Octopath Traveler

Octopath gives quite the stunning first impressive, with charming melodies and 3D-mimicking-2D-pixel look. It would almost seem to be the dream RPG of children (I am one of them) growing up decades ago, evoking the warmth of sweet memories past, doubly so when the modern sunlight tech shines through foliage and buildings.

It's battle system is an evolution too, still turn-based but with several key twists that spice up the formula. Each enemy has weakness types, and can be staggered for extra damage when exploited. Party characters also gain burst points every turn, that can be cashed in for extra damage/healing/effects. Coupled with a robust skills/profession system, party building and combat ends up being extremely strategic. Battles that initially feel like difficulty spikes are often opportunities to examine the situation and rethink approaches (but better equipment certainly helps).

However, the actual highlight system of the entire game is the overworld path actions. Each of the 8 (!, but we'll get there) main characters can interact with the NPCs of the world in a unique way. The thief can steal valuable and sometimes important side-quest items, a scholar can examine and extract useful information, a fighter can challenge and knock NPCs out temporarily clearing a blocked path, you get the idea. Slightly disappointingly, in practice, the 8 skills are really 2 sets, one guaranteed of success but requires high leveling, whereas the other is a roll of the dice. What this injects into the world, is an action layer of breathing liveliness to each of the interactable (sadly not all) NPCs. You can learn some extra tidbits, look at their inventory (for stealing or purchase), and observe fighting skills, all adding to the sense of knowing a random farmer or kid just happening to be on your adventure path. Will you steal this sword with super stats from the widow, knowing that it is the only thing her husband left? What about that weird house that you can't access, maybe come back after some time? Full disclosure I did save scum my way into some pretty powerful items early on, sometimes through multiple steps of different path actions, again a testament that the developers put great care into the system and world.

Unfortunately, as I wind towards the end of this review, I have to get to the part of the main protagonists and their stories. This is where all the good will from the rest of the game are cashed in for me to merely tolerate what should be the driving force of any RPG. 8 separate stories that can be started in any order sounds interesting but scattered, and that's exactly how they turn out. Theoretically, the use of 8 stories are tied together at the very end, however the nature of all paths being free to start in any order means 3 big issues. 1) None of the characters feed into each other's growth much at all. They do comment on story beats, but really don't influence character arcs or interact in meaningful ways. None of them are Garrus is what I'm saying. 2) Each character's story is broken up into several chapters, with tiered level requirements. What this means is that if I start on the Thief's story, I should sidetrack and go recruit other characters before continuing the story's 2nd chapter, losing all momentum and investment in the several hours in between. 3) No character-specific NPC dialogue appears to be in the game. It's a bit jarring when the NPC at your school cheerfully gives you generic introduction dialogue, it's completely soul-crushing when your parents do the same. The devs clearly put a ton of effort into the systems and characters, but they really needed even more lines or just cutting a few of the mains.

Overall, one's enjoyment of the game depends on what weight one puts on combat, exploration, vs party interactions. I respect it more than I ultimately liked it. (Preordered on Switch, dropped off after chapter 1s; then tried again on Xbox Game Pass, and only lasted into the Chapter 3s; I looked up the rest of the story) However, this is a great foundation for tweaking and maturing systems. Its next iteration will be my most anticipated RPG.