The Octopath Traveler thread

[EvilTw1n]

('Cause we need more threads.)

This is the sort of game I imagined Switch getting more of. If this had been greenlit a few years ago, it probably would have been a 3DS game. But now? It's got space to thrive, pushing a different visual aesthetic on more powerful hardware while still being a comparatively modest, non-AAA budget project.

I finally got around to finishing the demo a few nights ago. After a little frustration (before the combat clicked with me - gotta use that boost to inflict break), this became a definite day-one purchase. Who else is jumping in?

 

[theMightyME]

I adored the demo and I am psyched for the game

 

[FriedShoes]

Eight characters plus gameplay updates in each vid

Very excited about this game, even though I'll probably only play through it once.

 

[EvilTw1n]

Dengeki Online asked if there were plans to offer DLC.

“We are not thinking about that at all,” said Takahashi. “The release version is a finished product.”

https://kotaku.com/nintendo-switch-rpg-octopath-traveler-wont-have-dlc-bec-1826912412/amp​

 

[theMightyME]

I've got about 15 minutes left in the demo, and I have played through 2 character prologues

Just going to mess around and level up for the remaining 15,and have that content carry over

Good the music in this game is top notch... Every character theme is good, and the scheming tension music is great

It had given me 2 hours and 45 minutes of a break from the stresses of visiting my dad....now if only the switches cooling fan was a full blown AC for me.

 

[Goodtwin]

I should probably try the demo, not sure if this would jive with me.

 

[theMightyME]

I should probably try the demo, not sure if this would jive with me.

It is good stuff

 

[simplyTravis]

I played the demo and pretty much didn't stop until I hit the 3 hour mark. I enjoyed the world interaction and battles but was kind of annoyed by how stereotyped each character story was.

The writing is just not that good. I started with the Cyrus the scholar, moved on to Ophilia the healer, and ended up with H'aanit the hunter. It seemed like each story was extremely superficial. I'm hoping this is not the case and that with further play things become more intriguing.

Now the stuff that I did like was done quite well. The world interaction skills were simply neat. Cyrus can "scrutinize" characters to learn secrets, get discounts, and find various treasures. He also can analyze monsters in battle to find HP and weaknesses which is pretty cool. Ophilia can have people follow her which she will summon into battle. Finally H'aanit can fight people for practice. Oh..and she can capture animals pokemon style and make them battle for her! Unfortunately the way everyone related to H'aanit's story speaks makes me want to puncheth thine screene.

Battles have a nice break system that you can use to deal more damage and force a character to no attack for a turn. Some of the battles they throw at you have some real intensity but generally can be won.

I had no idea what the price was but after playing I'm a bit concerned about the 60 dollar price tag due to the poor dialogue writing. I don't know if I can play a 40+ hour RPG if I find myself just blazing past what they are saying because half of it is meaningless trope-y dialogue.

So what do y'all think of the game? I might have a completely different experience than everyone else due to starting characters.

 

[Juegos]

I played the demo and pretty much didn't stop until I hit the 3 hour mark. I enjoyed the world interaction and battles but was kind of annoyed by how stereotyped each character story was.

The writing is just not that good. I started with the Cyrus the scholar, moved on to Ophilia the healer, and ended up with H'aanit the hunter. It seemed like each story was extremely superficial. I'm hoping this is not the case and that with further play things become more intriguing.

Now the stuff that I did like was done quite well. The world interaction skills were simply neat. Cyrus can "scrutinize" characters to learn secrets, get discounts, and find various treasures. He also can analyze monsters in battle to find HP and weaknesses which is pretty cool. Ophilia can have people follow her which she will summon into battle. Finally H'aanit can fight people for practice. Oh..and she can capture animals pokemon style and make them battle for her! Unfortunately the way everyone related to H'aanit's story speaks makes me want to puncheth thine screene.

Battles have a nice break system that you can use to deal more damage and force a character to no attack for a turn. Some of the battles they throw at you have some real intensity but generally can be won.

I had no idea what the price was but after playing I'm a bit concerned about the 60 dollar price tag due to the poor dialogue writing. I don't know if I can play a 40+ hour RPG if I find myself just blazing past what they are saying because half of it is meaningless trope-y dialogue.

So what do y'all think of the game? I might have a completely different experience than everyone else due to starting characters.

I haven't played the new demo yet, only the old one with the warrior and the dancer. I had a similar reaction to you, I felt like the writing was just adequate even if the subject matter was interesting (I played mostly the dancer one). But I'm hoping that the little morsels we're getting to play right now are just that way because they're meant to be exposition for the characters in your party, and that the actual main story (and sidequests, if the game has those) will be more interesting. Because to be fair, there was more detail in the character of the dancer than a lot of RPGs have for their characters. For example, does anyone here remember what Reyn's life is supposed to be, other than that he's Shulk's friend? He is so lovable because of his personality and his interactions with his other character, but there was no initial depth to his own character, just a simple premise.

