Pathway Origins: The First Journey

Octopath Traveler has quickly become one of Square Enix’s flagship franchises, and for good reason. Firstly, it offers fresh experiences with a classic JRPG style reminiscent of the genre’s golden era during the Super Nintendo days. However, this series has managed to go beyond nostalgia, amassing a huge following due to its quality.

After two major adventures, Square Enix and DokiDoki Groove Works believe the franchise has more to offer. Hence, they developed Octopath Traveler 0, an adaptation of the mobile game Octopath Traveler: Champions of the Continent. What does it bring to the table, and why does it offer more than the first two installments? Join me as we explore the answers.

More Than You Might Think

The announcement of Octopath Traveler 0 as an adaptation of Champions of the Continent raised some eyebrows, which is understandable. Despite the quality of the free-to-play game, it remains a mobile gacha game, often infamous for being cash grabs.

While that’s often true, Champions of the Continent offers significant value beyond its monetization mechanics. Octopath Traveler 0 wisely took all the good aspects of this game, removed the gacha elements, made some adjustments, and there you have it — a console-worthy installment. Although its quality is on par, several aspects differentiate it from the early games.

One of the most intriguing features of Octopath Traveler 0 is its structure. As a successor to Champions of the Continent, a game enriched by years of content, this installment offers a wealth of narratives, characters, and places to explore. Rather than following a traditional format, it adopts an open-world-like approach that rewards players with freedom and the pace they prefer.

This won’t be new to those familiar with the series, but Octopath Traveler 0 provides freedom. Although the paths are linear, you can explore much of the world without facing narrative blocks. Admittedly, some zones are perilous, and you’ll need high-level characters to avoid being defeated. This creates a sense of exploring a world waiting for you, rather than a staged play with structured revelations.

This freedom extends to how missions are completed, impacting the challenges you face. For instance, early on, you can ignore crucial missions that reward you with a powerful recruit. Doing so invites additional challenges since you’ll have one less team member. While you might eventually recruit that character, your decisions affect how tough the game’s beginning may be.

A World Breathing Stories and Scars

Let’s set aside combat for now and focus on the narrative, which is perhaps the biggest difference between Octopath Traveler 0 and its predecessors. While the original games focus on the stories of eight different characters who cross paths, this installment centers around a customizable protagonist who serves as the player’s avatar. This shift in focus moves the narrative from individual character arcs to the broader history, civilization, and conflicts of Orsterra. The story becomes more about shaping the continent than just the characters’ personal journeys.

It’s important to clarify that this narrative change doesn’t mean losing what made previous entries captivating. The game begins as a tale of revenge and rebuilding, where the protagonist loses everything and later seeks to restore their home, resolve the world’s turmoil, and punish those responsible for their suffering. As the story unfolds, secondary characters are encountered and eventually join the protagonist’s mission.

In essence, the hero embarks on a quest to find eight rings, confront eight main villains, and gain the help of eight allies who ultimately become their companions in the final confrontation. Sound familiar? It aligns with Octopath‘s traditional experience, albeit with a different narrative focus.

The result is an impressive tale examining the various facets of power and how it corrupts people. The game succeeds in exploring themes beyond political power, venturing into wealth, fame, and strength, and questioning whether it’s all about dominating or being dominated — accompanied by charismatic and well-developed characters. However, improved voice acting could enhance the experience, as current performances feel somewhat forced.

Tactical Combat Evolving Without Losing Essence

It’s worth noting the narrative pacing in Octopath Traveler 0 isn’t perfect. Due to its structure, stories can start and pause intermittently, which sometimes diminishes their impact.

A significant drawback of Octopath Traveler 0 is the lack of Spanish translation. If you speak English, text and voice options are available, but it limits accessibility for the Spanish-speaking audience, a disappointment for fans accustomed to such limitations, especially those over 30.

Concerning combat, Octopath Traveler 0 builds on its predecessors’ foundation with some interesting tweaks. It retains the idea of exploiting enemy weaknesses to break and further weaken them, allowing for strategic choices on whom to target. The combat system remains as engaging as ever with fresh elements adding complexity.

Players can have up to eight team members, either main characters from narrative lines or others found throughout the journey. This provides broader strategies with more pieces in play, deciding who supports and who attacks directly based on weapons or spells advantageous to foes. Accordingly, the design of the villains is more challenging to withstand more heroes.

Customization also sees changes. Players can opt for a starting class and switch later, but Octopath Traveler 0 focuses more on equipping skills than dynamic jobs. This allows for intriguing combinations enabling characters to exceed their class limitations, though not all work well — experimentation and trial and error guide learning.

Finally, the presentation deserves mention. Octopath Traveler 0 captivates visually and aurally. While much of the audiovisual experience derives from previous games, it remains a nostalgic delight that recalls the epic adventure across Orsterra.

A New Chapter in Orsterra’s Chronicles

Octopath Traveler 0 isn’t flawless, yet it’s undeniably a triumphant adaptation. Square Enix and DokiDoki Groove Works successfully created an entry that not only holds its own alongside prior series releases but also presents unique ideas setting it apart.

If you’ve enjoyed previous Octopath Traveler games, chances are you’ll like 0 as well. It retains many elements that made the series famous, such as retro-inspired aesthetics, stunning music, and an innovative combat system. Just be aware there are key factors with a distinctive flavor that may make it your favorite in the saga or your least liked. Personally, I found it to be the former.