Me to I was always hating on jrpg and turned based combat games until . One day I download dragon quest 11 and boy it was one the best games I'eve played, and then I becomes obsessed with the franchise
DUDE. I too am going to start with Temenos. Had planned to go with Partitio, but his story is not as interesting so far. Temenos though is just oozing personality.
I loved the original, and this one looks like it only improves on the things people complained about before. It also comes out on my birthday so yeah I love Octopath I’m glad it’s a full-on series now, looking forward to that sweet sweet music!
Dude happy early birthday!!! It comes out two days after mine so I understand the excitement, octo 1 was already in my top ten now now the sequel which only improves on that feels like a dreamlike bday gift!!!
Happy bday to you, mate! Hope you'll have a great day out there. I did not finish the first one but I plan on doing my best to do so with the 2nd one (PS: I obviously couldn't handle myself and I had to pre-order Octo II with that sweet steelbook). 👌
Glad they made a lot of improvements to, but I was still hoping for more character interactions. The side stories and comments during fights are cool, but I wouldn't say they fixed it, just improved.
It's interesting to see how Team Asano used what they learned with the Live A Live remake in here. If you played LAL there are a lot of little details that one can say "yes, they took X from LAL and improved to use it in OP2". Examples would be the enemy sprites. They are as detailed and un-pixelated as those from LAL with simple animations for them. Many of the biomes give a certain "LAL" vibe (you even got 'Wild West' and 'Edo' biomes). SFX too. They are more polished and detailed versions of LALs. All this is the perfect mark of the old Squaresoft's design policy: build a 'system' up to it's most perfect form. That's what Squaresoft did during the Snes, PS1 and PS2 eras. Basic system of Final Fantasy 4 was used as the template for Mystic Quest, Live A Live and Final Fantasy 5. With subsequent games adding more polish and new complexity to the next (Mystic Quest being the simples upgrade's of the bunch, Live A Live introducing individual 'scenarios' and carry-on functions aside from the battle system, and FF5 really going to town with its many maps that experienced important changes). Then they made Final Fantasy 6 and Treasure of the Rudras, both made with the same new system, but ToR re-implementing the individual scenarios of LAL; only this time they made it so the 3 main scenarios were actual parallel scenarios, taking each protagonist to different locations and even maps (plus all the many changes that happen to those maps throughout the story), before all three converging on the fourth and final scenario en route to the ending. My point is that Team Asano clearly has a process/roadmap in mind, and each new iteration incorporates what they've learned on the others (most of it), plus new improvements. The telling signs of that are the Cross-Path scenarios. They are clearly experimenting, and likely in Octopath Traveler III we'll have a proper interconnected, overarching story (I hope). More so if they do the Treasure of the Rudras remake in between since, as stated before, that one is essentially the template/practice run they need in order to achieve Octo's ultimate form. I sincerely hope that's the case. This lil' emerging franchise deserves it.
This game really snuck up on me. No idea it was out so soon. Really my concern is the difficulty curve being crap again. Which I guess I'll have to wait and see what the player base has to say on that. Other than that, looks good.
I was playing the Demo this morning and got an alert saying the *FULL* game was now downloaded and ready to play as soon as it's release day... My Body is NOT Ready o_o
@@F5alconsHouse the original game has a bad difficulty curve since, it starts off decent. But as you progress through the stories you’ll just end up overleveled. There was no way to control your levels either so the second half of the game was just mindless for me as I was too strong. And yes the final boss was super strong but I prefer that to being mindlessly easy
Where exactly does this "again" come from? The first OPT was a cakewalk except for the true final boss which is - as the name suggests - supposed to be a decent challenge. Edit: Ok I did read your second comment. Agreed.
@@FelixS. ye, being a cakewalk was the issue with the first game. It’s like they didn’t balance it around the idea someone would want to complete the 8 stories
The main two things that made me drop Octopath Traveler 1 was how grindy it got and how disconnected everyone's stories are. It looks like they did attempt to make the party feel more connected with sub-stories and callouts in battle. Party chemistry is one of the biggest things I look for in RPGs (which is something the Bravely Default games did so well), so I hope it's at least a little better here.
Finished the game. They REALLY nailed the shortcomings of the first. The characters interact with each other have their own dynamics and at the end really feel like a family.
@@QuintonT That's good to hear! A few questions though. Do charatcers show up in other charatcer's cutscenes, or is it all separate? Also, is this game as grindy as the first game was? becuase the first game was SUPER grindy and its what made me drop it.
@@darienb1127 Its still grindy in areas, but the steady level progression and vast amount of exploration and secrets never felt like grinding. Example, I want to find a forbidden place on the map to explore, and when I get there, my team's level has increased vastly. The characters abilities make it simple enough to be 8 levels below recommended and come out on top Characters don't interact in individual storylines outside of banter but have "crossed paths" where two characters will have a fun storyline together. In the final chapter, all the characters openly interact and acknowledge whats happened in each others stories while showing their dynamics.
@@RyanDMoore So Bravely Default 2 is actually the third game. Bravley Default and Bravely Second are the first two games on the 3ds. Confusing I know. But 2 is a great starting point as I feel that it really refined the gameplay over the other two games. The 3ds games are still amazing and I still feel they have the better cast of charatcers. But 2 gives us Elvis and he's like an 11/10! Gameplat wise, BD is just Octopath but better tbh. The job system is more robust and and whole mechaic of saving turns or borrowing from later turns is super interesting. Also, music is fucking phenomenal! It was done by Revo, the guy who did the Attack on Titan opening. Point is, PLEASE play the Bravley games! 2 is a greay starting point, and the 3ds games are still worth playing. I will warn you, the second half of BD1 can be a slog though.
There's like 5-10 way better JRPGs that came out in recent years but sure. Bravely default 2 is quite a bit better and I'd argue Final fantasy 4 heroes of light is still superior to both the bravely default and OCTOPATH franchises despite both being born from it. There's subjectivity but both in terms of content, game mechanics and writing OCTOPATH is quite lower.
I’d love to see FF6 done with HD2D ….but square seem to neglect it (the pixel remaster could have been so much more) and chrono trigger for some reason.
They'd have to completely remake those games from the ground up in this style to do that, and most fans would prefer they not do that, because they could potentially ruin those games
see i dont get why people bash it for being too similar. why do they have to deviate from what works? what people like is this and it should stay this.
