Octopath Traveler 0 Review

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When I first heard about Octopath Traveler 0, I wasn’t sure what to think, but my confusion wasn’t really about it being a sequel to Octopath Traveler. I enjoyed Octopath Traveler II a lot, but I didn’t get very far with the original game. I found the separate stories felt disconnected, at least when I first played it. Octopath Traveler II really grabbed me in a way the first one didn’t, even though the basic gameplay was similar – you still control eight different characters, each with their own story. The main difference, I think, is that Octopath Traveler II does a better job of weaving those stories into a single, cohesive narrative.

Octopath Traveler 0 breaks from the original’s format. Instead of playing through eight individual character stories, you create your own character who assists the main heroes as they experience the events unfolding in Orsterra. The game’s structure is vastly different: while you can choose which storylines to follow and in what order at first, the main story quickly becomes linear. Branching paths act as extended introductions to larger, self-contained arcs that feel like separate games, each with its own ending credits.

Just so you know, if you’re new to the series, you didn’t need to play the original mobile game to enjoy this one. Octopath Traveler 0 takes content from ‘Champions of the Continent’ and remakes it into a single, focused experience. It’s different in both story and size compared to the other Octopath Traveler games. If you felt the earlier games lacked a strong story, this might be the perfect place to start. However, if you liked the original games, it’s hard to say if you’ll enjoy this new approach. Also, be aware that the game takes about 20 hours to really get going, so the demo doesn’t fully represent the final experience – you won’t get a good feel for its strengths, weaknesses, or gameplay until you’ve played much further.

Like the original Octopath Traveler, combat in this game focuses on breaking down enemy defenses to deal significant damage. You’ll need to discover each enemy’s weaknesses – shown as question mark blocks beneath them at the start of battle. Hitting an enemy’s weakness reveals the corresponding block and lowers their defenses with each successful attack of that type.

The game adds a clever layer to combat: by observing the order attacks appear, you can predict an enemy’s weaknesses and discover potential vulnerabilities beyond simple trial and error. Similar to previous games, characters earn Battle Points (BP) each turn. You can spend up to 4 BP to either add more attacks or boost the power of your current actions, depending on the skill you select.

Octopath Traveler II doesn’t quite grab you right away. The initial story sections are a bit weak, and the gameplay feels limited. The battle system now seems designed for a full party of eight characters – four in front, four in back. Environments are simple, and the dungeons are even more basic than what you’d expect from an Octopath Traveler game. Visually, the game isn’t very polished – as Mikhail pointed out recently – though zooming out the camera helped to hide some of that. I mostly played on a handheld gaming PC where the lower resolution made the graphics less noticeable. Also, the English voice acting sounded compressed compared to the first game, so I switched to the Japanese audio, even though I’d used English in the original.

This update focuses heavily on restoring Wishvale, which is a fun diversion, but unfortunately locks many helpful quality-of-life improvements behind it. While it’s mildly enjoyable finding characters across Orsterra to live there, the Path Actions system has been drastically simplified in Octopath Traveler II. It’s now so limited that it almost doesn’t matter, as the characters in your party heavily influence what actions you can take. Similar to the simpler early levels and less detailed graphics, this all contributes to a feeling that the game isn’t as captivating as other modern RPGs.

Honestly, I get why someone might drop Octopath Traveler II early on – it is a bit slow to start. But if you stick with it, please, at least get to the Master of All storyline. I can’t promise you’ll love it, but that’s when the game really finds its footing. It’s got this unique structure that feels limiting at first, but trust me, the payoff is a really deep, long-form story you don’t often see, even outside of the Octopath games. The combat with eight characters is surprisingly engaging. It’s not just about exploiting weaknesses, but managing your party’s health over time. The final boss of Master of All really pushed my team to the limit, even after I’d grinded a bunch! Plus, the side quests and dungeons get way more complex and interesting the further you progress.

Octopath Traveler 0 isn’t a game that immediately grabs you, and it definitely has flaws. You’ll notice remnants of its original design that feel out of place. However, when you look past those issues, it’s a truly unique RPG. It’s a fascinating example of how Octopath Traveler, like the Final Fantasy series before it, can evolve and change while still remaining distinctly itself.

8

We tested Octopath Traveler II on PC. It’s also playable on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and Nintendo Switch.

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2025-12-03 13:56