Before you set off, gather your team – review of the game “Octopath Traveler”

Let me start with the fact that the work of Square Enix (originally released on Nintendo Switch in 2018, before it later hit the PC) is aimed at a wider audience than games from the Dragon Quest  or Final Fantasy series , because it is not steeped in eastern weirdness, which most of you probably know. Octopath Traveler  is a title unique in its own way, it introduces some interesting mechanics, but its atmosphere does not differ much from Western jRPGs. Has the combination of pixel art, known from classic games of this genre, with modern technology, using many possibilities of Unreal Engine 4, brought us a production worth our attention and for a long time? As I wrote in the introduction: you will not find better entertainment.

Let’s take a closer look at it

Our epic journey begins with choosing one of the eight available characters. We have a choice of embodiments of the classic RPG classes: the warrior Olberic, the scholar Cyrus, the thief Therion, the priestess Ophilia, the exotic dancer Primrose, the herbalist Alfyna, the stallholder Tressa and the hunter H’aanit. Over time, we learn the history of each of them, and while they fight side by side, they also have their own personal missions to complete. We get to know their stories in four individual chapters, which are not so pleasant, because behind them there are serious dramas and a range of extreme emotions. Dark experiments are intertwined with revenge for betrayal, violence among children or ordinary rowdy life. Octopath are eight large, independent stories, for a game from the age of twelve, too strong and depressing, but also addictive.

There and back

Our heroes have unique abilities that we use at every step, both in combat and in the field. I started my adventure with the archer H’aanit. Her companion (resembling a familiar) is the snow leopard, Linde. Together with him, we face all kinds of opponents. Not only can we defeat them, but in the case of animals or other creatures, catch and use in subsequent skirmishes (tactic similar to Pokémon ). H’aanit can also provoke encountered characters into battle. In fact, the same field skills have another hero, Olberic, who can also start fights.

Therion is a handsome thief, enriching our equipment by harming others. Tressa, on the other hand, is too honest and simply offers to buy the items in the world. On the other hand, Alfyn and Cyrus are irreplaceable. They can obtain information about side quests or hidden treasures from passers-by – depending on the person, some will talk to the pharmacist, others will confide in the scientist. The same is the case with Primrose and Ophilia. Both ladies attract people and show them around given locations, but an exemplary old man will be more likely to trust a priestess than an exotic dancer (even challenging her from the worst kind of ladies).

Octopath Traveler has a very simple, yet demanding combat system. Each opponent has special moves and specific weaknesses. We can discover them with the help of Cyrus’ skills or through trial and error. Additionally, each enemy is protected by shield points visible on the screen. Collecting values ​​is done by attacking with a weapon or spell to which he is particularly vulnerable. After eliminating the shield, our adversary becomes stunned, as a result of which he loses the queue, and is also oversensitive to attacks thrown by us. When the opponent returns to the game, we must start the game with capturing from the beginning. It is a bit boring job, especially in boss fights, which can be really long and exhausting.

This game is simply delightful

The graphics in Octopath Traveler  look amazing. You can see that in this matter, the creators did all their lessons and, using the latest graphic achievements in this type of competition, presented us a visual gem. Dynamic lighting effects make the sun’s rays change position in real time depending on the movement of clouds in the sky. Or the water in the castle’s moat is an actual liquid with its own depth effect and three-dimensional waves. Nevertheless, one could complain about the painfully simplified characters and the almost complete lack of facial expressions or spectacular shots of outbursts.

I am able to forgive it, because another element that surprised me a lot was the soundtrack. When we explore caves, dungeons or snow-covered ruins, it perfectly complements the mood of the area. I would even try to say that the background music is able to fully defend itself as an independent creation – one that we play to listen to something pleasant to the ear or lively.

Circle in the eyes

Of course, Octopath Traveler  is not without its drawbacks. The first one is the construction of the world – completing the location is extremely short and does not bring much satisfaction. For lovers of hidden passages or numerous paths and paths hiding treasures or some dangers, it may seem like a shortcut by the creators, and I would even write that they got too lazy. We march from A to B, encountering almost the same obstacles along the way.

The second accusation is the lack of interaction between the characters and the tightening of typical ties in the team. Here we only have the thoughts of the characters about the currently investigated story of the just met another protagonist. If someone asks the herbalist for help, we can be sure that only he will be visible on the screen. The lack of full-fledged interactions (because there are sometimes short comments) is a big minus in the high-end jRPG. And the Octopath Traveler  is one of them.

A journey worth taking

Octopath Traveler  provides several dozen hours of great gameplay, and the open world allows us to perform side missions. Defeating powerful bosses requires strategic thinking and proper character development. Above all, it is a title that I can recommend with a clear conscience to lovers of retro jRPG made of flesh and blood. It was not without a few flaws, but the proposal from Silikon Studio Corporation and Acquire studio simply delighted me and did not let me go away from the screen for a very long time. And it seems to me that I will return to this world more than once again.

We would like to thank Cenega for making the game available for review on PC.