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When Octopath Traveler launched in 2019, it was something that looked similar but ended up being very different from the traditional Japanese turn-based RPG that Square Enix was known for. The series has made some innovative changes to the formula, from the roster of eight playable characters to the Boost system. But with Octopath Traveler 0it’s as if the prequel hasn’t moved forward, and if anything, has taken a small step back.
Octopath Traveler 0 Serving as a prequel to the first two entries of the series, instead of playing as one of eight unique characters with their own stories, you play as a silent protagonist seeking revenge. If this sounds boring, it kind of is.
If there’s a saving grace to the game, it’s its class and combat systems, which offer a good mix of standard RPG gameplay with enough novelty – including some delicious villains – to keep you playing.
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Players can choose one of eight jobs for the protagonist: warrior, hunter, merchant, apothecary, cleric, scholar, dancer, or thief. As expected, each class has its own unique attributes, and classes like Warrior, Cleric, Hunter, Scholar (Black Mage) and Thief have the standard fare that RPG fans should expect. It’s the other classes that are unique to the game. You start out as a merchant who can use weapons for powerful attacks, along with skills that earn more money from battles. Then there’s the Apothecary, a unique class that heals and cures teammates’ ailments while also being able to deal massive damage with an axe.
As you progress, unlock more job skills and level up, there will be an option to get another job. This means that a hero can take skills from one job—such as spells and physical attacks—and use them with a class that doesn’t normally have them. This can enable a warrior, for example, to use powerful spells of the scholar class to create a unique battle mage. With eight jobs to choose from, there are plenty of options available to create different combinations to use in battle.
But for all the new ground covered in the class system, the plot is very broad territory.
Boring traveler
The real selling point of the Octopath Traveler series is the travellers. The first two games featured eight playable characters, each with their own backstory to learn. This was the selling point of the game that made it stand out from the sea of traditional JRPGs.
This time, Square Enix decided to do something different and a bit boring, making the hero a silent hero. Not only is the hero calm throughout every conversation in the game, but he is on a revenge mission, as if this has never happened before in a JRPG (meaning Snark).
Yes, the hero is the silent protagonist whose village is destroyed by this evil duo in search of a magic trinket. The hero survives and is trained in secret until it is time to take revenge on the three people who destroyed his home: Titus and Auguste, who were responsible for the attack on the village, and Lady Hermina, the wealthy heiress who gave the two the information about the location of the trinket.
The lackluster origin story of the hero and his motivations really diminishes any interest I had in playing the character. The same applies to allies who join the hero throughout the game. They have their stories, some of which are a bit sad, but for most of the game, they are just members of the team.
Fortunately, the real heroes in the game’s story are the villains. After the long intro sequence, once the hero begins his quest for revenge, players can choose to go after any one of the three previously mentioned villains. Each has its own story, and is deliciously dark. The characters are truly evil, with the most interesting backstory and developments, almost giving off a Game of Thrones vibe. My favorite was Auguste the playwright, referred to as the Master of Fame. When his story is finished, there is nothing but a series of these ordinary people who show their absolute devotion to him by sacrificing their family members and themselves to make Auguste happy.
August is a truly terrifying yet fun villain.
There’s something refreshing about seeing real villains. There’s no moral quandary or philosophical debate about whether the people you’re fighting against are terrible people or if they’re simply misguided with good intentions. No, these people are terrible and must be stopped. It’s a shame that it’s the boring, silent protagonist who has to do the heavy lifting to defeat them.
Octo Mazing
Where Octopath Traveler 0 really excels is combat. It’s turn-based, but to spice things up, the series has a “Break and Boost” system.
Each enemy has an armor number that drains when attacked, and once it reaches zero, that enemy is “broken” and unable to attack for several rounds. To help speed up this process, characters have boost points that increase with each round of combat. When a character has three strengths, they can use powerful attacks or simply perform multiple attacks at once. Since each enemy has multiple weaknesses to certain weapons and spells, this system adds an extra layer of strategy to determine whether you bide your time to defeat them or rush to take them down. Sometimes, you’ll end up in a situation where a powerful enemy is broken and you notice all of your characters are loaded with BP, landing a satisfying beatdown on the bad guy, launching powerful attack after powerful attack.
However, the depth of the strategy does not end there. New in Octopath Traveler 0 is a full second row of characters in the team. These reserve fighters can be placed throughout combat to provide a little confusion in strategy. You can keep your physical warriors at the front while keeping your mages at the back and switch when needed. Or alternate in the same character type when needed, so when a wizard’s health runs low, he can switch with another wizard. Pair this dynamic of quickly switching characters with the “Break and Boost” system, and you’ve got very active turn-based combat.
Magic mutation.
Getting these additional characters into the team comes with rebuilding the hero village of Wishvale. Burning City starts out with a single house, but as you progress, you’re given more options for expansion. Other cities have people looking for new places to live or adventures to take part in, and these choices can be explored via Path Actions, a recurring feature from previous games in the series.
When speaking to certain NPCs, there is the option to learn more about them by inquiring using the Path action, which is just a matter of pressing a specific button (X button for the Xbox version, Square for PlayStation and Y for Nintendo Switch). Doing so will give you some basic information about the character and some options. Some NPCs will gladly join your party to fight with you for a price, while others will have items to offer you by selecting the Entreat option and the success rate for each item they possess will be displayed, with a lower success rate marked for more valuable items. There’s also a Contend option to fight an NPC, which is not a wise thing to do early on, as it seems all the townsfolk have been fighting dragons for generations, so fight them early at your own risk. If you fail to obtain an item from an NPC or lose to them in combat, your reputation will suffer. Take a lot of hits to your reputation while in town, and none of the NPCs will offer these path actions anymore until you visit the tavern and pay a fine to get them back.
The presentation of Octopath Traveler 0 is not much different from previous games. The graphics are the HD-2D art style that Square Enix used in the series and Dragon Quest remake, a retro mix of 2D sprites amidst 3D backgrounds that evokes nostalgia for games of yesteryear with a few modern touches. Octopath Traveler 0’s soundtrack and voice acting are also on par with the higher quality that the series has been known for.
Like other games in the series, Octopath Traveler 0 can easily take players 100 hours to complete, especially if they delve into the city building aspect. Although I wish there were more interesting heroes to flesh out, once players get past the generic plot premise and delve into the meaty combat, there’s no doubt that this game is a worthy entry into the franchise and a choice for those looking for a new JRPG to spend all their time with.
Octopath Traveler 0 is available now on Nintendo Switch 2, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series