@@travisporter357 ikr, it's octopath traveler because the game mechanics and design is like the first game. Even pokemon keep their pattern every game
This is going to be my favorite week in rpg gaming in the past few years. First we are getting one of my favorite games ever Legend of Dragoon coming to the PS5 and then Friday we are getting this great game. My free time is completely booked now 😂
I started the demo with Ochette and really like how her companion can attack any unknown elemental/physical weakness. Basically a free weakness reveal while also attacking
The thing I really liked about OPT1 that is also part of OPT2 is I find it respects my time. I have loved RPG's for almost 30 years now, and some of my favourite classic JRPG's need to be played for a few hours at a time to feel like I have accomplished anything, and I don't often get that kind of gaming time anymore. OPT lets me play for 30-60 minutes and I can generally complete a chapter in a story, or rob a town blind, or explore a side area. This game is great is small bites, and fun in long sessions. I think I remember reading an interview when OPT 1 launched that keeping play time in mind was part of the reason they went with the 8 path route. I like that the characters are a bit more interconnected, cheering each other on and the introduction on shared story lines, while maintaining the bite sized stories. I'd give the game a solid 9.5/10 if not 10/10
My biggest question is that I’m wondering if the final boss of this game is once again a mix convoluted side quest with an unimpactful ending and not even voice acting. That was honestly my biggest issue with the first game.
really excited to get this game although i still haven't finished Engage... i'm just happy that they are continueing to improve the 2d-hd style in every new game released using this style.
@@eeeeggnog._. the crazy thing about the game is that if a boss takes a long time to beat it’s 100% your fault and you aren’t using the right tactics to win. People would say how Galdera took hours to beat but you can realistically beat him in like 5 minutes with the right strategy
The game isn't for everyone since it does appeal to a narrower audience than most games on the market, but should you be in that audience, this sequel is the gold standard. Went well above the standard 3 hour mark with the demo thanks to some value editing and can confidently say if you enjoyed the first game in any capacity, it will only be a better time spent with the second. Great review- totally agreed from start to finish
this game sets a bar high in my jrpg games benchmark. After playing the first one, I'm having a hard time looking for jrpg games that gives Octopath Traveler's level of satisfaction.
After stumbling right outta the gate with Forspoken to begin 2023, Square-Enix redeems itself big time with this hugely anticipated sequel to one of the best games of 2018. My brother & I can't wait to get our Switch & PS5 Collector's Editions of Octopath Traveler 2 from the Square-Enix official store. This game is the perfect way to pass the time until Final Fantasy 16 arrives in June.
well, the end of last year was quite good too for SE, like, their average of 4 to 6/10 game is like only 1 out of 7... which mean 6 very good game for each miss, its technically an insane average.
@@charlestrudel8308thinking about it best games to come out last year for SE was triangle strategy, Live A Live, and Crisis core. Really you can see the octopath style games are strong let’s hope they continue to be great
@@inuclearpickle8628 indeed, and also, both diofield and star ocean 6 were actually quite liked. Valkyrie Elisium was less so but that one wasnt overhype up the wazoo like Forspoken was.
@@charlestrudel8308 diofield chronicle is getting a free update next month. A new scenario, where you play as Waltaquin along with a new weapon and skill tree. Also adds a very hard difficulty, as well as a "high difficulty extra mode", which allows higher level enemies to appear from chapter 1 in a NG+.
Really appreciate the specifib memtion of a noncentral story. If u are gonna charge 60 for a retro title, at least try and match the scope of the classics ur paying homage to. Ill try and grab it on sale for the excellent gameplay and collection of well written side quests that it is.
I bought my first Switch mostly for the first sociopath game (and others, but that was the game that got me to buy it when I did). I upgraded to a Switch OLED last month, and lo and behold there’s a new Octopath just around the corner. Edit: I’m not changing it. Thanks, autocorrect.
Saw this on sale in the eShop had been holding off but played the prologue demo and realised that the save carried over which was handy! Thanks for the review! 😁
Absolutely love this game! Though they didn’t mention that Octopath 2 is less grindy, and when you finish all the characters storylines 1 last final chapter unlocks where all 8 characters interact at the same time to go and beat the true final boss!
Octopath 2 had the best end boss battle I've fought, even better than octopath 1, which was also pretty incredible. But leading up to it, the gameplay tends on the easy side and the game is very dialogue heavy. The game is also very similar to the first game, one could say a reimagining of octopath 1. I guess it's the first time Square released a sequel and didn't change every thing. It's nice to get more of the good things. But really everything feels very similar (classes, class abilities, learning at class alters, bonus classes, 8 characters with 3 chapters each, final battle royale, battle against the darkness where everything was actually tied together, field abilities, weapon types, magic types, items). There are some QOL improvements with classes and abilities that I feel should have been there in the first game. There is a day/night feature that I don't love (I didn't like it in Dragon Warrior or any game for that matter). Latent powers add a twist to battle, but otherwise it is really the same game from an alternate reality.
Awesome review. The update to combat, whilst minor, is appreciated. I loved the stories in the first, but found the combat a drag. This reviews has me very optimistic.
I feel like the developpers don't lack any kind of ambition because they kept close to the first game's roots. Sometimes getting away from these roots is precisely what disappoints.
Cant wait to see which kind of goodies theyre hiding still in the game. The demo was a delight. Can't wait for the full release and see what kind of 2nd jobs they have in the game. So far i manage to find the Inventor Class. Cant wait for the others. 😇😇😇
I really hope the studio makes a new game (not octopath but a stand alone) with one story. Literally the only reason I gave up on the first I just couldn't care less about some of the characters and it killed the experience for me. Though the crossed path quests make me wanna give it another go.
Day one buy for me! I beat the first one with a play time of almost 85 hrs (learned how to play the game better about halfway thru). I just hope the grind isn't quite as prevalent in this one, and maybe slightly shorter boss fights.
By 3:30 I was looking forward to the game more (they are less "people walking together" and now "people working together"). I have loved what I have played in the demo (played 2 people so far), enjoy that there are new jobs (got the inventor job) and it looks less like "pick 4 people, give them the missing jobs and more on", the time differents (like said in the video) and the bad guys more when attacking.
