In a world where developers are constantly searching for new ways to innovate old genres, Octopath Traveler does the opposite. Instead of trying to reinvent the RPG genre, it offers you a traditional Japanese Role Playing Game inspired by some unique twists. Octopath Traveler is one of the most unusual games currently in development for Nintendo Switch and after my hands-on with it, I’m sure a lot of gamers are waiting for a game like this.
A unique story
Octopath Traveler is a rather unique collaboration between Square Enix and Aquire, developer of the Bravely Default franchise. In the game you’ll follow the story of eight different protagonists. This was revealed during a Nintendo Direct and the eShop demo (which has been downloaded over one million times) already showed us one of those stories. In the demo we took control over Olberic, once a famous knight; and Primrose, a dancer with a lot of emotional problems. During the hands-on session, I took control over Cyrus. Just like the demo, the game proves that it doesn’t shy away from harsh themes. It’s not a traditional happy JRPG game, instead it offers a rather mature take on the genre. Cyrus was banned from his university due to a forbidden love with the princess. The love never ended after he was forced to leave, instead, he made it his goal to track down a book filled with dark magic to please the princess.
Since this session started somewhere in the middle of the game, I didn’t get the entire story but it looks like Cyrus’s story is packed with emotional and yet funny dialogues. I started in a village where I had to search a certain lady. The way Cyrus addresses the others around him is simply hilarious and it’s great to see how a little blush can instantly change the mood of a pixellated character. The world of Octopath Traveler is beautifully crafted and the graphics really come to live on your Nintendo Switch. The game uses a so-called HD-2D style, combining pixellated characters and environments with gorgeous effects. It truly offers a unique experience which only elevates the game to new heights.
Work together as a team
Including eight different stories is of course a great reason to play and discover it all but it doesn’t end there. Depending on your party members, you can use so-called Path-actions. Cyrus, for example, can interrogate the NPCs in order to find out what really happened while Olberic can challenge everybody to a duel in order to find new information. The main cast has its own special Path-actions and those will certainly play a crucial role in the game. During the hands-on, I had to use Cyrus’s interrogation techniques to find the solution to a rather simple problem. What’s fun about this is the fact that doing so, transformed the game from a JRPG to a more detective-like game. I couldn’t see the true impact of the other Path-actions just yet but I’m sure all of them will play a role in the game, allowing you to solve several problems with new tactics. It’s fun to see this combined power of the eight main characters and I simply cannot wait to see what they have in store for us when the full game releases!
Prepare for brutal combat
Now, a JRPG wouldn’t be a decent JRPG without combat. Octopath Traveler got you covered in introduces a new type of combat, be prepared however, it won’t be easy. Just like in any other classic RPG game, you and the enemies attack in turns. Right from the start, it was pretty clear that this isn’t an easy game. It all revolves around the weak spots of your enemies. Only when you find their weak spots and use this knowledge to your advantage, you’ll be able to take them down. Most enemies are vulnerable to several things but the trick is that you don’t always know what this is. Cyrus can reveal one of those spots but one is often not enough. I struggled finding out what the weaknesses of my enemies were multiple time. By attacking with my standard weapons or magic spells, I tried to figure out how to take them out. If you don’t find the weaknesses in time, chances are extremely high you’ll lose the fight.
Since I dropped in the middle of the game, it was rather hard to get used to the combat. I think this problem will easily be resolved once you play the game from the real starting point, learning the ropes of the combat. Although this will probably solve some of the issues I had, be warned that the combat will remain a true challenge, even after you learn how to master you boosted attacks. The enemies are randomly generated so you’ll never know what you will get once you enter a battle. It’s a bit too challenging for a hands-on impression but I’m sure a lot of fans will enjoy this challenge once the game goes live.
Early conclusion
Octopath Traveler is shaping up to be the challenging JRPG we’ve all been waiting for. It’s been years since I’ve played such an innovating and yet classic game in the genre. The different stories and extremely challenging battles result in a game that should be on every RPG fan’s wish list. I can’t wait to jump back in!
