As soon as once more, I’ve defeated god.
There’s a trope amongst Japanese role-playing video games (JRPGs) that the ultimate boss is all the time some type of omnipotent divine entity. A reawakened historical evil god. Somebody who has change into a god. Or a misleading god, that was quietly evil all alongside.
But, regardless of calling the ending of the sport a couple of hours in, having spent 100 hours enjoying Octopath Traveller 0, I used to be enthralled nearly all of it. I genuinely didn’t skip a cutscene. Within the recreation’s ultimate moments, and ultimate struggle I audibly chuckled and delighted at simply how excessive all of it was.
Sure, I used to be once more preventing god, however not in a approach that I anticipated. I actually don’t need to spoil it right here. However relaxation assured, that’s a excessive bar for somebody who actually must be trying into whether or not there’s any form of rewards program for crushing wayward deities.
Turning a cell recreation right into a console success
Octopath Traveller 0 is the fourth recreation in its sequence, constructing on the system the sport arrange with its cell launch Octopath Traveller: Champions of the Continent. It is a reimagined model of the cell recreation, fortunately eradicating its gacha mechanics — the place you spend actual cash in alternate for randomised in-game perks — and additional honing its story.
Within the first two video games, you play as a band of eight heroes, every with their very own distinctive abilities and talents, enterprise their very own journeys with the assist of each other. It’s a departure from customary JRPG storytelling, which tends to give attention to one central predominant character. It helped the sequence stand out in what’s an in any other case crowded style.
Octopath Traveller 0 treads extra acquainted floor. You create and identify your individual character, and set out on a singular quest involving them. The story begins with the destruction of Wishvale, your private home city, the outright homicide of your mother and father and evolves as a type of revenge quest. That form of pivots right into a chosen-one narrative midway by way of.
It broadly delves into the lore and historical past behind Orsterra, the setting of the unique Octopath recreation and this title. It’s extra linear than the primary two Octopath video games. There’s selection by which story chapters you sort out first, however not as a lot participant company past this.
This really works within the recreation’s favour. It permits it to give attention to sequential storytelling, and have plot beats throughout the numerous chapters of the sport that cleanly construct to an total arc. The tales within the authentic Octopath Traveller for distinction, have been good, however have been pretty self-contained to every character. It led to those bizarre moments the place seven different characters are theoretically within the room, however don’t have any level for being there. That’s not the case right here.
There’s one draw back although. Octopath Traveller 0 doesn’t work round the truth that you possibly can identify your character. This results in bizarre segments of voiced dialogue the place different characters are clearly speaking about you, the protagonist, however omit your identify, instantly breaking the immersion.
Different video games are likely to work round this by giving your character a nickname, one thing for the voice actors to carry onto. That’s not the case right here. I nearly want the sport would allow you to customise your character, however withheld the choice to call them.
Fight, random encounters and SimCity?
So, sure, you possibly can gown and magnificence your retro-looking character. However don’t let the cutesy pixel artwork idiot you although. It is a heavy recreation, grappling with acquainted JRPG themes of energy, fame, religion and wealth. It’s extra akin to Recreation of Thrones than say Last Fantasy. Arguably extra mature and gritty in its storytelling than the primary two Octopath video games.
Past its far reaching story, there are two main mechanics right here that outline the sport. Fight performs equally to the primary two titles. Random encounters – the place the display will all of the sudden lower to a battle as you stroll by way of the world – are a big a part of this recreation. It’s a mechanic that works properly right here, however can grate on the participant now and again; particularly in lengthy dungeons. There’s a purpose why many mainstream JRPGs did away with it a decade in the past.
The fight itself is a turn-based system that revolves round discovering an enemy’s weak point, exploiting it to interrupt them, then following up with robust assaults to deal mass harm. It’s current within the first two Octopath video games, however for many who want one other in-genre reference level, we now have seen comparable mechanics within the Persona sequence and its sister recreation, Metaphor Re:Fantazio.
Increasing on fight within the first two video games, you now can have eight members in your celebration, and swap between lively front-row characters and passive back-row characters throughout fight. This provides an additional degree of strategic depth, that the later features of the sport actually capitalise on. I’ll contact on this once more in a bit.
Past this, your adventurer can be tasked with rebuilding Wishvale. That entails gathering supplies and establishing the city, in a type of SimCity-lite building simulator. It usually serves as a sugar break from the heaviness of the principle plot. It’s also possible to embellish the city too, actually making it your individual.
