Review: OCTOPATH TRAVELER and OCTOPATH TRAVELER II are fantastic RPGs on every platform

In early June, Square Enix released the beloved RPGs Octopath Traveler on PS4 and PS5 consoles and Octopath II Traveler on Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S consoles.

Additionally, both games have been added to Xbox Game Pass and PC Game Pass. This means you can finally play all of Octopath games on virtually all gaming platforms that aren’t cloud-based.

At this time, Square Enix has been kind enough to provide me with PC review codes for both games. Everything below is my own opinion, however.

If you want to grab a copy of either game, you can purchase them at your favorite retailers, including the ones listed below, who also support us here at GeekTyrant via affiliate links.

Octopath Traveler (PC) from Humble Store

Octopath Traveler II (PC) from Humble Store

Octopath Traveler II (Nintendo Switch) from Humble Store

Various GameStop platforms

Since its launch in 2018 with OCTOPATH TRAVELER, the OCTOPATH TRAVELER series has sold over four million copies worldwide*, popularizing the unique HD-2D art style: a stunning blend of 2D characters in gorgeous 3D worlds.

Both games are standalone experiences set in different worlds with eight distinct protagonists, each with their own stories to explore and path actions to utilize.

Players will embark on a great adventure and guide their own journey, depending on the character they choose to play.

I decided to lump both games together for this review. It’s a bit of an odd move, I know, but at the end of the day I felt like a lot of my thoughts were the same for both games and that doing two separate reviews wouldn’t make sense.

I also want to disclose that I played these games entirely on my Steam Deck (both run perfectly on it) and since they are both very long games I set a minimum 4 hour requirement for each game before writing this review. I would love to hear what you think of the games below.

In case you didn’t know, Octopath Traveler It is really the game that made the HD-2D graphic style in video games very popular and more widespread in 2018. Octopath II Traveler continued with the aesthetic when it launched last year, in 2023.

This means that the characters are 2D sprites but are in 3D environments, which makes for a stunning visual. It feels nostalgic because of the pixelated art, but feels more alive and larger because of the 3D elements. I’ve become a huge fan of this.

Also, the character and creature designs are phenomenal. This is a game that invites you to stop and watch and take it in. The graphics are absolutely top notch.

Now, let’s talk about the audio. This is probably my favorite aspect of the Octopath Traveler series. Yasunori Nishiki he composed probably the most perfect soundtrack for a video game. On several occasions, while playing, I stopped and told my wife to listen to the music. It’s so incredible!

The sound effects are also incredible and I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the voice acting. The cast in both games is killer and you can just feel the quality oozing from almost every aspect of this game.

I personally don’t like the moments where the narrator only records the first 1-2 words or the other character’s name and then you have to read the text (personally, tell me all or nothing), but this seems like a minor complaint to me.

Now it’s time to talk about the gameplay. Personally, I find turn-based RPG combat to be very unpredictable. Sometimes it feels like too much of a grind, sometimes I feel like I don’t have to change my strategy until I get to a final boss that takes me dozens of tries, and sometimes it’s just kind of engaging in some way.

Octopath Traveler AND Octopath II Traveler they are mostly positive experiences for me. In typical grind battles, it is very boring because you are stuck in a set pattern for small individuals like bats and wolves. However, in larger battles, I felt challenged without ever feeling overly so. I attribute this to two main factors.

First, each enemy has a set of weaknesses, and you can exploit these to break down their defenses. The cool thing is that when you hit an enemy with their weakness, an icon unlocks under the enemy that serves as a visual reminder of that enemy’s weaknesses in that fight and in all future encounters.

Using a weakness also lowers their defenses and when their defenses drop to 0, they lose their next turn and are more vulnerable to attacks. This really helps direct your strategies in the moment.

The other major factor is the power-up mechanic. Each turn, each character gains one power-up point. You can then spend power-up points (up to three) to make your attacks stronger, and for some attacks, it even multiplies how many attacks you land.

For example, if you upgrade an area-of-effect fireball spell, it seems like it simply multiplies the damage. However, if you upgrade your sword attack, you will get up to four sword strikes. This can really help break down an enemy’s defenses based on their weaknesses, adding another layer of strategy that is easy to understand but takes time to master.

My number one complaint about Octopath Traveler AND Octopath II Traveler is that I wish enemies showed a health bar. I know there are abilities you can unlock that let you see how much health an enemy currently has, but I really want a health bar that I can keep an eye on and better gauge if my party is doing well, if I’m wasting stronger attacks, or if I’m not hitting hard enough with my current strategy. Honestly, the fact that this is my main complaint should tell you a lot about how amazing these games are.

As you fight, you can experience points that level you up and JP that can be spent on new skills. I actually really like this JP system. Also, once you get your fourth skill, your character unlocks their first support skill which are passive buffs. Additional support skills are unlocked over time.

One thing I find weird about these games is that there are times when you go into a boss fight or something and the art shows the boss or some of the soldiers as these big, more detailed, artworks, but your party is still pixel art. I don’t hate it, but part of me wishes that in larger fights we could see bigger party art.

Another cool thing for me is that each character has a unique action they can take in the overworld to interact with NPCs. Some do useful things like have NPCs follow them. Some can buy or sell them stuff while others can steal from NPCs. The ones I don’t like are when you can challenge an NPC to a fight, especially Provoke. It just doesn’t seem very useful from what I’ve played.

If you were curious about Octopath TravelerI would say it’s really good and worth it. In fact, its score is right here. It’s definitely worth playing if you like JRPGs.

That said, if you can only choose one of the two games, I think Octopath II Traveler It’s definitely a step forward. It’s important to note that from what I can tell the two games are not connected in any way. They take place in different worlds with completely different characters. The gameplay and mechanics are the same (with a few tweaks), but the stories are separate.

What does he do Octopath II Traveler compared to its predecessor? A few small things. For starters, instead of a shop that opens its wares when you interact with the door, you actually open the door and can walk in. Things like that help add to the feel of the game. Also, there is a day and night cycle in the second game. Not only does this change the aesthetic, but the character path actions change depending on whether it is day or night. For example, Osvald has Scrutinize during the day and Mug at night. The other big new feature is a new mechanic called Latent Powers. Each character has a unique Latent Power that charges when they attack or take damage, giving you more strategic options at your disposal without feeling overwhelmed. For example, Throné is able to take a second action on his turn when he uses his Latent Power. Meanwhile, Osvald can use his Latent Power to focus an area-of-effect spell on a single enemy for more damage. I really like these.

Again, I don’t think you could go wrong with either one. Octopath Traveler game. However, if you can only choose one, I recommend you take Octopath II Traveler. There are just a few small details that enhance the experience in a surprising way. To reflect that, I’m giving it a slightly higher score. Feel free to let me know in the comments which of these two games you like better and what I missed in my review.