Hey, Octopath Traveler is your next RPG.
Incredible battle system, amazing OST, engaging storytelling, cool art style. All reasons to play video games packed into a single game.
There are tons of Role-Playing Games (RPGs) out there, but many of them can be challenging to get into. Tons of RPGs can seem like a huge time investment, too challenging to get into, boring characters and plot, and so many more. Octopath Traveler has none of these major problems and today I want to introduce you the reasons why you (the reader) will enjoy playing it.
Get to the point. What’s the battle system like?
The battle system is really fun and interesting. In my opinion, the biggest enjoyment factor in these type of games is how intricate battles are and the kinds of options you have for your characters. Octopath Traveler has 8 different characters who all have different moves and abilities and your party in battles consists of 4 of them. This game follows a sort of job system (similar to something you would see in like Final Fantasy V) that allows for a lot of creative options and a lot of the characters different abilities synergize well with each other.
All enemies have weaknesses, but not in the traditional sense that weaknesses do way more damage. Each enemy has a certain number of weaknesses to certain weapon types and elemental spells (i.e. dagger, bow, fire, water, light, etc) that are used to break their defenses to prevent them from attacking a turn and lowering their defense to all attacks. When and how you decide to break an enemy in the turn order matters a lot, so keep that in mind.
If you’re relatively new to playing RPGs, I promise you that it isn’t as complicated as it might sound! Going through most of the main game doesn’t really require a ton of knowledge and mastery of the mechanics. As you get towards the endgame, however, you will need to come up with more in-depth strategies to tackle the harder bosses. If you’re an oldschool RPG fan who loves long, tough fights then you will definitely enjoy the challenges waiting for you at the end.
My RPG needs a good story. Does Octopath Traveler have one?
Octopath Traveler’s 8 different characters each have their own story. When you start the game you get to pick which character you start with and after progressing through the first leg of their story you can explore everyone else’s at whatever pace you want. Each character’s story has some overlap with each other and there’s a lot of interesting connections you learn toward the end of the game.
I won’t go into too much detail, but be on the lookout for lots of dark secrets, betrayals, unfortunate truths, and moments where you pause and sit there and just say, “Whoa.”
What’s the music like?
If you get nothing else from this article, I just want you to take some time to check out to the OST. There is an incredible orchestra of a ton of different instruments used for every song. All of the music ranges from soothing and comfy to thrilling and gets your blood pumping. It’s taking me a lot of willpower to avoid spamming all the songs I love in this article, so I’m going to post two of them below that you should check out.
The art style is cool
Octopath Traveler has been dubbed as being “HD-2D”. It combines a lot of SNES-like styles with modern graphics and shading techniques for a more unique look. Both old RPG fans and new kids alike can find the charm in the art.
What else do I need to know before I play the game?
Octopath Traveler is available to play on a bunch of different platforms. It is most easily accessed for Steam on PC over here. It is also available on the Nintendo Switch and most recently on the Xbox One. The game runs completely fine on all platforms. The Switch version is at 30 fps, but honestly there aren’t many things in the game that look much better at all at 60 fps so don’t let that be the reason for you to avoid buying it there.
The game occasionally goes on sale throughout the year, usually at 50% off. If price is a concern for you then I would advise be on the lookout for a sale. However, I do think this game is truly worth it at full price since a full playthrough of Octopath Traveler usually ranges from 50–60 hours.
Wrapping things up
That’s pretty much it. Simply put, Octopath Traveler is really fun and well worth your time. I’ll leave you to explore all the other small reasons why I love this game and you will learn to appreciate. Let me know what your favorite song from the OST is!
Thanks for reading!
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