Octopath Traveler 1 & 2 Game Review

The Octopath Traveler series occupies a strange place in the Square Enix canon. It lacks the superstar power of the Final Fantasy or Dragon Quest franchises, but at the same time it's not a cult darling like Live a Live or Vagrant Story. The games sell relatively well, netting a respectable 7 million units worldwide (for context, that's about the same as Final Fantasy XIII), but they're not quite game of the year material. In truth, the Octopath games feel most like a test bed; a space to experiment with new technologies and storytelling methods, unburdened by the expectations of the company's blockbuster hits.

The most obvious example of this experimentation is the HD-2D visual style: first introduced in 2018 with Octopath Traveler, this blend of 2D sprite work and 3D environments has now been used across several Square Enix releases, including the high-profile remakes of Dragon Quest I & II and the upcoming Final Fantasy Resonance. Soft-launching new technology with an original title might have been a way to gauge reactions without risking mishandling an existing release, but thankfully the gamble has paid off, because HD-2D both looks fantastic and is here to stay.

For newcomers to the franchise, Octopath Traveler still functions as a solid introduction to this world of dioramic adventures, especially with the new Nintendo Switch 2 edition. Upfront, I'd recommend going into Octopath Traveler knowing that it's just as experimental with traditional JRPG storytelling as it is with visuals. Instead of a premade party of adventurers, the world of Orsterra features eight characters in eight different locations, and you can choose independently where to start playing. After completing your chosen protagonist's starting chapter, you're free to roam the continent in search of the other adventurers, adding them to the party as you go.

The idea of split storytelling isn't new - the aforementioned Live a Live follows several characters across space and time, and that came out in 1994 - but the way it's delivered in Octopath Traveler takes some getting used to. After choosing the first protagonist and completing their introduction, the game sends you on your way without much guidance, leaving you to wander Orsterra until reaching the required level to continue their story. Along the way, you're bound to meet one of the other adventurers, listening to a sob story before they request your help with their troubles. Here's where it starts to get disjointed; after adding the new character to the party, a prompt appears asking the player to play through their introduction, which the game recommends in order to give context to said character's motivations and abilities. So far, so good, except you're then immediately put back to level 1 and locked into their story, completing a solo chapter before rejoining the present day.

I started with Therion, the thief, who plans a heist on a rich family's storied treasure. When things predictably go sideways, Therion has to leave town on a new mission, one that'll take him across Osterra to uphold his roguish reputation. While wandering, I ran into the apothecary Alfyn, who is inspired to travel the world and heal by the actions of his mentor. Next I picked up Primrose the dancer, then Olberic the knight, and so on until I was able to switch around my party and experiment with different combos. That's a lot of people forced into undertaking a hero's journey!

This happened eight times, and it does start to feel repetitive: each protagonist's introduction follows the same formula of a short dungeon to get to grips with their class, then a surprisingly difficult boss functioning as a test of your understanding of the mechanics. Beat them, and you're returned to the overworld, levelled up and kitted out for the road ahead.

It's best to consider Octopath Traveler as a series of loosely connected short stories; like a JRPG version of The Canterbury Tales rather than a sweeping epic in the same vein as Chrono Trigger. Are the villains simplistic and the motivations charmingly dated? Yes, but straightforward plots aren't always a bad thing, and the first Octopath game has plenty of other highlights, including the game's stellar voice acting. Seriously, the voice cast is brilliant: Octopath Traveler takes full advantage of Square Enix's reach, casting big names like Katsuyuki Konishi (Kamina from Gurren Lagann) and Yoshitsugu Matsuoka (Sword Art Online) in leading roles. Many cutscenes are fully voiced, which goes a long way towards adding depth to a somewhat shallow story.

However, if experimental visuals and extensive voice acting aren't enough to keep you engaged, the series really finds its footing with Octopath Traveler II. This is the kind of sequel that is an improvement on its predecessor in every conceivable way: across plot, gameplay, visuals, and combat mechanics. The basic premise remains the same, with eight characters coming together to travel the newly introduced world of Solistia. You'll pick a starting protagonist and experience their story, and then once again travel the map to recruit a party and further your individual goals.

Keeping it consistent, I started with the thief path again, where the assassin Throné is involved in a brutal struggle to become the next leader of the guild. Only she doesn't want to take up the mantle and is forced on a quest to kill the current leaders and release herself from their shackles. Throné's story starts in the town of New Delsta, an area which immediately showcases the game's massive graphical upgrade over Octopath Traveler. This isn't a collection of three buildings and an inn - that classic JRPG staple - but rather a sprawling map with multi-story buildings, distinct and seedy neighbourhoods, and flagrant showing off of the game's post-processing lighting effects. There's a new day cycle mechanic too, which functions as both an aesthetic and gameplay component: monsters are more fearsome in the dark, and characters' unique Path Actions such as Steal, Inquire and Challenge return with a corresponding nighttime variant. Switching between day and night is at the touch of a button, and there are quest or levelling benefits to playing at different times of day. The tilt-shift perspective used here is delightful, lending the game a storybook feel.

Besides this added depth, I think the biggest positive change to Octopath Traveler II is the way the game approaches its multifaceted story. Yes, you'll still experience eight distinct plotlines with multiple chapters for each character, but there are now additional, interconnected Crossed Path chapters. These feature two travelers working in tandem after their main stories are completed, and are necessary to proceed to the end of the game. By now you'll have spent tens of hours getting to know the party, so it's nice to see them interact with one another before the final showdown.

Where in Octopath Traveler the group felt like an incidental event, there's a sense of cohesion between the travelers in the sequel that pushes it towards the quintessential camaraderie of the genre. This still isn't an epic story, but it now feels like an intentional one.

In the end, though, Octopath Traveler II's cherry on top is its host of quality-of-life updates. These aren't always flashy, like the fact that your hunter character's captured beasts no longer have a usage limit, but they're all gamechangers. The ability to put battles to 2x speed, for example, makes grinding a breeze, and you can automatically progress through cutscene dialogue. This lets the voice acting shine - the game is now almost fully voice-acted- and I was pleasantly surprised that the combat animations still look good at double speed. They've also removed an unpopular mechanic that required a thief to open certain purple chests, though I rarely ran into that issue as I'm a sucker for a rogue character and used Therion extensively throughout Octopath Traveler.

Overall, unless you're keen to play the first-ever HD-2D game and experience the franchise from the beginning, I'd honestly recommend Octopath Traveler II as the one to spend your time on. Play this and then visit the world of Orsterra via Octopath Traveler 0, a surprisingly in-depth port of the mobile prequel that is also available on the Nintendo Switch 2.

Speaking of platforms: one final thing to note is that if you own the Nintendo Switch version of Octopath Traveler I or II, your save isn't transferable to the Switch 2. This meant I had to restart from an almost-finished playthrough of the first game, which is painful for an RPG that takes dozens of hours to beat. The performance upgrade feels nice, and both games do run at 60fps, but these versions are definitely aimed at newcomers. That said, if you're a big enough fan and can justify the price tag, then it's a delight to play these in handheld mode.