Octopath Traveler 0 (NS2) Review

Gameplay

Graphics

Audio

Narrative

Summary: A bleak and brilliant JRPG in a banner year for fans of both.

4.5

Darkest before the dawn

Octopath Traveler 0 sets its stall out early and is very upfront about its themes from the off. It’s a game about greed, about the corrupting influence of fame and power, about the darkness in men’s hearts, and how those who seek to rule others should never be allowed to. Most of all, though, it’s a game about hope in the face of overwhelming darkness.

When I say overwhelming, I mean it. The thing that surprised me most about Octopath Traveler 0 is how depressingly bleak it is at times.

On the surface, it’s another successful homage to the RPGs of yesteryear; it uses the same beautiful 2D-HD style the original game pioneered, which Square is now cleverly using to remake the original Dragon Quest games, It’s well-written, the world is vast, varied and the pixel art that brings the games substantial cast to life is both lovely to look at, and reminiscent of top down RPGs from the 16 and early 32bit era.

If you are a fan of Chrono Trigger, Dragon Quest III, and Suikoden, you should probably stop reading and just go and play Octopath 0 on your platform of choice, because you’re going to have a very good time.

However, much like many of the JRPGs mentioned above, its somewhat family-friendly façade belies a much darker tone than its bright graphics and bombastic score. It’s also baffling how it appears that only the Australian board actually bothered playing the game, as they slapped an M rating on it while it’s a 12 in the UK and Europe. This is despite the fact that, at various points throughout its 100-hour run time, you’ll have to deal with some incredibly dark themes, including slavery, child abuse, suicide, and genocide.

Whenever you think, no, it wouldn’t go there, would it? It then bloody does.

There’s literally a scene where a mother leaves her own child to die to save the emotionally abusive psychopath she’s fallen in love with, after he’s completely shattered her psyche.

If you thought Kafka in Final Fantasy VI was a bit much at times. He has nothing on the rogues gallery of evil bastards you come across in Octopath Traveler 0, made up of maniacal monarchs, serial killing scriptwriters, and avaricious aristocrats, and that’s just the first couple of acts.

The world of Octopath Traveler 0 may be incredibly bleak at times, but it also has one of the strongest emotional cores of any JRPG I’ve ever played. This is mainly due to its clever implementation of town-building elements that link directly to the narrative in a meaningful way.

During the opening, after spending a good hour or so getting to know the inhabitants of Wishvale, the hamlet your plucky group of heroes lives in, on the eve of a festival dedicated to protecting it from harm, the place is burned to the ground, and most of its inhabitants are murdered, including the main character’s parents, by a trio of cartoonishly evil villains and their followers searching for a magical ring.

After escaping the carnage and being taken in by a sage who lives in the woods (who happens to have the ring they were looking for), our heroes eventually return to the ruins of their home and, rather than leave, vow to rebuild the settlement bigger and better than before.

Mechanically, it’s a stripped-back Animal Crossing-like and a means to make some extra cash farming and gathering resources, as well as a convenient way to buy rare items, supplies, and equipment, thanks to a rather handy shop that stocks inventory from all over Osterra.

Emotionally and narratively, though, rebuilding Wishvale helps to give the story some palpable, relatable stakes. It gives our heroes an actual, concrete place to fight for and a reason to save the world and make it a better place to live in– They’re doing it for their found family, their community, and so the people who died when Wishvale was raised to the ground didn’t die in vain.

It’s powerful stuff and does a wonderful job of tethering the player to the setting and the people living in it because you are directly responsible for its creation and restoration.

A town is nothing without its inhabitants, so you’re also on a quest to repopulate Wishvale as well. This is done by tempting citizens from other settlements to up sticks and move to Wishvale. First, by investigating and then inviting them to come and live in your steadily expanding settlement. How likely your attempt is to be successful depends on your power, fame, and wealth stats that increase whenever you complete stats. Though, like all percentage-based rolls, sometimes you can be successful via good old luck.

Villages you successfully rehome in Wishvale then provide you with helpful buffs to the town’s facilities, like increasing crop yields on your farm, or reducing prices at your shop, while others periodically provide you with useful items and building materials.

Aside from the town building, the main change to the Octopath formula in 0 is that it essentially flips it on its head. Instead of following an octet of adventurers across a series of overlapping tales, you are instead presented with a lone player-created protagonist that can travel down eight different career paths. Though this was also the case in the previously released mobile game, Champions of the Continent, which 0 is a loose remake of. (though greatly expanded with all the onerous free-to-play elements tossed in the bin)

However, the battle system remains mostly unchanged from Octopath Traveler 2, with your party of eight characters either spending or storing battle points to gain extra actions during their turn, while attempting to stun enemies by depleting their shields by using weapons and elements they’re weak to.

Think Persona crossed with Bravely Default, with a sprinkling of Suikoden, and you get the idea.

It’s slick, surprisingly strategic, and incredibly satisfying, especially when your party is firing on all cylinders and manages to daze every enemy before they’ve had a chance to land a single blow.

The one minor gripe I have with the battles, though, is the presentation. I’ve never been a fan of the strange mix of big, beautiful static sprites for the enemies, and the party retaining the same blocky models they have during the rest of the game. There’s some lovely artwork of every member of your ever-expanding party whenever a new member joins the gang, so why can’t they be represented similarly during the battles? (I know it’s a nod to old school Final Fantasy, but it doesn’t mean I have to like it.)

I also find it odd that whenever you end up fighting a perspective villager, whether to grab some items off them or to try and impress them so they’ll help you in combat, they have the same pixel style as your party. I just want some consistency here. Is that too much to ask?

It is, though, a minor quibble, because overall the presentation is superb. Once again, Octopath Traveler is a loving homage that blends realtor design principles with modern lighting and high-quality textures to make a game that actually looks like what your rose-tinted specs make you think they did in 1995.

This is thanks in part to the beautiful map that seems to double in size with each new chapter as new areas are filled in as you explore the world further, the true scale of the continent of Osterra, with its myriad of settlements, warring states, and with it, the sky-high stakes of your mission are brought into sharp focus.

The soundtrack, again composed by Yasunori Nishiki, is as varied as the regions that make up Osterra itself and is an absolute treat. At times sweeping and grand, at other times, slick and bluesy, at times homely and folksy, and when it needs to be, pulse pounding, especially during the battles, which are a clear highlight.

The greatly expanded voice acting is also a welcome addition, with most of the main story and side quests brought to life by a large cast of talented voice actors who all put in solid performances.

Final Thoughts

Octopath Traveler 0 is one of this year’s best RPGs in a banner year for the genre. It’s also weirdly not an adventure for the faint of heart as it’s one of its grimmest ( and I include the likes of Silent Hill f in that appraisal) and could do with a massive trigger warning at the opening.

However, despite the dire circumstances our heroes often find themselves in, there’s still a lot of hope in Octopath Traveler 0. Its themes of community and people uniting to build a welcoming home for anyone who wants to live there are admirable. In a time where the rich and powerful are urging the rest of us to shut others out, it’s a message that’s needed more than ever.

About the Author

Gareth Newnham

Octopath Traveler 0 (NS2) Review