 

[Koenig]

I have only played the first demo, but am I am still very lukewarm about the game. I do plan on picking it up, but that is if I have the money do so.

 

[BobSilencieux]

Game comes out in a couple of days so I decided to give the demo a try... and I loved it. Played as Cyrus and met up with Tressa. Yes the dialogue is terrible (Cyrus' first chapter boss going full Scooby Doo ("I would have gotten away with it if it wasn't for your meddling!")). It looks like the full game is going to be huge though, which should justify the full-price aspect... and fill the Xenoblade-shaped hole in my heart.

 

[SkywardCrowbar]

I pre-ordered the Wayfarer's Edition, and I am massively stoked for it.

Primrose is challenging Twintelle in my personal waifu rankings.

Also, I found the writing for her to be rather excellent in the demo, not so much for Olberic.

 

[Koenig]

Definitely looking forward to you guy's thoughts on the game.

 

[theMightyME]

5 and a half hours right? I think nintendo did it Netflix style, midnight pacific time zone... Or are they east coat time for releases

 

[EvilTw1n]

https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/...that-we-wanted-to-play-as-japanese-developers

Some interesting little things in there, for those interested.

The reviews are pretty positive. But most of them do point out that each of the 8 narratives are just sorta...there. There is no interlocking plot to drive everything forward. Unless each of these stories are exceptionally well done, that's gonna be a point against this game, and it's made me reconsider if I should day one this or not.

 

[theMightyME]

https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/...that-we-wanted-to-play-as-japanese-developers

Some interesting little things in there, for those interested.

The reviews are pretty positive. But most of them do point out that each of the 8 narratives are just sorta...there. There is no interlocking plot to drive everything forward. Unless each of these stories are exceptionally well done, that's gonna be a point against this game, and it's made me reconsider if I should day one this or not.

It isn't necessity a fault though it is 8 storage stories that you can play through at once, if you couldn't recruit the other members and it was just 8 complete separate games in 1 it might not get the same criticism

The team prioritized seperate character focused stories and freedom for the player... That might not be the right choice for the best game and it might not be what I would do, but it is what they wanted to do

And to me that means it isn't a fault

Look past the complaints of a lack of character interaction and it is pretty much flowing praise about the individual stories...

This might again be a case of reviewing a game for what it is rather than what it isn't

You can compare what they did to other rpgs, but do other rpgs make every single character the lead? Do other rpgs give you the freedom to play sprayer or together in any combination?

Should we retroactively reduce scores on party based rpgs that don't give each individual character a starring role?

The team decided to do something different, and a side effect of that is that an expected element from other games just doesn't work in the turnaround they created

We can say that we prefer the old way, but let's not just sing it out of hand without considering what the game might do in its place...

But I'll see, I already have the game pre loaded ...

Most game reviewers though.... I just hate them... These same people bitching about this also cost too be the reviewer for xc2 despite already admitting to hating the franchise, and all of the mechanics that people who live the games play them for... These are the same reviews that often complained about lesser graphics on wii shooters without ever giving due to ir controls

Most reviewers just want the same experience over and over (and then complain that everything is the same)

And it fits the other way too, they play 2 hours of a 40 hours game and sing its praises leaving gamers unprepared for a really crappy part past where they played through.... For example, bravely default starts repeating itself over and over, but most of the reviewers hasn't even reached that point, and rated it too highly imo

I don't think a review should exist until it is finished, not 100%ed but just FINISHED

I dunno

/rant

 

[theMightyME]

Well I just subj in 7 hours, on top of the 3 I already had

I have 5 of the people so far, getting them all before starting any second chapters

So far I have the thief, the tamer, the priestess, the apophacary, and the scholar

Now I need to do the dishwasher and hey to bed, I should have gone to sleep 4 hours ago

 

[SkywardCrowbar]

I have 4 members of my party thus far, working on the 5th. Closing in on 10 hours of play.

I must say that the difficulty is right in the sweet spot for me; especially when it comes to grinding which there is a lot of. The combat will actually threaten to give you a Game Over if you just turn your brain off completely. I find it supremely satisfying to grind because of how simple the combat system is, and the great audio visual impact of landing a Break.

So far, totally fantastic game.

 

[theMightyME]

got all 8.... it was fairly fast to make that jump... I was already at 5, the 2 from the first demo were next, and since I played both of their stories I was able to skip their intros and blast through the dialog in the actual gameplay parts... then back to normal for the last 1....

somewhere along the line I also found the location of my MC's second chapter, as well as unlocking the secondary job thing by finding one of the caves related to that...

so I get to start on everybody's chapter 2 now and try and find the extra job classes and such

 

[sjmartin79]

Steve2 bought this and is working his way through collecting all the people. He said he's enjoying the hell out of it so far.

 

[SkywardCrowbar]

Closing in on 20 hours of play and I have 6 of the 8 characters. My highest level is Primrose at 27, and lowest are 2 at 20. The grinding is starting to become a bit more burdensome, but I'm still having a blast.

