[h1]Sights & Sounds[/h1]
[h3]New term != New thing[/h3]
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[*] Somehow, in spite of trying to review every game I've completed over the past 5 years, I've never come across the term "HD-2D" to describe a game with [i]Octopath Traveler[/i]'s visual presentation
[*] Perhaps that's because it's a dumb rebranding of the 2D-in-3D concept that's existed for roughly 30 years. Placing 2D sprites in a 3D environment has been happening since the PS1. Just because we can cram more pixels in a display now doesn't mean that the concept borne out by franchises like [i]Xenogears[/i], [i]Breath of Fire[/i], [i]Star Ocean[/i], [i]Arms[/i], [i]Persona[/i], and [i]Dragon Quest[/i] needs a new name
[*] Terminology gripes aside, being able to render better-looking 3D models and add fancy lighting effects does confer some benefits. [i]Octopath Traveler[/i] is a gorgeous-looking game. The shadows and god-rays look nice, even if the latter often imparts a bit of a bloomy look. By modernizing the look of the backgrounds, modern iterations of the 2D-in-3D concept achieve an almost diorama-like feel
[*] Yet, despite how nice the lighting and geometry look, the palette left something to be desired. With how much time you spend visiting and revisiting snowy and sandy environments, long stretches of the game begin to feel the same. Towns offer a nice reprieve from the monotony, if only because they have things like flowers, people, and building interiors to diversify a palette that's 99% shades of gray, brown, white, and green
[*] Fortunately, the presentation takes a turn for the better when you begin to consider the orchestral OST. On top of the excellent performances of the musicians that sway from gorgeous to epic, it's diverse and interesting in a way that the rest of the game can't really live up to. Character themes suggest personality and identity that the writing can only aspire to. Map tracks offer a sense of place and beauty that runs orthogonal to the monotonous visuals. Battle and boss themes convey all the urgency and gravity that the drawn-out, tactical encounters inherently lack
[*] In all, if the rest of the title was at least half as good as the soundtrack, I would have ended my time with [i]Octopath Traveler[/i] with a much more positive impression
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[h1]Story & Vibes[/h1]
[h3]Fumbling the bag[/h3]
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[*] How on earth does a writing team manage to take eight cracks at writing a story and still have them all turn out boring?
[*] For those unfamiliar with [i]Octopath Traveler[/i]'s schtick, there isn't a singular protagonist. There are, in fact, eight of them. That may lead you believe that you'll be playing an interesting set of tales that intertwine or unveil connections between backstories for the purposes of character and narrative development. Perhaps you imagine that they share a common thread that's explored from different perspectives, culminating in a cinematic and epic conclusion that ties all the characters together
[*] Well, sorry. Wrong on all counts. You get eight banal, entirely disconnected stories. They manage to be occasionally interesting, but not often enough to make the 80+ hour runtime feel anything other than tedious
[*] The writing isn't any better than the storycraft. I understand that this is supposed to be a high fantasy tale, but everyone speaks in the most stilted and awkward manner possible. Unfortunately, even if it were better written, no one would have anything interesting to say anyway. I swear, half the dialogue in the game takes the form of:
> Character 1: [Insert lengthy backstory exposition]
> Character 2: I see. So, [restatement of key details from lengthy backstory exposition]?
> Character 1: Just so
[*] It's hard not to feel a little disappointed. Had the individual character plots been woven into a cohesive narrative tapestry, this could have been a story worth telling. Instead, the experience has the stench of a group project full of people who don't work well with others. Hell, even without better integration, the plot would have been improved if the characters at least had different motivations
[*] Instead, you get Therion trying to get revenge for betrayal. And Oberon, who also wants revenge for betrayal. And Cyrus, who wants to understand why he was betrayed. And Ophelia, who wants to stop her sister from betraying her. And Primrose, who wants avenge her father after he was betra—nevermind. You get the picture
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[h1]Playability & Replayability[/h1]
[h3]Zzzzzz[/h3]
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[*] At the beginning of your journey, you're presented with the option to pick any of the game's protagonists to start with. Your choice doesn't really matter from a narrative perspective, but do note that different characters have different map abilities. For example, I started with Therion, granting me access to special chests and the pickpocketing "path action" from the get-go. It may behoove you to instead start with Ophelia (healing), Tressa (money & purchase path action), or Alfyn (basic healing & inquire path action) instead
[*] Other than what skills your adventure starts with, the gameplay also turns out to be roughly the same regardless of your decision. And with a narrative as drawn-out as [i]Octopath Traveler[/i]'s, I suppose it's only natural that the gameplay should follow suit
[*] Difficulty in this game is a two-edged sword. On one hand, I appreciate the fact that the [i]Octopath Traveler[/i] isn't afraid to ramp up the challenge in a way that requires you to adjust your strategy instead of forcing you to grind for XP or gold. It's nice when you can engineer a solution to a difficult boss fight. It's much more edifying than having to retreat, grind, and retry
[*] On the other hand, the source of that difficulty is problematic. Enemies are damage sponges. Bosses even more so. No matter how good your tactics are or how thoughtful your party composition is, every conflict turns into a battle of attrition wherein you keep your party alive with one of your healers while you slowly tickle things to death
[*] Even though combat is tedious, I don't want to undersell the tools the game gives you to fell your foes. Thanks to Square dipping into their bag of tricks for their tried-and-true job system, creating character builds is satisfying
[*] After all, if one job is good, it follows that two jobs is better. Characters may be locked-in to their starting class, but eventually, you'll find job shrines that allow you to assign secondary classes. Picking secondaries that synergize well with each party member's starting job can yield some very powerful results. There's even some difficult to acquire special secondary jobs for you to find and use
[*] Replay this game? No, I don't think so
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[h1]Overall Impressions & Performance[/h1]
[h3]Wasted potential[/h3]
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[*] Having eight protagonists with their own stories and backgrounds offers so many opportunities to construct a good narrative that [i]Octopath Traveller[/i]'s refusal to take advantage of what they had is baffling
[*] Even if the devs had wanted to keep all the backstories distinct and have this be a true [i]Canterbury Tales[/i] setup, they could have at least invented a common goal or enemy to tie the back half of the game together. Instead, I finished everyone's final chapters and the game just sort of ended. I know there are some post-game bosses, but I don't think I'm ever going to bother with them
[*] But hey, at least it plays well on the Steam Deck. And with the runtime being as long as it is, you'll want to get comphy
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[h1]Final Verdict[/h1]
[b]4.0[/b]/10. What a roundly disappointing experience this was. The 2D-in-3D visual design and excellent soundtrack can't really redeem the boring narratives with no payoff. Battles aren't all bad due to some clever systems and buildcraft, but the duration and frequency of combat quickly become a chore
