Following a generally positive, but mixed, reception depending on who you ask about the first game, it’s a miracle that Octopath Traveler II managed to release as good as it was, reaffirming the series. Now comes the forthcoming Octopath Traveler 0, a console experience that’s looking to shake things up by making a new game out of the series’ mobile game story and fusing a bunch of new elements. Breaking its original mould and trying new things, it’s here to prove that Octopath is a bankable name and IP for Square Enix.
Having played quality hands-on time with it and walking away quite impressed, we’re right there with them and can’t wait to check it out in full later this year.
Octopath Traveller 0 follows eight heroes on a fantastical adventure that sees them rebuilding their world and starting anew following the destruction of their hometown. This is quite the shakeup for the series as this narrative idea ties into the gameplay, where you’re engaging in town-building and restoration for the first time in the series. Following on from the blueprint of unlocking armouries and the like by following quests in the mobile game, you can unlock and now even place said buildings, making up a community. Now you’re forming a quaint town and getting to know everyone in between being on the road in your adventure. An Octopath world now feels more realised and bustling than ever.
My time outside of town saw me travelling across the lands and arriving at a dungeon in a sandy desert. My main mission here was to take down a group of lizard people that had been terrorising and robbing a nearby town. What occurs here is trademark Octopath, allowing you to engage in some thrilling turn-based battles. Each party member has their own class and elemental type that aids in exploiting weaknesses. A woodman-esque character will cast wind spells, a noble swordsman will serve good piercing damage and so on.
As is staple for the series, these fights are over the top and filled to the brim with flourishes and particle effects as explosive spells and environmental attacks erupt across the screen. Utilising weakness exploits in real-time, you’re seeing their defence shatter before your eyes as their shields break, and then you can really dole out damage. This stuff never gets old.
Octopath Traveler is a bespoke, warm and wonderful series for Square Enix, and that continues thus far with 0. There’s a bigger sense of place than ever with the personalisation that you can get into here. Everything feeds into one another. Opening up a barber can help you customise or mod your hero to make them your own. Items and resources you find in the overworld and throughout exploration can be brought back to town to help build up amenities and facilities at work, making your party stronger. It all fits and works together neatly.
Octopath Traveler 0 will be released on December 4th for PC, Switch, Switch 2, PS4, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S. Stay tuned for another upcoming fantastical adventure.
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Checkpoint Gaming was flown to Sydney as a guest of Square Enix for the purpose of this preview.
About the Author
Charlie Kelly
She/Her, They/Them
Charlie loves her video games as much as she loves dumb, charming JRPG protagonists: probably way too much. You can often catch her spending too much time being emotional over LGBT stories in games. She also thinks Yakuza 6 is the best one.
