020), Square Enix has prepared a fresh turn-based RPG. The prologue and first chapter of the three main quests set in the land of Orsterra (the amount of content I could have played for this preview) introduce the characters and antagonists at the center of this journey. Our story is built around three paths: power, wealth and fame. Each is connected to a villain who is somehow responsible for the protagonist's current situation and all the suffering experienced on the continent of Orsterra.
Although the story is divided into chapters that you can play through in any order, mostly depending on your level, there is a shift in the anthology structure that makes the series memorable. Instead of eight main characters with their own storylines, we only have one main character: the one you create at the beginning of the game.
Wonderful art style Octopath Traveler 0 makes creating your own character a fun but short process. Don't expect much from the customization options. Besides choosing a body, hairstyle, and a few other features, you must give them a name, one of three preset backstories, a favorite food, and an initial set of items to carry. The shift from multiple protagonists to one shows that the narrative focus Octopath Traveler 0 different from the rest of the series. We no longer have epic stories about ordinary people, but rather the hero's journey.
As you progress through the story, you choose one of eight starting professions, and then unlock any of the others once you have acquired a minimum number of skills. Similar to what we see in games like Brave DefaultV Octopath Traveler 0 you can swap jobs to better suit your group's needs, depending on what kind of companions you have. However, this change makes Octopath Traveler 0 you feel less connected to the character designs and more like other RPGs.
Regardless of the background you choose for your character, he will be a happy resident of the hospitable and peaceful city of Wishvale. The prologue is designed to make you think about this place, foreshadowing the events that unfold later. Octopath Traveler 0The visiting card of the city is the city building. The regeneration of Wishvale involves building homes, shops and other facilities to bring life back to the town. All of this is achieved by completing either a specific city quest line or other main missions.
Bye Octopath Traveler 0The visuals create a cozy gaming atmosphere, the city buildings are not very well presented at the beginning of the game. It has systems with interesting potential, such as villager skills, which can range from gathering materials to reducing the cost of items sold in the city. But the reconstruction's controls feel basic compared to the clean, sophisticated designs of other entries in the series.
Perhaps if you spend thirty hours playing the game, the city will become a fun part of your experience. But in the first few hours it is easy to forget about its existence. To access his services and collect materials, you need to quickly travel to Wishvale and talk to every character in the city. The process itself isn't a problem, but it does compete for your time and attention with main quests or side stories, forcing you to briefly interrupt your current adventure to check if your neighbors have wood to harvest.
I am pleased to report that the battles in Octopath Traveler 0 feels just as rich and exciting as the other two games; they don't deviate too much from the original design. Enemies have a variety of weaknesses, and you need to manage your moves to break their defenses, preparing for a massive attack by spending all your power-up points that you earn every turn. It's a clear and fun combat system that new players will enjoy as much as old fans. However, this is where the similarities to previous Octopath Traveler games end.
We know from trailers and some character skill descriptions that your party can have up to eight party members, divided into a front and back row. Personally, I can't say if it works well at this point because by the end of the preview I didn't have enough companions unlocked to form a full party. However, I'm not sure that adding four other characters will benefit the overall experience.
The few boss encounters I faced weren't strategically challenging. Most of them revolved around identifying the boss' weaknesses and keeping my party at full health. This task is made easier by the addition of a Final Fantasy-style summoning system to the game. Octopath Traveler 0. During battles, once the gauge is full, you can use the main character's turn to call upon the divine power associated with the ring you receive in the main story. The first ring allows you to heal all party members, and given the pieces of lore presented at the beginning of the prologue, there are other rings to be found—and other deities to be summoned.
Octopath Traveler 0 occupies a unique place in a peculiar series of games. At first it was a solid RPG with simple city management mechanics. Changes and modifications from the traditions established in the first two games are welcome, but they also risk eclipsing what makes the series special. We'll have to wait for the full game to decide whether the new product should depart from the traditions of the series.
