Octopath Traveler from 2018 was one of those imperfect games which, even though the shortcomings were obvious, has nevertheless carved a small place in the heart, and evokes good memories. I was therefore very much looking forward to Octopath Traveler II, especially the signal that the story was going to be more than just eight different stories that are not actually connected.
Otherwise, it doesn’t seem like the developers learned much from the feedback on the first game. Octopath Traveler II is built according to the exact same recipe as the first game. It is a Japanese role-playing game in a classic style, and we meet eight different characters who all offer their own stories. Getting started with the game requires you to find all these people, and that sends you on a journey across the world.
It’s not just fun.
Too many stories
The gang is together, but that doesn’t happen often.
Square Enix
The problem with Octopath Traveler II is not the quality of the stories. The quality may not be always equally high, but for the most part I have been impressed by how good some of these stories are. They are refreshingly serious. They deal with heavy, mature themes, and are night and day compared to the stories we get in, for example, games like Tales of Arise. You choose the order in which you want to absorb them. You choose your starting character, and with it you travel all over the world to find out what’s going on, as well as pick up new people along the way.
The atmosphere is near perfect. Good stories, good acting that fits well and brings the world to life, as well as sparkling music make this a very engaging story. The world is presented in the same way as before, with 2D figures in a three-dimensional landscape presented as if it were played on a well-overclocked Super Nintendo.
I wouldn’t say the game is technically better now, but it may seem that the developers have gotten a better handle on the style they created. Now we get a larger area, a more lively area, and there is more depth in the different towns. All in all, it appears much more alive, and it lifts an already brilliant presentation up a few notches.
There is only one giant problem with this game. As soon as you have been thoroughly absorbed by the story of one of the many main characters, the chapter is over, and you are unable to continue until you have doubled your experience level. Instead of finding out what happens next, you have to leave for a new city where you meet new people who will also be introduced.
Where momentum goes to die
We get to explore the world both at night and during the day.
Square Enix
In practice, you have to restart the game all the time. You spend two or three hours here, two or three hours there, two or three hours there, and yes, you know it’s coming, two or three hours there and. Eight times.
You do not have to see all the introductory chapters. If you come to a city where you meet someone who wants to join you on the journey, you can always watch the introduction 2-3 hours later. If you want to get the most out of the stories, and know what’s going on, you have to watch them anyway. It’s not like you can just go through an entire story before taking the next one. On the world map, you can see where the different characters’ stories lead, and it says how challenging it will be. You are rarely strong enough to just go straight from chapter two to chapter three, and therefore have to jump between characters.
I’ve rarely played games that kill momentum more effectively than this. You never really get involved, and it actually took me over 20 hours to finish chapter one for all the characters. Admittedly, I had done other things such as one or another chapter 2 in the meantime, but it’s a bit crazy that the developers didn’t think it was an idea to get the game started faster so that the heroes can meet, and the momentum can be built. Sitting with a feeling of having just started a game after twenty hours was not entirely up to the task.
Meeting each other is a challenge, both Octopath Traveler and Octopath Traveler II have major challenges. Some of the criticism surrounding the first game was how these eight heroes never actually met each other. This problem is still here. When you play the story of, for example, the thief Thronè, the other characters will never appear in it. They are never present when she talks to people or decides on something, they only appear in battle.
To fix this a bit, the developers have added some stories where vegans and different heroes meet. They mostly appear as a kind of small side track, but they do an incredible amount to, if nothing else, create the illusion of some cohesion between the eight people in the traveling party. Most of all, it becomes a bit bold as we get a small hint of what could have been if the story had been intertwined from the start. It’s good, I like it, I want more.
If you want to change continents, a boat is a good option.
Square Enix
The stories in this game are much better than what you find in most games in the genre, and they are exciting, enjoyable and interesting. I want more of this, but it’s such a shame that the game constantly stops the flow by forcing you to change which story you’re following.
Not a game for the masochist
If you like getting banked in games, Octopath Traveler II is not the game for you. There are many games that don’t quite offer the big challenge, but Octopath Traveler II is in a special position. The reason for this is that it is a bit challenging to understand exactly how the developers intended you to play the game. The whole world is divided into different areas, and each area is divided into several zones. Each person you meet has their own area, and each zone within the area has a challenge that suits a given level of experience.
This works well with the first characters you play with, but a little worse for each character after that. When you run around at level 20 and enter a new area where the challenge is adapted to level five, it goes without saying that you won’t meet much resistance.
It is a pity. I wish this game had done something like adapting the challenge in an area to the level of experience you are the first time you go there. Then we would constantly face stronger enemies, but could still return to the previous area, stronger and tougher.
The result is that the great battle system doesn’t quite get to show off. It is only when you jump out of the way and do your own thing that you really get to enjoy it. The combat system excels when you face strong enemies, when you know you can die, when every tiny detail can mean life or death. For the most part, the game is instead about finding the attacks and tactics that kill the most possible enemies in the shortest possible time so that you don’t have to spend a lot of time on them.
The game takes us to many different land areas and civilizations.
Square Enix
Everything by the water
The combat system is jammed over exactly as it was in the first game. It is based on you having to find the enemies’ weak points, and these are revealed every time you use a weapon or magic they don’t like. In addition, you get points every turn that you can use to build up stronger attacks. If you use four points, you can attack four times, or cast much stronger magic.
It’s a great system, and it’s pretty much the same, but it’s got a little extra spice. Each character can now summon an inner power when this has been built up by giving or taking damage. This could be that you get an extra attack, or that a sorcerer can channel a spell that otherwise hits several enemies with a far greater force.
The job system is back in its original form, but with a bunch of new features you can unlock. Each character can take on two “professions”, and can thus combine characteristics to become a better warrior. The game has a solid touch that there’s no point in fixing something that isn’t broken, and it’s just as fun as it was last time. Unlocking new features, finding the best combination of classes, as well as exploring the many characters’ unique characteristics is great fun.
To reduce the extent to which you are plagued with insignificant enemies, you can also unlock traits that allow you to reduce the number of battles you end up in, as well as increase the chance of meeting rare and more dangerous monsters. This certainly makes the adventure more fun to play, as you reduce to some extent the chance of getting too strong too quickly, but at the same time you are not plagued with too many puzzles
Conclusion
This girl can catch animals to use in battle.
Square Enix
I wish I could say that Octopath Traveler II is exactly the game I hoped it would be. A game that took all the best from the first game, refined it, and fixed everything that didn’t work.
However, it is not. The game cast doubt on everything that was good, and if you love Octopath Traveler, I see no reason why you should think otherwise about this. Chances are, you’ll like it even better. But the developers should have done something with how these stories are told. It’s too broken up, too much jumping back and forth, and instead of reading a good novel, it’s like reading eight different short stories where you have to switch to a different short story every time you complete a chapter.
It’s a bit tiring, a bit messy, and it becomes a bit difficult to keep track of what actually happens, and not least when.
Apart from that, Octopath Traveler II is a great game with lovely music, lovely graphics and a completely unique atmosphere. I wish the game offered a greater challenge, since the combat system really shines in the face of tough enemies, but it is still entertaining to travel through this imaginative world.
Octopath Traveler II will be released for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5 and Windows on February 24.
