Octopath Traveler takes a metaphorical defibrillator to an entire genre with surprising results

The Japanese Role-Playing Game has been reinvented in several ways. From the open-world extravaganza of Final Fantasy XV and Ni No Kuni, to the high school social simulator slash dungeon crawler of Persona 5. Several games have stayed true to the formula and expanded those familiar turn-based battles into some incredible stories with superb world building. Though there is a special place in our collective hearts for the retro JRPG and the days of the Super Nintendo. Something along the lines of Chrono Trigger, Final Fantasy VI, has stayed to this day with their amazing level of storytelling in the form of games like To the Moon and Undertale — which is exactly where Octopath Traveler lies, the latest JRPG from veterans Square Enix.

Octopath Traveler Developer: Square Enix, Acquire

Publisher: Nintendo, Square Enix

Price: $59 (₹4074) on Nintendo Switch

What’s it about?

As the title suggests, Octopath Traveler is eight stories, told from the perspectives of eight strangers from across the land, as they come together. Much like Dragon Age: Origins, you start off the game as one of these characters and experience the world through their eyes and their stories, as they meet the other characters along the way. Rather than tell one overarching story of good souls versus some dark lord, Octopath instead transcends this, telling separate stories that masterfully intertwine.

While each character’s story is quite humdrum with its moments, it’s the presentation and combat that make you want to replay the game from another character’s perspective. You can choose from Ophelia a cleric, Cyrus the scholar, the merchant Tressa, Olberic a warrior, the beautiful dancer Primrose, Alfyn the apothecary, Therion the Thief and H’aanit the hunter. Each of their stories functions as a whole, and while the stories are quite expected, they are entertaining. The best part is, once you finish one character’s journey, you really do want to spend time experiencing the world through the perspectives of the other characters.

How does it play?

Each character has a unique ‘job’ which in most games is ignored, save for battle. In Octopath, each of the characters has path abilities that help them through the story. Like Alfyn and Cyrus can glean important information. Primrose can bewitch and charm NPCs, while Therion can steal from them. You will constantly use these abilities in the world, as well as in battle.

One of the best parts of Octopath Traveler, that will keep you coming back for more, is the battle system. These too make use of characters’ abilities, like H’aanit can recruit wild animals and use them in battle, while Olberic challenges NPCs to duals, allowing you to fight them for experience. In addition to that, Octopath adds a layer of strategy across the well-oiled bones of the familiar turn-based battle system paradigm.

With a risk/reward boost system that allows you to save up an attack boost point per turn, allowing you to unleash large attacks or healing abilities, if you’ve saved them up. Battle is so much fun and Octopath throws some fiendish enemies your way, to strategically dispatch off, perfect for the Switch.

Octopath Traveler is a beautiful-looking game. Taking the top-down perspective and pixel art of JRPGs and transforming it into a 3D game. So the textures are actually pixel art, yet the game moves and scales effortlessly. While there’s a prevalent tilt shift blur around the edges, allowing for sparkling bokeh of sunlight shimmering off a distant water body. The lighting effects are nothing short of sublime. While the entire ambience of the game is wonderfully down-to-earth fantasy, rather than something straight out of The Lord of the Rings.

Should you get it?

The Nintendo Switch has finally got a role-playing game worth playing. Taking that spirit of Super Nintendo JRPGs and transforming it into something worthy of any modern RPG that you can octo-replay.