Octopath Traveler II Review (Switch)

Square Enix’s original Octopath Traveler offered an innovative formula, which proved to be flawed. Despite the fact that the game has very interesting mechanics, it didn’t have a cohesive narrative that would make it engaging enough for people to actually want to finish it.

If you haven’t played the first Octopath Traveler, the gameplay loop is pretty simple, yet very refreshing. You get to recruit eight characters and play through their entire stories of revenge, love or betrayal. The game is split into chapters, each adding new tidbits to the characters’ stories.

Unfortunately, the eight characters did not have anything in common, they were simply strangers that thought it would be best to take up arms together to achieve their own goals. The good news is Octopath Traveler II fixes all the issues some might have had with the original and improves on every gameplay aspect.

Some new mechanics have been added too, such as latent powers, water travel, and more importantly, the day and night cycle. The latter is such a significant improvement that it can change the way players can approach each new quest.

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Alongside the day and night cycle comes an additional ability for each character. In the original, each of the eight characters had one ability they could use outside of combat, be it stealing from an NPC or recruit them for a limited time. In the follow-up to 2018’s Octopath Traveler, each character has two abilities they can use when in towns: one they can use during the day, and another one for nighttime.

But that’s just one of the new mechanics that come with the day and night cycle. Just like every other JRPG, you’ll be fighting monsters when not in town living the lives of your characters. However, during night more powerful monsters will show up and the rewards will be much better than what you get during the day. On top of that, some characters provide buffs to your party specifically during day or night. It’s well-thought system that not only gives players the option to get more rewards, but also more experience.

Speaking of which, Octopath Traveler II is one of the not so many JRPGs where you don’t have to grind to be able to beat any of its bosses. The progression feels natural as long as you rotate the characters and not leave any behind., which isn’t hard at all.

The latent powers are also another new addition to the franchise and allows characters to use powerful abilities that have significantly higher impact than the normal ones. Latent powers can only be used after characters fill their dedicated gauge, which typically takes a few turns.

Besides the usual powers that each characters has and their jobs, Octopath Traveler II adds the job license mechanic. Visiting guilds throughout the world and completing quests for them will allow you to acquire job licenses that function like secondary jobs. Obviously, just like the main jobs, the secondary ones come with important perks that you’ll want to take advantage of as early as possible.

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One of the main issues that the first game wasn’t highly praised is the fact that neither of the characters had anything to do with each other. Gathering everyone and creating multiple parties to take on various bosses was completely meaningful story-wise.

However, Octopath Traveler II addresses this problem by introducing so-called paralogues, which has two characters interacting platonically. It’s a decent way to make the player feel more attached by the travelers, regardless of who they prefer.

At the core of Octopath Traveler II’s combat system sits an array of traditional, turn-based JRPG gameplay elements that allow players to customize they playstyle in detail. What makes the game stand out from other similar titles in the genre is the freedom it gives players in choosing where they want go.

Octopath Traveler II tells the story of eight different characters, eight tales that you’ll be going through in whatever order you wish. The vast continent of Solistia can be explored in detail thanks to the fast travel system, although exploration is gated by the fact that each region is inhabited by monsters of a certain level.

I’m pretty sure everyone will have their own favorite traveler, but all tales are incredibly well-written and worth completing regardless of that. Getting to know each character’s motivations and stories, trying to guess who the bad guy in their lives is, and then cross an entire continent finish what they set up to do.

Almost all tales in Octopath Traveler II are darker and grittier than what we got in the original game. The way they’re written keep the player more involved despite the rather slow pace of the gameplay loop. You pick a character to add to your party, travel to where they live and play one (with a few exceptions) entire chapter with just that traveler alone.

Their stories will continue in the second chapter, which requires a team of higher-level characters. But worry not, by the time you get to recruit all travelers, you can safely approach most of the chapter two stories, so there’s absolutely no need to grind for additional levels.

The improvements don’t stop at new gameplay mechanics though. The original’s unique HD-2D graphics has been further improved and looks better than ever in the sequel. As I mentioned earlier, the day and night cycle that can be triggered at a push of a button really immerses the player into the world.

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The Good

The Bad

Conclusion