Octopath Traveler: Wayfarer's Edition - Nintendo Switch

I have been pleasantly surprised by this game! Sure, some of the characters stories are kinda of basic. But, it's the customization of character abilities and strategic battle system that keeps me going. Not to mention the downright beautifully stylized and updated sprite work! As for the collectable stuff, it's all done really well. The pop-up book depicts each of the 8 characters starting areas. The coin is especially nice. Very well done!

Coming from someone that is very picky about RPGs, I am absolutely loving this game! After playing the first demo, I actually canceled my pre-order. There were several things that bothered me about the game. However, the update video in the news section on the Switch (in which they addressed nearly all my concerns) and the announcement of the Wayfarers Edition got me interested in giving it another go. I am so glad I did! For the record, I HATE most turn based battle systems. I can’t stand Pokémon, even though I want to love it. There are so many RPGs I’ve tried and just get that cringing feeling in my gut every time I enter a battle. I actually REALLY ENJOY the battles in Octopath Traveler! They are challenging, but not too difficult. The learning curve is not too terribly steep. There is strategy involved, but there aren’t endless menus. You choose your move ON YOUR TURN... (I can’t stand the systems where everyone picks their move first and then your character stands around like an idiot with nothing to do because the enemy they were supposed to attack already died...) So far the story is exceptional as well. A wide range of characters’ personalities and backgrounds. I’ve only just finished each Chapter 1, but I can tell I’m in for an amazing ride. Can we talk about the art style?! Incredible. Love that 2D, 3D pixel art combination. Makes me wish there was a 3DS version because the 3D effect would look so cool! Almost a Paper Mario look, in pixel form. Love it! If you’re on the fence about this one because, like me, you generally hate most RPGs, get it. You won’t be disappointed!

Besides the game itself (which is a pretty lengthy RPG on its own), the additional stuff provided in the Wayfarer's edition really were nice mementos. The best part, to me, was the pop up book (literally brings each of the eight characters to life) and the extra compartment was actually a good place to store some small stuff that could otherwise get lost easily

One thing I've heard from many people over the past 10 years and that has bugged me about the gaming industry for some time is, while visuals and production values have gotten better, many genres started feeling more and more similar. Many of the more main stream JRPG's these days have ditched the turn based combat and feel more like action games. This leaves the smaller scale JRPG's from smaller devs that have much lower production values so their art is more anime centric, their music is more popish, and their voice acting is cringy. This isn't the case for Octopath Traveler. While Octopath is far from the visuals of FFXV, it combines new engines and visual techniques with an old school style to give a unique 2.5d pop up book look that is simply gorgeous. On top of that the music, writing, and voice acting is some of SquareEnix's best. To add to this, the gameplay gives the same feeling of RPG's during the SNES and PS1 but feels evolved. This is simply, amazing. I can't recommend this game any more. If you're wanting an RPG that feels like it came out of that era but with production values that rival modern games, this is it.

Octopath Traveler is an absolute love-letter to fans of JRPGs from the SNES era in the 90s. The classic 2D sprites combined with the 2.5D style environments is beautiful. The characters are enjoyable, with players likely to connect to at least one of them and their unique stories. The combat is kind of a unique combination between JRPGs of old and different types of attacks (Fire/Ice/Sword/Axe etc) in an almost-Pokémon strengths & weaknesses style, adding a necessary layer to combat compared to what we were used to in the 90s. The Wayfarer's Edition comes with some awesome collectibles, and I'm glad that I jumped on it the day that the game came out.

Octopath Travler is a solid JRPG which relies on nostalgia and a gorgeous blend of 2D and 3D to create an open fantastical world rife with dungeons, monsters and fun gameplay systems. I really enjoyed the Job system and mixing Jobs to find what worked best for me. It definitely has it’s challenging moments and the final boss fight requires you to pull out all the stops.

This game was a cool drink of water. An oasis in a desert of gaming. HOURS upon HOURS of gameplay, with high replay value, giving you the chance to change your reactions and interactions, etc. The storylines and plots were beautifully done, the game mechanics themselves; very reminiscent of Bravely Default, and it works remarkably. There was not a single moment of it that I did not enjoy!

Ocopath Traveler is a great cure for that classic JRP itch. It brings you back to the 16-bit greats with turn-based combat. It isn't just the same old turn-based combat system though. It implements a rock-paper-scissors type system that allows you to exploit enemy weakneses makes you think and use strategy to win battle, not just mash a button until it is over. The graphics and art style are amazing. It is in the classic 16-bit RPG style, but with a 3D look and feel with amazing lighting that just makes the world feel alive. I have enjoyed the story so far as well. There are 8 characters to choose from and play through their stories. You can recruit all the other characters as you play through the game, but you can only have up to 4 characters in your party at a time. Octopath Traveler is a great addition to any RPG fan's library.