I keep hearing reviewers say it doesn’t evolve itself enough the original but what evolution would it need to even take? Battle system works great and is improved, characters have much more interesting stories, we have more interaction between characters, and the camera changing perspective really improves the game a lot. Overall idk what really is there to add that would get people who wouldn’t pick up the game in the first place. Only improvement I’d probably want is a better mini map after all the other improvements made
Yeah the cross path things are just not enough for me. The whole concept of the game is very good, but I need the characters to actually have a reason to travel together. I really want to like these games, but I just can't get over that hurdle.
Only reason why I never got the original was because I heard how hard the game can get and I am just not into hard games anymore. So is there difficulty settings here? Or is the game at least manageable to play? I just don't want to grind too much if there are difficulty spikes.
This is worth buying then? FF6, SMRPG, Chrono Trigger are my favorite absolute favorite style of games ever made. Playing thru the demo with the warrior right now, seems like each character will be a vastly different play thru? I didn't quite get into the first one, I tried to start every character's story and none of them were engrossing enough to keep me. This one has me digging the mechanics out of the gate.
super excited for this game but im curious about something i havent heard anyone with a review copy answer. is it true that it sticks to 4 chapters per character still? because in the demo you have to do osvald’s chapter 1 and 2 but his second chapter was incredibly short and featured no boss fight, so im worried that if it sticks to 4 chapters some characters will get some really tiny chapters like his and have less of a story
I haven't seen anyone speak to this, but @Felix or @Mitch, is the 'paper roll' effect present on the Switch version? Where the corners are faded and muddied. It was quite drastic on OT1 on the Switch but was removed by default for other console versions. It was the only thing annoyed me on the original. It was like you were playing the game looking thru a paper towel roll.
I've been eagerly awaiting this game for some time. Right now all I'm torn on is if I'm going to be playing it on Switch or PC. Until the demos came I was I was sure I'd get it on Switch, but after playing both demos and seeing just how incredible the visuals look and how smooth the high framerate is on Steam, I'm having second thoughts.
Great review!!! I will add however, Octopath doesn’t need to change much despite appreciating what the second one has done. For instance, Soulsborne games have come a long ways but keep the same dna from Demons Souls just more refined. They are now what other games try to copy. The first Octopath was a masterpiece imo, I mention it with the likes of Chrono Trigger and Final Fantasy. The emphasis on multiple protagonists with fully fleshed out stories, endings, and the ability to beat the game without “beating” the game (competing all stories) is special. I think only Live Alive has a similar construct. If it loses that then it’s just like any other turned based jrpg.
I just want to see an analysis of handheld mode in particular before I buy it. It looks so great on PS5, but I would play exclusively handheld if possible. It's not helpful to say a game looks poor on handheld but not show footage. Is it native 720p? I wish Xbox would put it on cloud gaming. Best of both worlds
Hi Felix. Is it srill that only the fighting 4 gets expirence points, or are the expirrence points now for the whole party? That's what I did not like in the first game.
Maybe I'm weird but I didn't mind that all the paths are separate in the first game. That's the vibe it was going for. 8 individual vignettes you can play through. I feel like the people who wanted them all to cross over and have an overarching narrative just didn't understand the story the game was trying to tell which was fairly unique for a game like this.
I'm not sure what there is to get. If they were going to make a game with 8 separated stories then why even bother having the characters travel together? Many of the characters have a one-track mind for their end goal, so wouldn't being sidetracked by 7 other people be more of a hindrance to them? I imagine people like Olberic or Ophilia would help most of the others just to help. But why would Primrose go on detours to help Tressa set up shop in random locations? And is Cyrus really okay with helping Therion steal from people? And for that matter many of the events in their stories (mostly quietly sneaking in somewhere) require specific strategies where a large group is a liability, and/or skills that not everyone in the party has. All of that also doesn't touch on how much backtracking there is if you're following all of their stories. It just doesn't make much sense to have this party of 8 journey together. If they wanted a game where all the characters follow their own stories why not make it more like Live A Live or Odin Sphere? Why have a group if they're not really a group?
So after playing the original, I enjoyed starting it because it had strong starts to narrative stories but I got a bit bored of it after the stories sorta fell-off once it got started. I played the demo for this new sequel and loved the strong start to Particio's story that was so interesting and compelling, but does it uphold a strong story after the prologue where the demo ends? I am curious because I do not want to buy this game as well if the story gets weaker and less interesting after such a strong start.
The stories feel a lot more interconnected and coherent this time around, which helps them stand up. There's also more side-stories that actually connect two protagonists, which does a lot to combat the "eight completely separate stories" feel of the original. It's also a lot better-written in general, in my opinion. MAJOR SPOILERS FROM HERE ON OUT. DO NOT CLICK "READ MORE" IF YOU CARE. There's also way more connection to the "optional superboss" of the game - who is more like a normal final-boss this time around, complete with credits sequence. Of the 8 characters, 5 of them are tangentially related in a clear enough way, one just straight up screams "HEY, THIS IS GOING TO BE THE SUPERBOSS" from the start, and only 2 of them come as a surprise connection.
It might be just me but I think Hitari’s ability to do counter attacks that take away shield points no matter what, is a bit broken. I haven’t seen much of the other characters abilities yet since this is who I picked from the start of the demo.
oh man I'm glad they stuck with this art style, I couldn't get into the first OT because of the color palette and that strong vignette effect that while you could tone it down, never looked right. the sequel looks so much better
Played the demo for a while yesterday, got through 5 of the characters and so far all of the stories are really good except I felt casti was really lacking, the dialogue was not as good and the story was not as interesting as the others so far, I still need to play as the dancer the merchant and the thief but they all look cool so hopefully have good stories. I don't know who I'm going to start with yet because my favourite ones so far are Hikari and osvald so I want them both on my main party but they're opposite sides of the map so I cant decide who to start with, im most invested in osvalds story and I like temenos and they're close so I will most likely start with osvald
How much overlap is there in terms of the quest or campaign from character to character? Like, if you only beat the game with one character, have you literally only experienced 1/8th of the games content? How much overlap is there in this and the first game?
Like, if you only beat the game with one character, have you literally only experienced 1/8th of the games content? Pretty much, yes. in the first game they only interact in some small talks during their single paths and share their opionion on it. At the second game its pretty much the same, however there are sidequests that evolve a pair of characters storywise.
I played the demo on pc and I got hooked, so I bought it on the switch. I'm having a blast but I'm really sad about one thing. And that one thing is the beautiful visuals get completely lost on the switch screen, I don't know how it looks like on dock mode but yeah...
