Revenge is a street that by no means loops again to the place you started. Each step pulls you farther from the particular person you as soon as had been and nearer to the one you might grow to be. In Octopath Traveler 0, that concept shapes the complete journey. Your hometown lies in ruins, your loved ones is gone, and the one factor pushing you ahead is the hope that these accountable will face what they’ve completed. But as you shut in on the powers that rule Orsterra, the pursuit turns inward. Are you right here to rebuild what was misplaced, or are you merely chasing a victory that may by no means really feel like sufficient?
Whenever you peel again the layers of Octopath Traveler 0, you discover a story that begins with a single act of devastation however expands far past a simple pursuit of justice. Three highly effective forces shatter your life, and the trail forward appears easy at first. It’s something however. The deeper you push into Orsterra, the extra the Divine Rings twist this tragedy into one thing bigger. As talked about in my preview, since this can be a reimagining of the premise from Champions of the Continent, the acquainted items are right here. The three tyrants nonetheless embody Wealth, Energy, and Fame, however Sq. Enix has reshaped these beliefs to really feel heavier and extra private.
The journey by no means reduces itself to mere vengeance. As you journey by means of the world, you rebuild the issues that loss tried to erase. You restore your city, strengthen what stays of your id, reconnect with survivors, and slowly piece collectively a future that appeared unattainable within the opening hours. Restoration turns into as necessary as retaliation, giving the story a gradual heartbeat beneath the battle. Every path, tied to one of many three routes, digs into the issues that formed the villains you now face. Ambition, insecurity, and the starvation for recognition twist them into individuals who may need been heroes below completely different circumstances. Their humanity offers the story nuance and provides weight to each step you are taking towards them.
That is one in all my favourite tales Sq. Enix has launched up to now, simply rivaling their greatest SNES titles. My important criticism is that the occasion interactions can really feel a bit muted at occasions. With a complete of 34 recruitable occasion members (not together with the primary character), the sport often suffers from the Chrono Cross impact, the place characters are handled extra like stats than personalities. Moreover, the second half of the sport has pacing points. Sure chapters drag on far longer than mandatory, although the payoff makes the wait greater than price it.
Octopath Traveler 0‘s gameplay, nonetheless, leaves a lot to be desired. Whereas the gacha system from the cell launch, Champions of the Continent, is gone on this model, poor character stability stays. Many abilities really feel fully ineffective, and there may be little incentive to have interaction with most core mechanics. Practically each boss may be defeated utilizing the identical few assaults. Even the break system, which is meant to take advantage of enemy weaknesses to briefly stun them and deal additional harm, is nearly pointless, since you possibly can simply win most fights with out utilizing it in any respect. So far as I can recall, just a few elective bosses truly required me to set off a break.
I discovered myself defaulting to the very same handful of strikes in opposition to each single boss, hardly noticing their assaults or supposed weaknesses. Every boss would possibly as effectively be a in a different way coloured model of the identical battle, like a figurative palette swap. The random encounters, against this, are literal palette swaps, with enemies recycled throughout areas and routes. The truth is, by the top of the sport, I used to be nonetheless primarily utilizing the identical assaults I had within the first chapter. Battles really feel like a slideshow of déjà vu, with the techniques designed to maintain them recent barely registering. The gameplay is a Swiss Military knife in principle, however in apply, you solely ever use the can opener.
The job system exemplifies Octopath Traveler 0’s core drawback: solely a handful of jobs are literally price utilizing. After finishing the sport and incomes the platinum trophy, I did a second playthrough to check this, and it grew to become clear that making an attempt completely different occasion setups accomplishes nothing. Experimenting simply drags battles out and turns fights right into a slog. You’re a lot better off simply doubling up on robust jobs as an alternative of getting a various occasion.Â
Relating to the dungeons themselves, the early areas are pretty fundamental, that includes a handful of treasure chests and a direct path to the boss. Later dungeons develop extra intricate, as the ultimate dungeon in every path introduces easy puzzles and a few backtracking. It’s nothing revolutionary, but it surely will get the job completed. The unique Octopath Traveler characters additionally return as playable additions. Whereas a nod to longtime followers, they don’t affect the story and really feel shoehorned in, present solely as elective occasion members. I discovered their inclusion a bit pressured, because the builders needed to convert them from their authentic gacha roles into everlasting companions.
On a extra optimistic be aware, the city restoration received me over ultimately. I used to be skeptical about it in my preview, but it surely integrates with Octopath Traveler 0‘s story in a surprisingly sensible method. By the point I had entry to all of the instruments, I genuinely loved shaping my very own city. The gameplay options right here really feel particularly significant, from gaining the power to speak with animals to unlocking the monster enviornment. Whereas the world may have provided a wider collection of monsters, I nonetheless appreciated simply how far Sq. Enix pushed the town-building system.
I already praised the soundtrack in my preview, so on the threat of sounding like a damaged document, the OST on this recreation is actually exceptional. Yasunori Nishiki and his staff craft melodies that linger just like the final rays of sundown over a quiet city. From the contemplative tunes accompanying exploration to the hovering orchestration in key moments, the music carries the story as a lot as any dialogue or cutscene. That mentioned, some tracks can develop repetitive over the course of such an extended recreation. Particularly, the usual dungeon and random battle themes persist for much too lengthy, although they do change as you attain later areas.
At this level, Sq. Enix has perfected the HD-2D model, and Octopath Traveler 0 isn’t any exception. I’m grateful to expertise this world away from a cell gadget, with each city as colourful and vibrant as I may have hoped. The later dungeons are way more visually intricate than the sooner ones, probably due to their extra oppressive or fantastical nature. This comes by means of in richer lighting and denser environmental element.
Octopath Traveler 0 reminds us that what we chase typically adjustments who we grow to be. The sport asks you to think about what it really means to rebuild: whether or not it’s a city, a life, and even your self. I very a lot loved this journey, significantly for its unbelievable story. Nonetheless, I acknowledge it’s not a recreation for everybody, with its repetitive battles and remnants of its cell origins. However for many who have the persistence, that is an journey effectively price taking; simply ensure you carry a cushty chair and a robust cup of tea.
