The dress doesn’t make the monk, and maybe not even graphics make a video game. Aesthetic beauty, we know, does not necessarily correspond to the same quality of content and originality of style. Are we saying we’re talking about an ugly, niche game? Neither case. If already five years ago, in 2018, Square Enix and Acquire had revived the old 2D titles on 8 and 16-bit consoles, they will return in 2023 with Octopath Traveler IIand Classic and beautifully layered JRPG in the narrative and in the strategies to be used. But a word of advice: don’t try it on PC. We explain why in our review.
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Octopath Traveler II, the return of a timeless classic
We had tried it in the free demo version a few days after the official launch, and now we have tested the final version of this game. It took us several hours of gameplay, especially considering that it is interesting to test the different storylines that unfold within this new JRPG. And last but not least, from a technical and graphic point of view, we have seen it in action both on Nintendo Switch and on PC for Steam. But we’ll get to that shortly.
So let’s talk about the game, which tells us a different story from the previous one. Octopath Traveler II takes us this time in the lands of Solistiacon two continents divided by the sea. The two large expanses of land seem to represent the conflict that also exists within the game, between the various themes addressed. These will also see eight protagonists coming from very different backgrounds and contexts, as are the skills they will be able to implement.
The initial choice is already quite difficult in itself, these eight figures are so multifaceted. Once this is done, we can also decide what time of day to start. In fact we can choose when to start the story between day and night. This will go to change the focus of skills of our chosen hero in a radical and interesting way.
That said, not only are the proposed stories quite diverse, but they are also particularly human and even intimate in their unfolding, making Octopath Traveler II more interesting than its predecessor. In addition, these eight young wayfarers will also have the opportunity to meet, with mini chapters where at least two characters will face a common story. It is nonetheless about short quests, but who deepen their stories in comparison. Small signs in terms of plot writing, although the general feeling is still that of lack of cohesion and connection between one character and another.
Not just an RPG: between battles and versatility
Octopath Traveler II is not just an at times disconnected story. The classic turn-based combat system returns here, with a active party up to 4 charactersdestroying the protections of enemies and activating theirs Domain status, to inflict powerful attacks. This can also happen by taking advantage of the Power mechanic, which allows us to accumulate more strength or attacks in a single turn. In this sense, Octopath Traveler II rewards reasoning and strategy, where making a mistake in a turn could put us in serious difficulty. Especially with the multiple bosses in the game.
These represent the toughest challenges, not without some imbalance in our opinion, going to identify an evident difficulty in the combat sector in Octopath Traveler II. The required strategy will be very particular and to be studied carefully, in order to exploit the peculiarities of each character. Each of them has its own one latent power to be launched once the specific bar is filled, to act in perfect harmony with the style of play of the character. Know managing turns and dominating enemies is essential, to get the better of Octopath Traveler II.
Not only positive aspects, but also some sore points, always looking at the more technical aspect. We have noticed a few balance problem inherent in the progression of the game, where the division into chapters, each dedicated to a character and with a suggested level, risks overshadowing some members of the group.
If we were therefore to proceed in the logic of grinding, we would have to deal with some high-level clashes to give experience to the part of the group with less experience. How to avoid this? By purchasing excellent equipment, often expensive and obtainable through some side quests. Not too happy a solution, then.
From day to night, how a game changes depending on the time (and platform)
Now we come to the more technical aspects of this game, looking not only at some pinch of creativity, but also at how it is a versatile experience. Octopath Traveler II is quite creative, giving us the tools to dictate our progression in a variety of ways. The cosiddette Path Actions, two for each character, allow for unique approaches that allow characters to collaborate with each other. In addition to this aspect, in battle there is an achievement well liked the animated wallpapercontextualizing the action in a plausible and decidedly 2.5D scenario, but there are other aspects that just didn’t go down well.
Il character dubbing it was not too well received, as the voices of the characters look very similar and were not able to personalize the individual. Furthermore, our test on Steam was not the best, starting from game screen tile, non-expandable in its dimensions, which were found to be blocked. It almost felt like we were playing a console emulator on PC, and this limitation was unwelcome. Furthermore, it is also true that the graphics are much more suited to a small screen, like a portable console, and thus risk losing their pixel art beauty on a larger screen.
Never the less, we have also tried to make use of the mouse for the PC version, as the commands are yes customizable, but up to a certain point and not entirely freely. Not much has changed: the mouse, especially in the selection of items in the menu, remains quite blocked and limited in cursor movements, because the use of the keyboard still prevails. An aspect that greatly deprives the gaming experience.
The Octopath Traveler II review in a nutshell
Octopath Traveler II is enjoyable and makes progress compared to the previous chapter, and it already seems to us an excellent result. More intersecting stories are proposed, with interactions between characters, but not enough. The closure between the story of one character and another still remains today, but what stands out is the excellent combat system. This too with some imbalance in the management of the party and the economic system. We said it later: having tried both the Nintendo Switch and Steam versions, the first beats the second without any doubt in terms of accessibility and commands. Also there graphicswhich still remains quite similar between both versions, is more designed for a laptop than for a PC. The title itself is appreciable, but it seems to have gone back to about fifteen years ago, when on a Game Boy Advance we turned on the console and saw a few pixels moving on the screen, telling us stories and facing battles in distant lands, between conspiracies and friendships destined to last over time.