Welcome to our Preview of Octopath Traveler where we lift part of the veil of what to expect from this new Switch exclusive.
Eight travelers. Eight adventures. Eight roles to play in a new world brought to life by Square Enix. And now, you can enjoy all of them in the new demo. Step into the shoes and live the stories of each of the eight travelers and freely explore the world of Orsterra. Then, carry your choices and adventure into the main game with save data transfer.
Use each character’s special abilities in and out of battle. Break through enemy defenses by discovering and targeting weaknesses. Store Boost Points with each turn and then spend them at strategic times to strengthen abilities, chain attacks, or provide aid. Choose the path you wish to walk and discover what lies beyond the horizon.
Octopath Traveller is one of the most anticipated games on the Nintendo Switch and at the time of writing this short preview, it is a console exclusive. It is a tribute to old-school Role Playing games with a clear declaration of love for some of the biggest classics of the genre. In true Hi-bit pixel art, Square Enix delivers an RPG of a different breed.
Previously dubbed Project Octopath, this game follows the story of 8 different heroes. Each with their own role to play and each with their own background. As you are able to play a demo of this game, you can experience the first three hours of the game for yourself and experience the depth that the game brings to the table. Every history is what makes them special, each history is what defines them.
On top of the 8 storylines at your disposal, there is also the battle system. It is also the part that I will discuss a little in detail for this preview. I intend to keep most of the story for my full review when that hits near release of the game. So let us start with the battle system.
First of all, in true Role Playing Game fashion, we have turn-based action with the timeline on top of the screen. Like the mechanic itself dictates, whoever is first in line, gets to perform their action first. It is, however, possible to break an opponents’ guard which in returns makes them skip to the back. Any experienced RPG player instantly knows this is a well-known tactic to get the quick upper hand in combat. Octopath Traveller holds true to this mechanic and really, it is very important that you do follow this way. If not, prepare for some very lengthy battles ahead.
Next up, every traveler has their own very specific skillset. I chose the female hunter as my beginning character and she has two weapons and is also able to summon beasts. A very elaborate way to differentiate between characters. Enemies have not only their name next to them, but also their weaknesses, like arrows or axes, …. Hit them with those attacks if you can and bam, you can break their guard and unleash flurries of attacks.
Another thing to keep in mind, you can add up boosted attack points. Press the R shoulder button and you get to up your attack power for the regular attack even more. Nothing says attack better than a flurry of attacks. One, two, three, four. Four attacks with an ax, with a bow, ….
Now combine everything I said in your head. Attack the enemy monsters first by breaking them, then use your boosted attack to really finish them off. The possibilities are only limited by your imagination. One layer after the other, Octopath traveller is one to look forward to!
Keep your eye on the site for my full review!
