The first Octopath Traveler was released in 2018, and marked the first time Square Enix used its HD-2D design aesthetic. Seven years later, and after a series of classic titles remade using the same technology, we now have a new game in the series, Octopath Traveler 0. Although most of its elements come from previous titles, giving it a familiar feel, the few changes are enough to make Octopath Traveler 0 a unique game — for better and for worse.
Octopath Traveler 0 is a curious project. Using the story and combat of Octopath Traveler: Champions of the Continent (a mobile gacha game released in 2020), Square Enix has prepared a fresh turn-based RPG. Set in the land of Orsterra, the prologue and first chapter of the three main quests — the extent of content I could play for this preview — introduce the characters and antagonists at the center of this journey. Our tale is structured around three paths: Power, Wealth, and Fame. Each is tied to a villain who is, in one way or another, responsible for the protagonist’s current situation, and for all the suffering experienced throughout the continent of Orsterra.
Although the story is split into chapters that you can tackle in any order, depending mostly on your level, there’s a shift from the anthological structure that makes the series memorable. Instead of following eight protagonists with their own storylines, we have only one main character: the one you create at the start of the game.
The lovely art style of Octopath Traveler 0 makes creating your own character a fun but short process. Don’t expect much in terms of customization options. Besides picking their body, hairstyle, and a few other features, you must give them a name, one of three pre-established background stories, a favorite meal, and an initial set of items to carry. The shift from multiple protagonists to a single one shows that the narrative focus of Octopath Traveler 0 differs from the rest of the series. We don’t have the epic tale of common folk anymore, but the journey of a hero.
As you progress in the story, you pick one of the eight initial jobs, then unlock any of the others once you have acquired a minimum number of skills. Similar to what we see in games like Bravely Default, in Octopath Traveler 0 you can swap jobs to better meet the needs of your party based on the companions you have. This change, however, makes Octopath Traveler 0 feel less connected to the characters’ designs, and more similar to other RPGs.
Regardless of the background you chose for your character, they will be a happy citizen of the welcoming and peaceful town of Wishvale. The prologue is meant to make you care for the place, foreshadowing the events that unfold into Octopath Traveler 0‘s signature feature, the city building. Rebuilding Wishvale involves crafting houses, shops, and other facilities to bring life to the town again. All of that is made by progressing either the town’s specific quest line or the other main missions.
While Octopath Traveler 0’s visuals give a cozy gaming vibe, the city building isn’t well presented at the beginning of the game. It has systems with interesting potential, such as the resident skills that can go from collecting materials to reducing the cost of items sold in the town. But managing the reconstruction feels rudimentary compared to the clean and sophisticated design of other elements in the series.
Maybe, once you’ve put thirty hours into the game, the town might have become an engaging part of the experience. But in the first few hours, it is easy to forget that it even exists. To access its services and collect materials, you need to fast travel to Wishvale and talk to each character in the city. The process in itself is not a problem, but it competes for your time and attention with the main quests or the side stories, forcing you to briefly interrupt your current adventure to go check if there is lumber to collect with your neighbors.
I’m happy to say that battles in Octopath Traveler 0 feel as fulfilling and exciting as the other two titles; they don’t stray from the original design too much. Enemies have multiple weaknesses, and you need to manage your turns to break their defense while preparing for a massive hit by spending all your Boost Points, which you earn every turn. It’s a clean and engaging battle system that new players can enjoy as much as old fans. The similarities with previous Octopath Traveler games end here, though.
From the trailers and the description of certain characters’ skills, we know that you can have up to eight party members in your group, split into a front and back row. I can’t personally say whether this works well for now, because I didn’t have enough companions unlocked to form a full party by the end of the preview. However, I’m uncertain if the addition of four other characters will be beneficial to the overall experience.
The few boss encounters I faced weren’t strategically challenging. Most were a matter of spotting the boss’s weaknesses and keeping my party’s HP full, a task that is made easier by the addition of a Final Fantasy-style summon system in Octopath Traveler 0. During battles, once a gauge is filled, you can use the protagonist’s turn to invoke a divine power tied to the ring you gain in the main story. The first ring allows you to heal all party members and, considering the lore bits shared at the beginning of the prologue, there are other rings to be found — and other deities to be summoned.
Octopath Traveler 0 is carving a unique place for itself in a peculiar series of games. In its initial hours, it’s a solid RPG with simple city management mechanics. Changes and modifications from the conventions established by the first two games are welcome, but they also risk eclipsing what makes the series special. I’ll have to wait for the full game to decide if the novelty is worth departing from series tradition.