I started the demo and it seemed like a total retread of the first. Hoping it comes into its own. Even if it doesn't, it'll be amazing. Loved the first.
It’s on sale in E-shop and bought it today. Excited to start playing. I was looking for jrpgs to play, I was thinking about disgaea for the nostalgic feels but your review convinced me. Pretty sure there are much better jrpgs out there but I just hope the game doesn’t dissapoint
3 months later, what did you think of it? I'd say this is a fantastic RPG and one of the best ones of recent times, so I'd have to disagree with your last sentence, but I'd like to know your thoughts on it now!
I am a huge potterhead and its been hard for me to stop playing Hogwarts Legacy... until this gem was released. Damn, I can't believe a 2D game will eat up a whole weekend.
If it's anything like the first one (and it seems like it's really like it), the game should start kinda easy and ramp the difficulty, but only gets hard toward the end. And there should be a fair amount of grinding, if you want to unlock all the class skills on everyone.
Depends on how well you can understand how to effectively break and utilize buff windows. In octopath 1 I remember getting the stuffing knocked out of me by opthilla’s chapter 2 boss. You are really free to figure out how you want your party in the first game and is expanded here in II.
is the weapon looks the same within each category? since octopath 1 weapon looks the same which makes me bored since the strongest weapon looks like the weakest one by graphic
I played the demo briefly and decided to wait for the full game. I tested that weapons do have their own unique designs. Though some may share the same design.
I'm so fucking excited for this game, I can't wait for Friday. So far I've been coping with the release date by forgetting it exists so it sneaks up on me, but now that I've played the demo I can't forget about it anymore. Also, does anyone remember what the original collectors edition cost? Iirc, it was about $100. I was planning on getting this collectors edition but it's a staggering $180!
Question: Are the battles again very long due to the break mechanic forcing to grind every enemy shield down? That was my main complain about the first OT.
Probably. Towards the end of the first game, you can pretty much burst enemies down in the 2nd turn with magic. The 2x battle speed (honestly feels like 2.5x) makes battles super quick in OT2.
![[DOKKAN BATTLE] Worldwide Campaign Announcement Video Part 2!](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/JpT5Voak6WA/mqdefault.jpg)
I really loved how Octopath 1 basically advanced classic turn based combat and brought it to the modern era. Really looking forward to this game.
I'm not usually a jrpg guy but I got the demo on PS5 and absolutely love it. I started with Temenos who is hilarious!
Me to I was always hating on jrpg and turned based combat games until . One day I download dragon quest 11 and boy it was one the best games I'eve played, and then I becomes obsessed with the franchise
DUDE. I too am going to start with Temenos. Had planned to go with Partitio, but his story is not as interesting so far. Temenos though is just oozing personality.
Temenos is the 🐐
"I WILL get answers."
The guy is fantastic.
Do the demo saves transfer to the full version of the game?
I loved the original, and this one looks like it only improves on the things people complained about before. It also comes out on my birthday so yeah I love Octopath I’m glad it’s a full-on series now, looking forward to that sweet sweet music!
Happy early birthday to you! Hope you enjoy the game.
@@xleaselife Thank you!
Dude happy early birthday!!! It comes out two days after mine so I understand the excitement, octo 1 was already in my top ten now now the sequel which only improves on that feels like a dreamlike bday gift!!!
@@amatsukyoya9215 Haha, that’s awesome! Thank you!
Happy bday to you, mate! Hope you'll have a great day out there. I did not finish the first one but I plan on doing my best to do so with the 2nd one (PS: I obviously couldn't handle myself and I had to pre-order Octo II with that sweet steelbook). 👌
So excited for this game I’ve been waiting all month for this one
Fuck this game
same I easily played the demo over 50 hours by now lol
This is gonna be loooong week. Can't wait til the 24th.
Ikr hopefully my work gives me Friday off
Glad to hear that OT2 overall improves on the first game. Which is all that you look for in a sequel. Hope it sells just as well too.
Glad they made a lot of improvements to, but I was still hoping for more character interactions. The side stories and comments during fights are cool, but I wouldn't say they fixed it, just improved.
It's interesting to see how Team Asano used what they learned with the Live A Live remake in here. If you played LAL there are a lot of little details that one can say "yes, they took X from LAL and improved to use it in OP2". Examples would be the enemy sprites. They are as detailed and un-pixelated as those from LAL with simple animations for them. Many of the biomes give a certain "LAL" vibe (you even got 'Wild West' and 'Edo' biomes). SFX too. They are more polished and detailed versions of LALs.
All this is the perfect mark of the old Squaresoft's design policy: build a 'system' up to it's most perfect form.
That's what Squaresoft did during the Snes, PS1 and PS2 eras.
Basic system of Final Fantasy 4 was used as the template for Mystic Quest, Live A Live and Final Fantasy 5. With subsequent games adding more polish and new complexity to the next (Mystic Quest being the simples upgrade's of the bunch, Live A Live introducing individual 'scenarios' and carry-on functions aside from the battle system, and FF5 really going to town with its many maps that experienced important changes). Then they made Final Fantasy 6 and Treasure of the Rudras, both made with the same new system, but ToR re-implementing the individual scenarios of LAL; only this time they made it so the 3 main scenarios were actual parallel scenarios, taking each protagonist to different locations and even maps (plus all the many changes that happen to those maps throughout the story), before all three converging on the fourth and final scenario en route to the ending.
My point is that Team Asano clearly has a process/roadmap in mind, and each new iteration incorporates what they've learned on the others (most of it), plus new improvements. The telling signs of that are the Cross-Path scenarios. They are clearly experimenting, and likely in Octopath Traveler III we'll have a proper interconnected, overarching story (I hope). More so if they do the Treasure of the Rudras remake in between since, as stated before, that one is essentially the template/practice run they need in order to achieve Octo's ultimate form.
I sincerely hope that's the case. This lil' emerging franchise deserves it.
This game really snuck up on me. No idea it was out so soon.
Really my concern is the difficulty curve being crap again. Which I guess I'll have to wait and see what the player base has to say on that. Other than that, looks good.
I was playing the Demo this morning and got an alert saying the *FULL* game was now downloaded and ready to play as soon as it's release day...
My Body is NOT Ready o_o
yeah I never finished postgame after getting hours into the final fight and losing multiple times before giving up.
