Zero to Hero
Octopath Traveler 0 is the latest addition to the Octopath Traveler series and is a prequel to the original game, it is different to the first two games due to it being rebuilt from a mobile exclusive game known as Octopath Traveler: Champions of the Continent. As a mobile game naturally it had in game purchases and everything being locked behind a grind, being a PvE game also there was no risk of being outdone by a whale, still it had that element of needing to spend money to get the best characters.
All that is no longer the case in Octopath Traveler 0 and the gacha elements have all but gone. Octopath Traveler 0 is a standalone JRPG and while playing it, it was hard to imagine that this was a gacha game and how these elements played a part in it apart from the town building which becomes an addition to the game early on. Out of the Octopath Traveler games so far for me it has the most engaging story, instead of each individual hero you meet having a self contained story with various chapters it follows various larger story branches that follow after tragic events unfold in your characters hometown, your first task will be to take down villains who were responsible for the downfall each with their own paths and a conclusion, this is only the beginning though as all is not what it seems at first. The game always throws a curveball and much like Octopath tradition always expect the worst, you may think a character is seconds away from death only for someone else entirely to die later on. Character writing and voice acting is superb and mirrors real life struggles closely, you do feel the struggles in their entirety only making the need for closure more warranted. There are many side quests for when you want to venture of the beaten path in the world of Orsterra, fortunately this makes for a lot of options when it comes to customisation but sadly some are forgettable and when compared to the other games in the series.
With such a large roster of characters the game contains a lot of depth especially in battles as you can have up to 8 and switch them out and with the Boost system making a welcome return this allows for some high hitting sequences in battles; this is especially helpful in some of the bosses later on co-ordinating players to work together. As Octopath Traveler games go this is similar in difficulty to what we have seen previously and just because you have a larger amount of characters to play with does not make the game any easier, there have been instances where I have burned through Healing Grapes and Olives in a boss battle.
With each character having their own jobs to do in the game this means they have their owns strengths which helps in how battles play out, your own protagonist can choose an initial Job to work with soon you will be allowed to switch Jobs to even the playing field.
Octopath Traveler 0 looks just as stunning as the other HD-2D games, Square Enix whilst having mastered the art of these games seem to constantly push the boundary even further, not only do the towns and dungeons look really good in it’s HD-2D style; the foreground weather effects and particles and every visual flair even in battles is done perfectly.
Octopath Traveler 0 also has a bigger emphasis this time round on it’s worldbuilding; from when you start the game and pick your character and how they look including their favourite food you will be soon thrust into cruel world where seemingly there is nothing left, however after lengthy introduction you will find yourself building a living and breathing town from scratch, this starts out as simple as collecting wood and stone out in the world but once you start recruiting characters you will eventually create something much bigger and there is a lot of customisation options here. You can create pathways add simple decor to the outside and invite locals and travelers from other towns to come and become a resident of your town unlocking various new features such as shops and access to ingredients that you can use to cook. While the town building is a feature of the game that is not highly customisable it is still an important building block to the story and whilst journeying you’re always reminded as to what has been lost, it does enough to feel different to the other games and the silent protagonist does not deflect from the story aspect of the game either.
A PlayStation 5 Review was provided by Square Enix.
