Octopath Traveler 2
MSRP $59.99
“Octopath Traveler 2 builds on its predecessor’s strengths to create another charming retro RPG.”
Pros
Engaging battle system
Improved character interactions
Fantastic HD-2D visuals
Excellent music
Cons
Annoying issue spikes
Uneven degree pacing
When Octopath Traveler launched in 2018, it quietly kicked off a revolution. Square Enix’s retro RPG featured a novel artwork fashion that will usher in a brand new period of “HD-2D” video games. The endearing pixel artwork complemented the 3D environments surprisingly effectively, leading to Octopath Traveler’s timeless presentation. In the 5 years because it was launched, different video games similar to Live a Live and Triangle Strategy have used the identical fashion to nice impact, whether or not it’s by respiratory life into older titles or experimenting with different gameplay mechanics.
It wasn’t simply fashion with out substance, although. The first recreation made good use of its progressive artwork fashion with a implausible turn-based battle system and strong customization choices. Though it’s nonetheless one of many Switch’s standout RPGs, it did nonetheless have points. Combat and artwork had been on level, however restricted interactions between its forged of heroes took a few of the punch out of its eight-hero premise.
Five years later, Octopath Traveler 2 is right here and seeks to treatment these points from the primary recreation, proving the collection is greater than a reasonably face. It pulls that off for essentially the most half because of robust visuals, music, and a battle system that also feels recent. However, there are nonetheless some ache factors of its predecessor that linger right here, particularly its grind-infested pacing and the occasional issue spike. The sequel is a particular degree up, however there’s nonetheless room for the collection to accrue expertise.
Eight paths, eight tales
Octopath Traveler 2 takes place in Solistia, which is a way more industrialized setting than the primary recreation’s Osterra. The combine of contemporary expertise just like the steam engine and magical parts like curses and prophecies makes for an interesting location. Like the primary recreation, the story follows eight separate characters internationally. Each character has their very own distinct story, similar to Hikari, a swordsman on a mission to cease his brother’s war-mongering rule, and Castti, an apothecary with amnesia who’s attempting to recuperate her recollections by touring and therapeutic these in want. Players can choose and select which character to start out with, after which deal with every story’s chapters in any order from there.
Each story is intriguing in its personal approach and, importantly, by no means overstays its welcome. The scholar Osvald’s story is especially compelling as he’s on a revenge quest for the one that framed him for his household’s homicide 20 years in the past. I beloved seeing Osvald tread down a darkish path for vengeance, studying how far he would go to destroy those that wronged him. In Castti’s story, she learns harrowing particulars in regards to the apothecary clan she belongs to. Along her journey, she wonders if she’s truly higher off not remembering who she was earlier than. Her altruistic-natured occupation as a healer instantly conflicts with the sinister secrets and techniques that her clan holds.
The accompanying dungeons that punctuate every chapter are brisk with a view to accommodate all eight characters in the primary forged as effectively. Most of them encompass linear passageways with a boss on the finish and a few diverging paths each now and again with a treasure chest. While the dungeon design is easy, it really works effectively contemplating that it’s important to play via all eight characters, every of which has at the least 4 chapters. Had dungeons been any extra elaborate, they may have been a laborious chore to get via.
One of the most important points with the primary Octopath Traveler is that the characters had only a few crossovers between their very own tales. The sequel sadly retains that very same drawback, although to a lesser diploma. Osvald’s revenge quest doesn’t intersect with Castti’s journey to recuperate her personal recollections, which makes the narrative really feel disparate fairly than intricately woven collectively.
Crossover episodes present tender moments between characters …
The sequel solves that challenge to an extent by way of a number of unlockable crossover episodes between celebration members as you proceed to progress via the sport. These crossover episodes present tender moments between characters that in any other case wouldn’t converse to one another in any respect throughout their particular person character arcs. For occasion, I loved how Hikari and the dancer Agnea bonded over their love of music by listening to a guitarist play beneath the complete moon. Agnea has essentially the most light-hearted story of your complete forged as she desires to journey world wide and entertain folks along with her dancing, whereas Hikari takes a second from stopping his bloodthirsty brother to benefit from the evening sky view. The contrasting tones between their tales spotlight how totally different their adventures are individually, however these crossover episodes painting these characters with extra depth and the way a lot they’ve in frequent.