Whereas the sport doesn’t overtly trace at this, it’s additionally a really worthy endeavour. Wishvale gives loads of passive buffs to the participant that improve your characters for fight. In the meantime, sure milestones for rebuilding Wishvale are gated behind sure fight necessities. You’ll be able to see the gameplay loop beginning to kind.
There are over 30 recruitable characters to your celebration on this recreation. And as you defeat enemies and degree up, you’ll ultimately be capable to port a few of their abilities and talents over to different characters. We’ve seen this technique earlier than in a highly regarded JRPG, Last Fantasy Techniques, and it really works equally as properly right here. My final 10 hours of the sport was spent actually fine-tuning my workforce, maxing out their stats and ultimate strikes forward of the ultimate boss.
Whereas this refines loads of elements of the JRPG style, it additionally suffers from a few of its traditional pitfalls. The ultimate hours of the sport are a cascade of very lengthy, puzzle-driven dungeons full of robust random encounters. Whereas I get pleasure from placing my well-honed celebration to the check, they proved to be considerably of a slog.
In distinction to a different comparable JRPG that I performed final 12 months, Fantasian Neo Dimension, boss fights are tough however honest. No main encounter pulls a big trick on the celebration you can’t get well and modify for. That, in itself is spectacular, as the sport’s size may have made it tough to each stability and check.
Robust voice performing conveys what pixel artwork can not
Artistically, Octopath Traveller 0 appears to be like and feels just like the primary two console video games. Its pixel artwork remains to be gorgeous, and continues to make a robust case for future retro, however high-definition design. But, it doesn’t really feel, to the untrained eye no less than, like Octopath Traveller 0 is pushing the bar any additional right here than the previous two video games. Each of which have been additionally exceptional on this regard.
That is additionally the case for its music too. There’s loads of recycling of tracks from the primary few video games, combined in with some new earworms. Given the size of the sport, it’s completely excusable, however nonetheless considerably of a mark in opposition to it.
One facet of the audio I can’t fault nonetheless, is the voice performing. Most of the time, cutscenes in Octopath Traveller 0 are totally voice-acted, and exceedingly properly at that. Translation and localisation have led to some occasional janky, tropey line of dialogue. Some clichés too that may trigger the occasional eye-roll.
However the actors broadly do the most effective with what they’ve set to work with. Among the recreation’s extra emotive or memorable story beats are carried by these unbelievable performances. Contemplating that pixel artwork can’t do a lot in the way in which of conveying facial expressions, the actors completely carry sure parts of the plot. That’s particularly the case for among the recreation’s main villains.
As JRPGs shorten, Octopath shines
At most, you’ll pay $90AUD for the newest instalment of this sequence. And for JRPG followers, it’s an absolute deal with. Whereas most video games on this style have been shrinking, this recreation luxuriates in its lengthy playtime, complicated fight mechanics and village customisation.
For these much less excited by a extremely lengthy recreation however need to give it a go, it really offers gamers an off-ramp round 40 hours in. After a troublesome mid-game boss the credit roll.
However I feel it might be a disgrace to cease there. Past there being lots to do, there are some implausible reveals and narrative methods forward. There’s some robust writing at play right here. Info you be taught throughout the first few hours of the sport really types a significant reveal in its previous few.
That mentioned, nonetheless, I doubt Octopath Traveller 0 is an effective first foray into the style.
There are extra accessible JRPGs within the Last Fantasy sequence and even Persona for that matter. Metaphor Re:Fantazio remains to be up there as top-of-the-line beginning factors for a brand new JRPG participant, I’d argue. However, past this, Octopath Traveller 0 is a love letter to the style. In case you are already hooked, dive proper in.
Enjoying by way of Octopath Traveller 0 between actions and a vacation overseas was a summer season break properly spent. It in the end bolstered two everlasting truths…
God will all the time be the ultimate boss.
And that in an period the place everyone seems to be creating for time-scarce gamers, there’s nonetheless a marketplace for longer video games. Offered that care is put in to make sure they don’t overstay their welcome.
Reviewed on: Nintendo Change 2
Value enjoying in the event you like: The Last Fantasy sequence, the Persona sequence, Metaphor Re:Fantazio.
Out there on: Nintendo Change 2, Nintendo Change, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Sequence X|S, and PC (Steam and Home windows)
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