@@F5alconsHouse the original game has a bad difficulty curve since, it starts off decent. But as you progress through the stories you’ll just end up overleveled. There was no way to control your levels either so the second half of the game was just mindless for me as I was too strong. And yes the final boss was super strong but I prefer that to being mindlessly easy
Where exactly does this "again" come from? The first OPT was a cakewalk except for the true final boss which is - as the name suggests - supposed to be a decent challenge.
Edit: Ok I did read your second comment. Agreed.
@@FelixS. ye, being a cakewalk was the issue with the first game. It’s like they didn’t balance it around the idea someone would want to complete the 8 stories
The main two things that made me drop Octopath Traveler 1 was how grindy it got and how disconnected everyone's stories are. It looks like they did attempt to make the party feel more connected with sub-stories and callouts in battle. Party chemistry is one of the biggest things I look for in RPGs (which is something the Bravely Default games did so well), so I hope it's at least a little better here.
Finished the game. They REALLY nailed the shortcomings of the first. The characters interact with each other have their own dynamics and at the end really feel like a family.
@@QuintonT That's good to hear! A few questions though. Do charatcers show up in other charatcer's cutscenes, or is it all separate? Also, is this game as grindy as the first game was? becuase the first game was SUPER grindy and its what made me drop it.
@@darienb1127 Its still grindy in areas, but the steady level progression and vast amount of exploration and secrets never felt like grinding. Example, I want to find a forbidden place on the map to explore, and when I get there, my team's level has increased vastly. The characters abilities make it simple enough to be 8 levels below recommended and come out on top
Characters don't interact in individual storylines outside of banter but have "crossed paths" where two characters will have a fun storyline together. In the final chapter, all the characters openly interact and acknowledge whats happened in each others stories while showing their dynamics.
How is Bravely Default? I see the second one has a demo. I'm new to Switch and been deprived of JRPGs save Tales of Arise for years now lol.
@@RyanDMoore So Bravely Default 2 is actually the third game. Bravley Default and Bravely Second are the first two games on the 3ds. Confusing I know. But 2 is a great starting point as I feel that it really refined the gameplay over the other two games. The 3ds games are still amazing and I still feel they have the better cast of charatcers. But 2 gives us Elvis and he's like an 11/10! Gameplat wise, BD is just Octopath but better tbh. The job system is more robust and and whole mechaic of saving turns or borrowing from later turns is super interesting. Also, music is fucking phenomenal! It was done by Revo, the guy who did the Attack on Titan opening.
Point is, PLEASE play the Bravley games! 2 is a greay starting point, and the 3ds games are still worth playing. I will warn you, the second half of BD1 can be a slog though.
Looks like one of the best jrpgs of the decade
The first was amazing this looks even more amazing
You say this now but we have 7 more years in which Octopath Traveler 3 and, in the greatest timeline, Octopath Traveler 4 could potentially come out
Say it louder and louder!!
There's like 5-10 way better JRPGs that came out in recent years but sure. Bravely default 2 is quite a bit better and I'd argue Final fantasy 4 heroes of light is still superior to both the bravely default and OCTOPATH franchises despite both being born from it.
There's subjectivity but both in terms of content, game mechanics and writing OCTOPATH is quite lower.
@@sombrego2260 there really isn’t. Disagree heavily
I’d love to see FF6 done with HD2D ….but square seem to neglect it (the pixel remaster could have been so much more) and chrono trigger for some reason.
They'd have to completely remake those games from the ground up in this style to do that, and most fans would prefer they not do that, because they could potentially ruin those games
FF6 in HD2D would be absolutely incredible! I’m not gonna hold my breath on it, but we can dream can’t we 😅
@@jordankelly4684 that's what they're doing with Dragon Quest III. Not sure what would make FFVI any different.
Square is a pretty hit or miss company these days
see i dont get why people bash it for being too similar. why do they have to deviate from what works? what people like is this and it should stay this.
I don't mind it either. Just hate ppl also say the same about other non Japanese games like cod, far cry, creed etc.
Right? And when they make it too different, people complain about that too. People are never satisfied 🫢🫢
I don’t get why people can’t have criticisms. No, if they disagree with you they are “bashing” it. Because your opinion is so perfect.
Isn’t it the reason y they love the first one I don’t get it
@@travisporter357 ikr, it's octopath traveler because the game mechanics and design is like the first game. Even pokemon keep their pattern every game
Just finished the game for the first time, and it's officially my favorite video game ever; I cannot reccomend it enough
I was thinking about getting it and looking for someone who loved it. Thanks for posting
This is going to be my favorite week in rpg gaming in the past few years. First we are getting one of my favorite games ever Legend of Dragoon coming to the PS5 and then Friday we are getting this great game. My free time is completely booked now 😂
LOD is the goat!
In OT1, I always use Scholar job to reveal enemies weakness in battles😁
Cyrus was GOATED.
Same here! For whatever reason, I decided to play as Agnea first and I adore her character. In many ways, she reminds me of Tressa!
Of CAWWWWSE!
I started the demo with Ochette and really like how her companion can attack any unknown elemental/physical weakness. Basically a free weakness reveal while also attacking
Playing Octopath 1 right now. Will be getting this soon 100 percent.
The first one is boring
The thing I really liked about OPT1 that is also part of OPT2 is I find it respects my time. I have loved RPG's for almost 30 years now, and some of my favourite classic JRPG's need to be played for a few hours at a time to feel like I have accomplished anything, and I don't often get that kind of gaming time anymore.
OPT lets me play for 30-60 minutes and I can generally complete a chapter in a story, or rob a town blind, or explore a side area. This game is great is small bites, and fun in long sessions.
I think I remember reading an interview when OPT 1 launched that keeping play time in mind was part of the reason they went with the 8 path route. I like that the characters are a bit more interconnected, cheering each other on and the introduction on shared story lines, while maintaining the bite sized stories. I'd give the game a solid 9.5/10 if not 10/10
My biggest question is that I’m wondering if the final boss of this game is once again a mix convoluted side quest with an unimpactful ending and not even voice acting. That was honestly my biggest issue with the first game.
One of those games you don’t have to question it’s worth, so glad people are enjoying the magic of Octopath & discovering the original one too!
