Octopath Traveler’s main hook isn’t
entirely new. The idea of a multi-
stranded tale with several
protagonists harks back to Dragon
Quest IV, though that had five heroes
rather than eight, and managed to tie
its narrative threads
together more
effectively. This is more
like eight different
stories that
occasionally—and
awkwardly—cross
paths.
However, here you
can choose who to
begin your adventure with, whether
it’s a thief chasing a rare treasure, an
aging sellsword looking for a face
from his past or a homebody
merchant who’s simply seeking
adventure. Each has an individual
skill that can be used in interactions
outside battle: Hunter H’aanit can
goad NPCs blocking your path into
fights, while axe-wielding apothecary
Alwyn uses his friendly demeanor to
coax useful information out of
villagers. For some characters, it
amounts to little more than pressinganother button rather than ‘talk’, but
others involve an element of chance.
The light-fingered Therion can
pickpocket valuable kit, but if he’s
caught then the locals will no longer
trust you. Though since this can be
reversed, it’s usually
worth the risk.
You’ll play through
the first chapter of your
chosen protagonist’s
story, before heading
out into the wider
world to recruit the
others to add to your
party—after playing the
first chapter of theirs. On paper this
approach promises more flexibility
than you really get. Once you’ve
made your choice, you’ll follow one
of two routes to the closest allies, and
from there your path is all but
determined. To get through the
toughest challenges, you’ll need
everyone up to speed, so you can’t
realistically pick and choose whose
stories you follow. And after a while
the recommended levels for each
area—to which it’s wise to heed—only
narrow your approach further.Still, eight characters make
encounters thrillingly versatile. Again,
it’s a blend of familiar ideas made to
feel fresh. As in the Square-published
Bravely Default games, you can save
up attacks for future turns, making
them much more potent. And similar
to the Shin Megami Tensei games, it’s
all about finding individual
weaknesses and exploiting them to
‘break’ your opponent. Each one you
face has a number of shield points,
and once that’s whittled down to
zero, they’ll be stunned, letting you
line up devastating combinations
when their defences are down.
Although some of these fights
drag on a bit—and one or two in the
late game can only really be beaten by
using very particular strategies—this
is where Octopath Traveler is at its
best. Your characters retain their
chibi style even in battle, while these
enemies grow to towering stature.TENTACLES
Over time, it grows into the kind of
JRPG where you can happily spend
hours tooling around with the diverse
range of skills and supporting abilities
you earn from different jobs.
Characters can assume secondary
roles which play up their strengths or
cover their flaws. Halving SP
consumption for your most powerful
spellcaster is a no-brainer, while the
‘insult to injury’ support skill means
status ailments last an extra turn.
It’s a pity your party only really
becomes a team on the battlefield.
Outside it, the characters rarely feel
connected, while potential conflicts
are also conveniently ignored.
Octopath Traveler gives us reason to
care about the eight protagonists as
individuals, but in failing to bring
their stories together, it falls short of
the classics that inspired it.NEED TO KNOW
WHAT IS IT?
A JRPG that’s
old-fashioned and
forward-thinking all at
once
EXPECT TO PAY
$60
DEVELOPER
Acquire
PUBLISHER
Square Enix
REVIEWED ON
Intel Core i3-8350K
CPU, 8GB RAM, GeForce
GTX 1060
MULTIPLAYER
No
LINK
square-enix-games.
com/en_US/games/
octopath-traveler76
Never quite the sum of
its parts, Octopath
Tr ave le r is a game with
brilliant moments rather
than a brilliant game.VERDICTOn paper this
approach
promises more
flexibility than
you really getW
hat’s new is old again. The trademarked ‘HD-2D’ art
style of Acquire’s likeable JRPG tips its hat to its
publisher’s rich genre history while acknowledging
technical advancements since Square’s 16-bit golden
age. Combining pixel art with contemporary effects is
a distinctive look. As a fusion of past and present, it works very well... up to
a point. And, well, I’m sure you can see where I’m going with this.GRRR-EIGHT
Neo-retro JRPG OCTOPATH TRAVELER is frustratingly
close to something special. By Chris Schilling
PROTAG YOURSELF Which hero should you pick?
H’AANIT
Role: Hunter
Choose her if: Thou canst
toleraten olde worlde
dialogue, and fancy
summoning creatures to
battle for you.CYRUS
Role: Scholar
Choose him if: You’re
more about spells than
swords. Cyrus’ powerful
elemental magic belies
his genteel nature.TRESSA
Role: Merchant
Choose her if: You like
happy-go-lucky heroes
and bargains: Tressa gets
store discounts and earns
more from battles.OLBERIC
Role: Warrior
Choose him if: You’re
relatively new to JRPGs.
The former knight’s
physical power makes
him a strong starter.REVIEW