OCTOPATH TRAVELER™

Rather disappointed for the hype. [b]Overall Game Rating: 4/10[/b] I was pretty excited to play this game based on the beautiful art and seeing that reviews were so good, and the general vibes of the game being very story rich. I tried giving it a solid shot and...eh. [hr][/hr] [b]Gameplay: 4/10[/b] The gameplay isn't terrible, but random encounters feel really obnoxiously insistent and omnipresent. Combat feels rather held up by it's main gimmick, making a lot of combat feel like just waiting for your big attacks using this gimmick. [hr][/hr] [b]Art Direction: 8/10[/b] The art direction is very strong and has a clear identity, and it one of the game's finer points. [hr][/hr] [b]Story: 3/10[/b] Finding out the stories of the characters don't intersect at all was a major letdown. You just collect characters who travel together because...??? And they each pursue their own plot points across 8 paths (hence the name of the game). But the characters don't really influence each other's stories at all, just along for the ride as combat stand-ins. [hr][/hr] Overall, not worth the time or money.