Cough cough trash game cough cough edit: lol just kidding 😅😂
really excited to get this game although i still haven't finished Engage... i'm just happy that they are continueing to improve the 2d-hd style in every new game released using this style.
Engage was a chore to finish. 3 houses was miles better
@@EastOfEden96 agree, though, i'm happy i already finished both Engage and octopath 2. 😁
I never played the first one (only did the demo.)
Guess I'll have to get to it before getting into this one. Love the pixel art style.
I hope the final boss is just as satisfying and challenging as the final boss of the first game. I also hope the super bosses are good
The IGNorance reviewer said it was. Took him 10 hours to kill.
@@txgoldrush dang.
@@txgoldrush I can hardly believe a guy that rushed and skipped content actually did that.
@txgoldrush God I hope thats not literal, I want to get this game but the length of some of the fights in the first game was a bit too much for me
@@eeeeggnog._. the crazy thing about the game is that if a boss takes a long time to beat it’s 100% your fault and you aren’t using the right tactics to win. People would say how Galdera took hours to beat but you can realistically beat him in like 5 minutes with the right strategy
The game isn't for everyone since it does appeal to a narrower audience than most games on the market, but should you be in that audience, this sequel is the gold standard. Went well above the standard 3 hour mark with the demo thanks to some value editing and can confidently say if you enjoyed the first game in any capacity, it will only be a better time spent with the second.
Great review- totally agreed from start to finish
this game sets a bar high in my jrpg games benchmark. After playing the first one, I'm having a hard time looking for jrpg games that gives Octopath Traveler's level of satisfaction.
Agree. This and Golden Sun are my all time favorite games
After stumbling right outta the gate with Forspoken to begin 2023, Square-Enix redeems itself big time with this hugely anticipated sequel to one of the best games of 2018. My brother & I can't wait to get our Switch & PS5 Collector's Editions of Octopath Traveler 2 from the Square-Enix official store. This game is the perfect way to pass the time until Final Fantasy 16 arrives in June.
well, the end of last year was quite good too for SE, like, their average of 4 to 6/10 game is like only 1 out of 7... which mean 6 very good game for each miss, its technically an insane average.
@@charlestrudel8308thinking about it best games to come out last year for SE was triangle strategy, Live A Live, and Crisis core. Really you can see the octopath style games are strong let’s hope they continue to be great
@@inuclearpickle8628 indeed, and also, both diofield and star ocean 6 were actually quite liked. Valkyrie Elisium was less so but that one wasnt overhype up the wazoo like Forspoken was.
I also got the Collector's Edition. I can't wait.
How about those shipping costs, huh?
@@charlestrudel8308 diofield chronicle is getting a free update next month. A new scenario, where you play as Waltaquin along with a new weapon and skill tree. Also adds a very hard difficulty, as well as a "high difficulty extra mode", which allows higher level enemies to appear from chapter 1 in a NG+.
Really appreciate the specifib memtion of a noncentral story. If u are gonna charge 60 for a retro title, at least try and match the scope of the classics ur paying homage to. Ill try and grab it on sale for the excellent gameplay and collection of well written side quests that it is.
I said to myself after reading the review on their site “I bet Felix will do the video on this”. Well would you look at that…
I bought my first Switch mostly for the first sociopath game (and others, but that was the game that got me to buy it when I did).
I upgraded to a Switch OLED last month, and lo and behold there’s a new Octopath just around the corner.
Edit: I’m not changing it. Thanks, autocorrect.
Yeah the legendary sociopath game. Truly a masterpiece.
I feel like ypu guys gave a more thorough review than ign.
Saw this on sale in the eShop had been holding off but played the prologue demo and realised that the save carried over which was handy! Thanks for the review! 😁
Absolutely love this game! Though they didn’t mention that Octopath 2 is less grindy, and when you finish all the characters storylines 1 last final chapter unlocks where all 8 characters interact at the same time to go and beat the true final boss!
I’m unironically more hyped for this than tears of the kingdom. I already pre ordered the special edition
@Creataria I mean, I’ll still be getting TOTK, but it’s just lower down on my priority list
First time playing Octopath 2 demo and started the Hikari storyline damn it’s cool. Love a good old samurai story.
I’ll save you 12:01
Yes! Yes it is worth it.
I’d love to see Zelda games in this art style - it’s so atmospheric and evocative.
Yes! Links Awakening would be amazing!
Octopath 2 had the best end boss battle I've fought, even better than octopath 1, which was also pretty incredible. But leading up to it, the gameplay tends on the easy side and the game is very dialogue heavy. The game is also very similar to the first game, one could say a reimagining of octopath 1. I guess it's the first time Square released a sequel and didn't change every thing. It's nice to get more of the good things. But really everything feels very similar (classes, class abilities, learning at class alters, bonus classes, 8 characters with 3 chapters each, final battle royale, battle against the darkness where everything was actually tied together, field abilities, weapon types, magic types, items). There are some QOL improvements with classes and abilities that I feel should have been there in the first game. There is a day/night feature that I don't love (I didn't like it in Dragon Warrior or any game for that matter). Latent powers add a twist to battle, but otherwise it is really the same game from an alternate reality.
Awesome review. The update to combat, whilst minor, is appreciated. I loved the stories in the first, but found the combat a drag. This reviews has me very optimistic.
I feel like the developpers don't lack any kind of ambition because they kept close to the first game's roots. Sometimes getting away from these roots is precisely what disappoints.
*cough* Braveky Default II *cough*
Cant wait to see which kind of goodies theyre hiding still in the game. The demo was a delight. Can't wait for the full release and see what kind of 2nd jobs they have in the game. So far i manage to find the Inventor Class. Cant wait for the others. 😇😇😇
I really hope the studio makes a new game (not octopath but a stand alone) with one story. Literally the only reason I gave up on the first I just couldn't care less about some of the characters and it killed the experience for me. Though the crossed path quests make me wanna give it another go.
I had so many issues with the first game, but I really wanted to like it. So hopefully this one improves some of the glaring annoyances
I have been playing the first part of the demo for each character, trying to decide which will be my main one.
Day one buy for me! I beat the first one with a play time of almost 85 hrs (learned how to play the game better about halfway thru). I just hope the grind isn't quite as prevalent in this one, and maybe slightly shorter boss fights.