 

[theMightyME]

Closing in on 20 hours of play and I have 6 of the 8 characters. My highest level is Primrose at 27, and lowest are 2 at 20. The grinding is starting to become a bit more burdensome, but I'm still having a blast.

hunt the caits, they give an absurd amount of experience

 

[Koenig]

 

[Goodtwin]

I'm shocked at just how hard they pushed the tech in a 2D game. After watching the DF video, and witnessing some marvelous locales, it makes me want to check it out. Gotta play dat demo and see if its for me, game looks trick visually.

 

[EvilTw1n]

This might again be a case of reviewing a game for what it is rather than what it isn't

You can compare what they did to other rpgs, but do other rpgs make every single character the lead? Do other rpgs give you the freedom to play sprayer or together in any combination?

That's fair enough. It's just that most games have an overarching plot, something the game builds to ("here's a bunch of people in their underwear on a quest to punch god in the face"), which offers an overall propulsive momentum. But I'll be interested to play Octopath and see if the per-character story method adds up to be something greater than the sum of its parts. Worst-case scenario, it's just like playing character sideplots in a JRPG without a big bad lurking in the background. I can't wait to find out.

I'm shocked at just how hard they pushed the tech in a 2D game. After watching the DF video, and witnessing some marvelous locales, it makes me want to check it out. Gotta play dat demo and see if its for me, game looks trick visually.

I'm shocked at the people giving them so much shit for calling it the "Fortnite engine" (I mean, they make both things, internet commenters). But yeah, it's impressive that they took the concept this far on a technical level. "A 3D environment wrapped in pixel-looking maps that act as tiles? Sure, why not. Lets just do 16-bit graphics, but augmented with the latest tech."

I'm not a huge fan of the depth of field and "vignette" lighting* thing, but apparently the latter was edited/patched so that it could be turned off. It's an interesting overall aesthetic. I highly recommend the demo; the combat system is pretty neat.

[*Edit: Referred to as "corner shadowing," now that I look in the demo menu.]

 

[Goodtwin]

Looks like we need not worry about Project Octopath being the guinnipig for future Switch support, because the game is putting up terrific numbers. 110k in Japan's opening week is great, and Amazon being sold out in the States is great to see. Selling over a million units is going to happen within a month, and could become an evergreen title that goes on to be a multi million seller. This all but solidifys Square Enix support from their RPG Factory. If you like JRPGs, Switch will be the premier platform.

 

[theMightyME]

Looks like we need not worry about Project Octopath being the guinnipig for future Switch support, because the game is putting up terrific numbers. 110k in Japan's opening week is great, and Amazon being sold out in the States is great to see. Selling over a million units is going to happen within a month, and could become an evergreen title that goes on to be a multi million seller. This all but solidifys Square Enix support from their RPG Factory. If you like JRPGs, Switch will be the premier platform.

in b4 Octopath 2... a ps4 exclusive

 

[Koenig]

in b4 Octopath 2... a ps4 exclusive

It is not unlikely.

 

[FriedShoes]

so long as they stop funding Tokyo RPG Factory

 

[Juegos]

So how's the music in this game? That's probably the single biggest bragging right of JRPGs of the past, the insanely good music. Hell, I think one of the things that led to this website being created (besides the fact that IGN likes to make fun of their fanbase) were some music threads that Menashe and I made, in which most of my entries were from JRPGs.

http://www.ign.com/boards/threads/j...intendo-music-throughout-the-years.200677467/
http://www.ign.com/boards/threads/j...-thread-epic-nintendo-music-part-2.202519905/

(Also, what's this? I used to be a goddamn workhorse. What happened?)

 

[SkywardCrowbar]

I would say that the music is one of the best parts of the games. Each locale has a rather lovely theme, and the main battle continues the long tradition of JRPG's having amazing battle music.

 

[theMightyME]

So how's the music in this game? That's probably the single biggest bragging right of JRPGs of the past, the insanely good music. Hell, I think one of the things that led to this website being created (besides the fact that IGN likes to make fun of their fanbase) were some music threads that Menashe and I made, in which most of my entries were from JRPGs.

http://www.ign.com/boards/threads/j...intendo-music-throughout-the-years.200677467/
http://www.ign.com/boards/threads/j...-thread-epic-nintendo-music-part-2.202519905/

(Also, what's this? I used to be a goddamn workhorse. What happened?)

when m,aking the music, they purposely focused on melodies you could hum along to and find catchy, which is something we just don't get in game music much anymore

the music is great, diverse, memorable, and it doesn't get repetitive and annoying like I am setsuna

some good tracks

edit: can't find my favorite track, the one that plays whenever you see characters conspiring, or something feels "off"

 

[BobSilencieux]

Yeah, the music in this game is top notch. I wasn't really fully aware of how good it is until a) I found myself whistling some of the themes and b) the Lady Silencieux pointed out how good it was while I was playing.

 

[SkywardCrowbar]

I am over 30 hours in now and I must say that the sheer amount of grinding is a bit much, or maybe I'm just not used to JRPG's.