The first Octopath recreation featured banter conversations between two characters after sure story occasions, the place they might touch upon what simply unfolded. They had been merely transported to some mysterious black void to have the dialog, although, interrupting the immersion. These make a return within the sequel, however this time round, the 2 characters may be seen speaking with the suitable metropolis background behind them. It’s a minor change, however it makes the banter really feel much less alien and extra half of the particular world. Banter scenes do lack voice appearing although, which feels just like the one missed alternative in buffing the sequel’s method to the story.
Keep stacking factors
Octopath Traveler 2’s largest promoting level is its fantastic battle system, which largely stays unchanged from the primary recreation. The turn-based fight makes use of the BP mechanic, the place on the finish of each flip, every character will get one BP and may maintain a max of 5 BP at a time. Characters can use as much as three BP per flip to both strike a number of instances in the identical flip or amplify a ability’s energy.
The battle system encourages me to strategize and adapt to totally different conditions on the fly.
It’s a implausible spin on the standard turn-based fight method that makes you are feeling way more engaged with each single flip. Enemies even have numerical shields, which drastically lower the quantity of harm they take out of your assaults. By hanging an enemy’s elemental or weapon weak spot, you may deplete their shields to zero which immobilizes them till their subsequent flip and makes them take extra injury.
The battle system encourages me to strategize and adapt to totally different conditions on the fly. Perhaps I used to be going to launch an all-out offensive on a boss, however then it indicators that it’s going to unleash its final assault on its upcoming flip. As a consequence, I now should prioritize breaking its defend so it doesn’t occur. It’s a fragile steadiness between saving up your BP while you want it essentially the most to interrupt shields and attempting to optimize the restricted time you might have earlier than enemies recuperate them. There’s at all times an invigorating sense of pressure in case the battle goes sideways. But when every little thing goes as deliberate, there’s immense satisfaction in unloading enormous quantities of harm onto a boss.
The customization, by comparability, is fairly easy. Each character has their assigned beginning class like cleric and hunter. As you progress additional into the sport, characters are capable of equip a second sub-class to provide them entry to much more abilities. While the assigned beginning class can’t be modified, the addition of a sub-class supplies a lot flexibility in how I’d construct out my most well-liked celebration setup. I gave the thief, Thorne, the inventor subclass as a result of she doesn’t have entry to many weapon varieties to hit weaknesses with. The inventor had a catapult ability that had all of the out there weapon varieties, in order that helped compensate for Throne’s flaws.
Though I’m excessive on the moment-to-moment gameplay, the RPG can have some irritating issue spikes. As a results of its open-ended construction the place you may progress every story in any order you’d like, there are occasions you’ll encounter a surprisingly exhausting boss. Luckily, you may depart at any time to deal with different tales concurrently and up your characters in case you’re having bother with a selected boss. The challenge, although, is inconsistent leveling. Only celebration members who take part in battle obtain expertise factors. Each chapter has a really helpful degree for a personality and so typically I felt like I needed to needlessly grind so they may meet that threshold. Something like an expertise share that the Pokemon collection has would’ve been very useful in stopping different characters from falling behind.
Oozing with fashion
Both the sport’s artwork fashion and music shine right here, which isn’t any shock contemplating it was the primary recreation’s core function. Take the presentation throughout huge battles, as an example. Bosses are offered as larger-than-life and have a foreboding presence, even when they’re simply normal-sized. In the service provider Partitio’s story, there’s a boss that appears like an harmless little canine outdoors of battle. But when you interact with it, its in-battle sprite balloons into an enormous menacing bulldog.
The recreation’s electrifying soundtrack additionally provides to the thrill and hostility of fight. Outside of battle, there are totally different tracks to assist spotlight the various settings throughout Solista. Agnea’s hometown is a bustling metropolis of leisure, so it’s becoming that its theme options upbeat jazzy music that you simply’d hear in downtown Chicago. Hikari’s hometown of Kyu is stuffed with conventional Japanese flute music, befitting his japanese Asian-inspired roots.
Octopath Traveler 2 is a really beefy JRPG recreation that can simply final over 60 hours to even get to the tip credit. There are a ton of customization choices for characters and the battle system feels enjoyable and engaging to play regardless of having a few of the similar points that plagued the primary one. Even with a few of these lingering flaws begging to be ironed out, the sequel is sufficient of an enchancment that I’m prepared to hitch alongside for no matter journey comes subsequent.
Octopath Traveler 2 was reviewed on Nintendo Switch.
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