Octopath Traveler is a series that has shot its way into the hearts of many JRPG fans around the globe. It is an unabashed love letter to the golden era of the genre, wearing its influences on its sleeve while carving out its own unique niche with its unique storytelling and battle system. Even with the love the series has received, it has faced some fair criticisms. Notably, the structure of its story. Having eight separate stories with little connection left some feeling unable to connect with the game’s lack of a throughline. Octopath Traveler 2 tried to rectify this by having all the stories connect during the final stretch of the game, but some still found it took too long to get to that point, and there still wasn’t enough interaction between the party.
After spending about six hours with Octopath Traveler 0, not only do I think this has the potential to be the best entry in the series yet, but it may be one of the best JRPGs of the year.
A Personal Story
Octopath Traveler 0 abandons the formula of the previous titles by focusing on a singular story, rather than eight separate ones. You start the game in the small village of Wishvale, where our main character is training to become a member of the town’s watch. In one of the most significant changes to the series formula, instead of there being a selection of characters to choose from, you create your own custom character to be the protagonist. It is a bold choice to make such drastic changes to the formula of the original games, but Octopath Traveler 0 aims to make big swings to shake things up, and so far, those swings are paying off.
After creating my protagonist, I was quickly put into the world, where I could go around and talk to the villagers of Wishvale. Since there is only one main protagonist in Octopath Traveler 0, the series’ signature path actions that are usually limited to specific characters are all available to you from the get-go. Path actions are abilities you can use while talking to NPCs around the world that range from fighting, intimidating, to haggling with an NPC. You no longer have to worry about having the right party members to pull off these specific actions. Instead, these path actions are contextualized per NPC. While I liked having each character in the previous games have their own unique path action that you could use, it works within the context of this game to streamline that system.
After I managed to finagle a laundry list of goods from the villagers of Wishvale, I then got into my first combat encounter. Those who have played past Octopath games know exactly what to expect with the battle system here. Octopath Traveler 0 is a turn-based game with the twist of its Battle Points (BP) system. BP can be consumed to allow your character to attack multiple times per turn or strengthen a skill or magic attack. Every turn, you gain one BP and can stockpile up to five points that you can then unleash when the occasion calls for it. There hasn’t been too much innovation in this battle system throughout the series, but it’s hard to argue that much is needed. The battles are just as fun and responsive as they were in the first Octopath game, and I love it.
A Tale of Revenge and Rebuilding
After a few cutscenes and a short tutorial dungeon crawl with a couple of your childhood friends, Stia and Phenn, the real plot starts to come into view. The village of Wishvale is attacked by the army of the Scarlet Wing and their commander, Tytos, while your town is in the middle of a yearly festival and ceremony. You and Stia escape the burning village and are rescued by a local hermit scholar who hides you behind a magic barrier in a nearby cave. It is an effective setup, and the game does a great job of getting you attached to Wishvale before the attack, making you want revenge against those who laid siege to it. Eventually, Stia and the protagonist emerge from their shelter and vow to rebuild Wishvale and seek revenge on those who destroyed it.
Here is where the real meat and potatoes of the game start to show themselves. Octopath Traveler 0 introduces a town-building system into the series, and it looks like they really knocked it out of the park with it. You can recruit NPCs and party members from around the world to join your village and help you rebuild it. As you recruit and start building houses, your village levels up, allowing you to have access to more buildings and decorations to adorn your town. After upgrading my town to level two, I was able to really start adding details and moving my buildings around to customize the layout as I wanted. I was limited in what I could accomplish during my preview, but I can already see myself becoming addicted to perfecting my town and ensuring my inhabitants live in style. Not many games make me worry about the flower arrangements around my town square, but Octopath Traveler 0 had me feeling like a city landscape designer who accepts nothing but perfection.
A Strong First Impression
After completing the prologue, I bopped around a little bit in a couple of towns, completing quests and recruiting every character I could. While some of these quests were simple excursions, having me go to caves or find items to turn in, there were quite a few that were much more involved. One in particular had me joining a local resistance gang to infiltrate a Madam’s party to find out how she abuses her servants and her courtesans. This sidequest felt like Octopath Traveler 0’s take on character side stories. I didn’t have anyone join me after I completed my quest, as it ended in a cliffhanger, with obviously more to come in this storyline. Still, I could see it eventually leading to the addition of a new party member. Alas, my time with the preview ended shortly after this, so I’ll have to wait until I get my hands on the whole game to see how it all plays out.
To say I came away from Octopath Traveler 0 impressed is a vast understatement. I’m a massive fan of the first two games in the series, but I’ll admit I was worried that a third entry wouldn’t innovate enough to separate it from the other games. Not only does 0 innovate and add enough systems to differentiate it from its predecessors, but it also has the potential to be the best game in the series. From its pivot from multiple stories to a singular, cohesive narrative to its addictive town-building management, Octopath Traveler 0 has solidified itself as my most anticipated game for the rest of this year. I can’t wait to get my hands on the rest of the game and finish building my ideal little mountain town.
Octopath Traveler 0 will launch for Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC via Steam on December 4.