By 3:30 I was looking forward to the game more (they are less "people walking together" and now "people working together"). I have loved what I have played in the demo (played 2 people so far), enjoy that there are new jobs (got the inventor job) and it looks less like "pick 4 people, give them the missing jobs and more on", the time differents (like said in the video) and the bad guys more when attacking.
I keep hearing reviewers say it doesn’t evolve itself enough the original but what evolution would it need to even take? Battle system works great and is improved, characters have much more interesting stories, we have more interaction between characters, and the camera changing perspective really improves the game a lot. Overall idk what really is there to add that would get people who wouldn’t pick up the game in the first place. Only improvement I’d probably want is a better mini map after all the other improvements made
yay!! no one was hocking a loogi at me during the intro! “Hhhheccccckeekkk-ello lovey people”
Yeah the cross path things are just not enough for me. The whole concept of the game is very good, but I need the characters to actually have a reason to travel together. I really want to like these games, but I just can't get over that hurdle.
Only reason why I never got the original was because I heard how hard the game can get and I am just not into hard games anymore. So is there difficulty settings here? Or is the game at least manageable to play? I just don't want to grind too much if there are difficulty spikes.
This is worth buying then? FF6, SMRPG, Chrono Trigger are my favorite absolute favorite style of games ever made. Playing thru the demo with the warrior right now, seems like each character will be a vastly different play thru? I didn't quite get into the first one, I tried to start every character's story and none of them were engrossing enough to keep me. This one has me digging the mechanics out of the gate.
Ngl. I forgot other games I want to play after I saw and played Octopath Traveler II demo. :)
The 1st OT was a masterpiece & this seems even better! Thanks for the great review 👍🏼
It was far from a masterpiece. Good game, but definitely had its flaws.
masterpiece my ass have you played rpgs before
@@gaupau it is a masterpiece though. You should play more RPGs & you will know better.
super excited for this game but im curious about something i havent heard anyone with a review copy answer. is it true that it sticks to 4 chapters per character still? because in the demo you have to do osvald’s chapter 1 and 2 but his second chapter was incredibly short and featured no boss fight, so im worried that if it sticks to 4 chapters some characters will get some really tiny chapters like his and have less of a story
This is a great review. IGN did not cover many of the gameplay elements discussed in this review. I'm sold day one buy for me
I prefer the look of Sea of Stars. I don't know why but I don't really like the visuals of OT.
Sea of Stars looks awful imo.
Nintendo Life is my go-to for reviews! I'll be getting this day 1. So glad to see Square Enix back on track with all these hits on Switch.
I haven't seen anyone speak to this, but @Felix or @Mitch, is the 'paper roll' effect present on the Switch version? Where the corners are faded and muddied. It was quite drastic on OT1 on the Switch but was removed by default for other console versions. It was the only thing annoyed me on the original. It was like you were playing the game looking thru a paper towel roll.
I've been eagerly awaiting this game for some time. Right now all I'm torn on is if I'm going to be playing it on Switch or PC. Until the demos came I was I was sure I'd get it on Switch, but after playing both demos and seeing just how incredible the visuals look and how smooth the high framerate is on Steam, I'm having second thoughts.
This game was made to play laying down in bed. Therefore, Switch
@Razor Smith yeah, I can't stand playing a jrpg tethered to a TV anymore
SO excited for this game!
I'm SO ready for this game!! The first Octopath is still one of my favorite Switch titles and already know the sequel will be even better 🔥
Great review!!! I will add however, Octopath doesn’t need to change much despite appreciating what the second one has done. For instance, Soulsborne games have come a long ways but keep the same dna from Demons Souls just more refined. They are now what other games try to copy.
The first Octopath was a masterpiece imo, I mention it with the likes of Chrono Trigger and Final Fantasy. The emphasis on multiple protagonists with fully fleshed out stories, endings, and the ability to beat the game without “beating” the game (competing all stories) is special. I think only Live Alive has a similar construct. If it loses that then it’s just like any other turned based jrpg.
I played Ochette and Throné's chapters in the demo and I was in love. Cant wait for 24th.
This game comes out right on my birthday! Might have to spoil myself 😊
Ayyy B-day buddies, what a great game to treat ourselves with!🥹
I like the crossed paths idea. Just wish the 8 stories intertwined more and came together as one
Maybe they'll manage that in the next game. The problem is that it's really hard to do so.
@@joseph86255 Yeah i think it's very hard for as long as they want to stick with 8 characters when u can only make parties of 4.
@@IchiExorz In any case, the crossed paths are a big improvement, and it'll be interesting to see the characters pay off each other.
I seriously can't wait for this game! I loved the first one so much, I spent well over 150 hours on it. Cheers and rock on!
I just want to see an analysis of handheld mode in particular before I buy it. It looks so great on PS5, but I would play exclusively handheld if possible. It's not helpful to say a game looks poor on handheld but not show footage. Is it native 720p?
I wish Xbox would put it on cloud gaming. Best of both worlds
Hi Felix. Is it srill that only the fighting 4 gets expirence points, or are the expirrence points now for the whole party? That's what I did not like in the first game.
I've heard that only the active party members get EXP and JP, but the underleveled characters get boosted EXP gains.
Maybe I'm weird but I didn't mind that all the paths are separate in the first game. That's the vibe it was going for. 8 individual vignettes you can play through. I feel like the people who wanted them all to cross over and have an overarching narrative just didn't understand the story the game was trying to tell which was fairly unique for a game like this.
I'm not sure what there is to get. If they were going to make a game with 8 separated stories then why even bother having the characters travel together?
Many of the characters have a one-track mind for their end goal, so wouldn't being sidetracked by 7 other people be more of a hindrance to them? I imagine people like Olberic or Ophilia would help most of the others just to help. But why would Primrose go on detours to help Tressa set up shop in random locations? And is Cyrus really okay with helping Therion steal from people?
And for that matter many of the events in their stories (mostly quietly sneaking in somewhere) require specific strategies where a large group is a liability, and/or skills that not everyone in the party has. All of that also doesn't touch on how much backtracking there is if you're following all of their stories.
It just doesn't make much sense to have this party of 8 journey together. If they wanted a game where all the characters follow their own stories why not make it more like Live A Live or Odin Sphere? Why have a group if they're not really a group?
Very fair and comprehensive review. Makes the IGN review look like a joke…
Do we need to play the original first or is it an entirely new storyline?
Seems like it is entirely new
Gotta say, this game is amazing. I’ve been playing via Ps5 remote play, and it feels just as good as playing on my switch OLED. Love it.
