Octopath Traveler review
Preface
When Octopath Traveler came out in 2018 it felt like a breath of fresh air. JRPGs have come a long way since the 90s. But that's not necessarily always a good thing. While more complex stories, more cinematic experiences, and more action elements can be enticing. The nostalgic simplicity of well-designed turn-based combat seemed to have been largely tossed to the wayside during the 7th console generation. This game is exactly what I wanted and needed in 2018. However, there were flaws with the game back then, as well as more I have found retrospectively.
The good
It would be wrong to begin this section with anything but the music. Yasunori Nishiki did an unfathomably good job directing the music. So much emotion is conveyed that it's honestly unreal. Conviction, depression, wonder, relaxation, and everything in between. No tutorials are needed for combat; all the puzzle pieces are put in front of you, and it's up to you to put them together in whatever way you find most effective. No confusing link attacks, skill trees, or combos. Just equipment, skills, and jobs. Simplicity is this game's strength; however, don't mistake ease of access for shallowness. There are game-breaking combinations that will annihilate everything besides the game's super boss. It's extraordinarily rewarding to find absurdly powerful combos and then absolutely thrash enemies with them. The HD-2D art style is absolutely gorgeous. Dynamic lighting effects, shadows, bloom, and reflections; 3D assets like water and fire give life to this world. For fans of retro games, it's worth trying one of these HD-2D games just to experience the visuals alone.
The bad
At release, this game had 2 major criticisms. The first is that the characters hardly interact; every character's story is very separate from one another, despite these 8 characters supposedly traveling together. Ludo-narrative dissonance comes into play often. One example is when you see Ophilia thrown in jail by common villagers in a cutscene. When the gameplay starts again, you see your whole overpowered party is also in jail with her. Characters talk to antagonists in cutscenes as if they have no allies near. Then combat starts, and your whole party is there as if waiting to be called on. It feels video gamey in all the worst ways and really hurts immersion. The second flaw everyone jumped on is that the stories are mediocre. While I do enjoy a simple and straightforward narrative. These 8 tales all have a very clear setup that basically spoils their endings. There are no curveballs or plot twists here. The characters are also serviceable at best. My favorite is H'annit for her Shakespearean parlance and her competent, cool, stoic, and demure demeanor. But this is only personal preference, and in my heart of hearts I know all these characters are, unfortunately, mid. My final gripe is as a completionist. This game requires an Excel spreadsheet to 100%. I'll leave it at that.
How Octopath 2 affected my view of this game
Square Enix invested significant effort to create the HD-2D architecture, which allows games like Octopath 1 and Triangle Strategy to look as good as they do. I believe this negatively affected the development of Octopath 1. When you have already invested heavy resources into a new project's foundation, it becomes increasingly likely that what you build afterwards will not be allowed the extra time for polish. This happened to another of my favorite franchises, Shantae: Half-Genie Hero. They spent tons of time and money on a new, pretty engine. When that was finally finished the game ended up rushed, and it shows. But what exactly is my evidence? Only the fact that there is basically NOTHING that Octopath 1 does better than Octopath 2. 2's worst story is better than 1's best. 2's music somehow improves upon the perfection of the first game. Every character is deeper and more fleshed out. All the sprite work is more complex with more animation and more detail. Quests are better. The final quest that ties the 8 stories together is infinitely better. 1's best character is worse than 2's worst character. More item diversity adds more depth to the game. Many mechanics present in 1 were revamped or improved in 2, specifically the hunter, apothecary, and warrior classes. 2 has Freeform chapters that don't follow 1's mold of story-dungeon-bossfight. As if all this wasn't enough, there are many dozens of quality-of-life changes that make the game a far more enjoyable experience, such as auto-advance text, combat speed-up x2, and the side quest journal. The only thing I think 1 does better than 2 is how you are forced to only use 1 character in all of the 8 first chapters in Octo 2. It turns the early game into a bit of a slog.
In Conclusion
Octopath 1 is a good game that has been overshadowed by the absolute masterpiece that is its sequel. While I do recommend this game. I would tell anyone to play Octopath 2 before 1. It's technically a prequel anyways.
