In a time when everyone is looking towards the future, I want to take a moment and travel to the past. If you like the idea of that then you probably already love Octopath Traveler. The team at Square and Acquire really accomplished something very difficult in todays gaming landscape. They managed to make a JRPG appealing to the Main Stream but also Hit the nostolgia button for us 90’s JRPG gamers while making the whole thing feel like a new experience.
The Look
The Success of Octopath Traveler is due in no small part to the art style of the game. It is simply amazing. It marries retro pixels with bold outlines and beautiful backgrounds. It truly looks like a Pumped up Super Nintendo game. Its as if someone in 93 was asked to invison what graphics would look like in the year 2018. Honestly this is what first caught my attention for this game. I’m in no way a graphics hound. I just need a great story and battle system and I am well on my 40 hour journey with a smile. But I have to admit that i was definitely drawn in by this style and it held my intrerest long enough to get me excited for its release, try the demo and search tirelessly for the collectors edition.
The Feel
The Game Feels like a 90’s RPG .the battles are random you can be surprised and forced to let all of the enemies finish their turns before you are allowed to respond. But you can see the turn order and affect it severely by taking advantage of some of the other mechanics. Most notably the boost and the weakness systems. It has a turn order manipulation system like final fantasy X or Shin Megami Tensei. Each battle for me becomes its own game of how can I control this encounter so I take little to no damage. That revolving puzzle makes every new area and enemy encounter engaging enough to take the monotony out of grinding levels. Its a nostalgic dream.
The Sound
Yasunori Nishiki really put his stamp on this title. He has worked on other titles like Final Fantasy VII Remake and Gran Blue Fantasy VS and the anime. But this is the first time he has done a grand game like this as the main composer and it really has the feel of a grand game with enough intracacy in the OST to keep you engaged on its own. The Soundtrack is good enough to be listened to by itself on a long drive home. For me that’s one of the pinnacle achievements a sound track can obtain. But beyond that it was nominated for Best Score/Music at the 2018 Video game awards. Even the Sound Effects feel satisfying in this game. that’s not something That i usually notice.
The Nostalgia Of It All
This Game Feels like a love letter to JRPG fans of old, as cliche as that sounds. but with those pixels and sweeping score how can you think of anything but the old classics Final Fantasy and Breath Of Fire Games on SNES with the sound Flying out of Your Floor model CRT and echoing off the walls. The Collectors edition even felt nostalgic. A Throw back to a time when games came with quirky items that really distinguished itself from other collectors editions. Not that I don’t love a Good Statue and steel book but I have to give this game an extra nod for originality. It has a cloth map and Soundtrack Which I do really love but the coin and the pop up book to me were the real MVP’s of this Collectors edition.
These are not Stills from the game. They are actually pictures and video from the Pop up book that came with the collectors edition. the book shows important scenes from the game with some serious style. this was really the main course for me in terms of me seeking out the collectors edition. The fact that this can be mistaken for the game is testament to the high level of production and design that went into crafting this masterful title.
I must say, this was such a pleasant surprise. When i first laid eyes on this collectors edition. i didn’t think much about this coin. But when I unboxed it and actually held it in my hands, it was simply amazing. first of all, look at the detail on this thing. It really looks like a coin of old. then on top of that it has a weight to it that just screams worth and value. I really like it. This is probably one of my favorite things Ive ever gotten in a collectors edition of any game. the quality was so high, it reminded me of something you would get with a “Working Designs” Game.
All In All
This game is really a treat. I purposely didnt get into any story details because the story is so great and at sometimes so heavy that it would hurt me to accidentally spoil something for you. But needless to say, the story is good. It ,again, hearkens back to the days when you would play a JRPG and something would happen so unexpectedly that it would stay with you for days. And i don’t mean just a plot twist or a Jump scare. I’m talking about things that feel like they belong in a movie. I was about to elaborate on this but i think you should experience it for yourself. At least try the demo.
Did you play this game? what did you think? did it scratch that 90’s JRPG itch for you or was there something you wish it did better? For me it is almost everything I want in a JRPG.