Square should just 'octo-remaster' the 1st 6 final fantasies.
I’m hype for this, I’m finishing up Primose and Cyrus before this comes out next week.
So after playing the original, I enjoyed starting it because it had strong starts to narrative stories but I got a bit bored of it after the stories sorta fell-off once it got started. I played the demo for this new sequel and loved the strong start to Particio's story that was so interesting and compelling, but does it uphold a strong story after the prologue where the demo ends? I am curious because I do not want to buy this game as well if the story gets weaker and less interesting after such a strong start.
The stories feel a lot more interconnected and coherent this time around, which helps them stand up. There's also more side-stories that actually connect two protagonists, which does a lot to combat the "eight completely separate stories" feel of the original. It's also a lot better-written in general, in my opinion.
MAJOR SPOILERS FROM HERE ON OUT. DO NOT CLICK "READ MORE" IF YOU CARE.
There's also way more connection to the "optional superboss" of the game - who is more like a normal final-boss this time around, complete with credits sequence. Of the 8 characters, 5 of them are tangentially related in a clear enough way, one just straight up screams "HEY, THIS IS GOING TO BE THE SUPERBOSS" from the start, and only 2 of them come as a surprise connection.
I read PS4/5 version has better visuals and obviously faster loading time.
Yep I’m playing it on a 4K tv it looks stunning
@@inuclearpickle8628 i play jrpgs handheld. So steamdeck for me
I enjoy relaxing in my chair playing on my tv. Just upgraded my tv the other day but maybe in the future I’ll get a steam deck
Got it preordered for PS5 lol not Switch but excited for it =) Crosspath is nice to hear about the concern of allies interacting together!
It might be just me but I think Hitari’s ability to do counter attacks that take away shield points no matter what, is a bit broken. I haven’t seen much of the other characters abilities yet since this is who I picked from the start of the demo.
Agnea has a dancer kick move that removes a shield point, ignoring the enemy weaknesses.
oh man I'm glad they stuck with this art style, I couldn't get into the first OT because of the color palette and that strong vignette effect that while you could tone it down, never looked right. the sequel looks so much better
Played the demo for a while yesterday, got through 5 of the characters and so far all of the stories are really good except I felt casti was really lacking, the dialogue was not as good and the story was not as interesting as the others so far, I still need to play as the dancer the merchant and the thief but they all look cool so hopefully have good stories.
I don't know who I'm going to start with yet because my favourite ones so far are Hikari and osvald so I want them both on my main party but they're opposite sides of the map so I cant decide who to start with, im most invested in osvalds story and I like temenos and they're close so I will most likely start with osvald
How much overlap is there in terms of the quest or campaign from character to character? Like, if you only beat the game with one character, have you literally only experienced 1/8th of the games content? How much overlap is there in this and the first game?
Like, if you only beat the game with one character, have you literally only experienced 1/8th of the games content? Pretty much, yes. in the first game they only interact in some small talks during their single paths and share their opionion on it. At the second game its pretty much the same, however there are sidequests that evolve a pair of characters storywise.
I played the demo on pc and I got hooked, so I bought it on the switch. I'm having a blast but I'm really sad about one thing. And that one thing is the beautiful visuals get completely lost on the switch screen, I don't know how it looks like on dock mode but yeah...
Looks amazing, loved the first one but got stuck and didn't have the time to grind it out. I'm going to go listen to the OST now.
I started the demo and it seemed like a total retread of the first.
Hoping it comes into its own.
Even if it doesn't, it'll be amazing. Loved the first.
It’s on sale in E-shop and bought it today. Excited to start playing. I was looking for jrpgs to play, I was thinking about disgaea for the nostalgic feels but your review convinced me. Pretty sure there are much better jrpgs out there but I just hope the game doesn’t dissapoint
3 months later, what did you think of it?
I'd say this is a fantastic RPG and one of the best ones of recent times, so I'd have to disagree with your last sentence, but I'd like to know your thoughts on it now!
I still need to finish the first game. I spent so much time trying to grind the dance trick to max out stats
Good review but should give people ahead before spoiling new game system/mechanic.
Logged full time in the demo and I’m DYING to get my hands on the full version!
Do characters finally interact with each other? (outside of banter)
They do.
I am a huge potterhead and its been hard for me to stop playing Hogwarts Legacy... until this gem was released. Damn, I can't believe a 2D game will eat up a whole weekend.
So excited for this
thats awesome I'm so happy for you
@@why3994 you’re gay for him?
Just a question how big are the difficulty spikes/ how much grinding is there?
If it's anything like the first one (and it seems like it's really like it), the game should start kinda easy and ramp the difficulty, but only gets hard toward the end. And there should be a fair amount of grinding, if you want to unlock all the class skills on everyone.
Depends on how well you can understand how to effectively break and utilize buff windows. In octopath 1 I remember getting the stuffing knocked out of me by opthilla’s chapter 2 boss. You are really free to figure out how you want your party in the first game and is expanded here in II.
Oh sweet!
first time trying out this kind of game.. brought it on steam 20 min before release after i found this Review. Perfectly Good Review!
I RAN OUT OF TIME ON THE DEMO :( I NEED MORE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
They got a little bit of the Vega theme going there (From Street Fighter). It's alright, I like that song
is the weapon looks the same within each category? since octopath 1 weapon looks the same which makes me bored since the strongest weapon looks like the weakest one by graphic
I played the demo briefly and decided to wait for the full game. I tested that weapons do have their own unique designs. Though some may share the same design.
I'm so fucking excited for this game, I can't wait for Friday. So far I've been coping with the release date by forgetting it exists so it sneaks up on me, but now that I've played the demo I can't forget about it anymore. Also, does anyone remember what the original collectors edition cost? Iirc, it was about $100. I was planning on getting this collectors edition but it's a staggering $180!
Question: Are the battles again very long due to the break mechanic forcing to grind every enemy shield down? That was my main complain about the first OT.
Probably. Towards the end of the first game, you can pretty much burst enemies down in the 2nd turn with magic. The 2x battle speed (honestly feels like 2.5x) makes battles super quick in OT2.
Makes me so happy to hear that its a worthy sequel! Can’t wait to play it for myself
I'll definitely get it after I play the first one (I got it at a discount on the eShop a few months ago)
Already preordered