Octopath Traveler 2: A Journey Best Avoided?
Console: Nintendo Switch
Time Played: 73 hours
Octopath Traveler 2 isn’t a bad game, I just don’t think it’s a very good one either – it’s definitely not deserving of the ample praise that’s been heaped on it by critics. As a big role-playing game fan who actually appreciates and enjoys turn-based combat, Octopath Traveler 2 should be right in my wheelhouse. Sadly, after playing for over 70 hours, I’m not sure it’s a game I’d recommend (especially not as my first choice for this sort of game).
I never played the first Octopath Traveler, but after getting over my aversion to the 2D-sprite style of animation (thanks to the fantastic game that is Sea of Stars), I was ready to begin journeying with the (as the name suggests) eight different travelers. That’s really the big hook for this game – you’re getting eight different protagonists with eight different stories.
These eight stories are largely independent from one another. Though you can recruit travelers from other stories to assist with the story of the traveler you’re focusing on, these recruited characters are inconsequential to the story itself and only come into play when combatting enemies. I don’t inherently dislike the idea of having different stories within a single RPG, but as a result, there are going to be some storylines that are stronger than others.
Of the eight characters, I really enjoyed the stories of Throne (the thief on a quest for independence from her guild), Partitio (a merchant spreading prosperity to all), and Cassti (an apothecary on a quest to regain her lost memories). I thought that the stories for Temenos (a cleric investigating a series of murders) and Osvald (a scholar who was framed for murder and is now on a hunt for his wife and daughter’s true killer), were both totally fine, average stories.
Ochette (a hunter trying to recruit three legendary beasts to save her island) and Hikari (a warrior who wants to overthrow his warmongering brother to become king) are both really fun, interesting characters that are saddled with cliché, mostly boring stories. Agnea (a dancer who wants to become famous) is a mostly annoying character with a story that feels extremely low stakes compared to the others.
The developers did add four “Crossed Paths” stories to the game where two of the eight characters at a time interact on other adventures, but these storylines are pretty weak and short. They feel added in just to show ways the characters are more connected with one another (since really, they’re not at all).
When the eight travelers finally comes together in terms of the story (for only the final two or so hours of the game), I was already pretty done with Octopath Traveler 2 mentally, so I didn’t really care. The main issue with the game lies in the sheer amount of content in it. I’ve played longer games before, sure, but I don’t remember ever playing a game with this much plot (and reading text/listening to characters talk with one another).
There is such a thing as simply too much story, and Octopath Traveler 2 is proof of that. I would have greatly preferred it if this were Quadpath Traveler and they concentrated on making four really great and more connected journeys. There’s definitely the potential for a great game in here somewhere – this finished product isn’t it though.
In most games, as you progress in a story you (hopefully) care about, it gets more and more intense and exciting as you go. Here, since the stories aren’t connected, everything feels disjointed. Going from a good story to a not-so-good one doesn’t get you excited to keep playing.
One major positive in the game, that it would be unfair of me not to comment on, is the overall look of this game — something that I really came to appreciate as I played. This is a beautiful game visually. There’s also an above average musical score.
As I said at the start of this post, Octopath Traveler 2 isn’t a truly bad game. It is, however, a long one that feels like it values quantity over quality. I’d recommend playing Sea of Stars, or even games like Star Ocean: The Second Story R and Chained Echoes, before picking up Octopath Traveler 2. If you already played all of those titles though, this RPG is totally fine. Just don’t expect it to live up to the hype.
Grade: 6/10