Octopath Traveler II Review (PS5) – The original Octopath Traveler was never released on a PlayStation console, so I was delighted when its sequel was announced for PlayStation 5.
The HD-2D art style set it apart from others in the genre, and Square Enix found a new franchise to capitalize on. I can say Octopath Traveler II is undoubtedly better than its original in every way.
Octopath Traveler II Review (PS5) – An Outstanding Sequel That Surpasses The Original In Every Way
Great Characters Bring The Story To Life
Octopath Traveler II tells the tale of eight individuals who set out on a personal journey. You can choose which of these eight characters you wish to start the game with, but at the end, you’ll encounter all of them and experience each of their stories as they unfold.
I struggled to figure out who to start my adventure with as each character’s story sounded interesting. I could start with a Samurai ready for war or choose an elegant dancer looking to spread joy to the world.
Each character has a unique story attached to them, and though some may be more entertaining, each builds upon the characters and the world.
My favorite of these stories is a tale reminiscent of “The Count Of Monte Cristo”, which sees a man wrongly imprisoned for killing his wife and daughter plot to escape prison and get revenge on the person who set him up for their deaths.
Each party member can be recruited in whatever order you want, but I recommend recruiting them from closest to farthest to make things easier for you as you progress through the story.
Unique Abilities Help Make Your Party Stand Out
Much like in the original, each of your party members comes with unique abilities outside of combat. Hikari: the samurai warrior can challenge random NPCs to combat and learn special skills from them.
Agnea: the dancer can charm NPCs into giving her secret information, which reveals hidden items in the world and is essential to completing many side quests.
Other characters’ unique abilities come into play during combat. Ochette: The hunter can capture monsters during combat and summon them to use their unique skills in battle. She can also cook them for food.
Each character brings something to the table, but after acquiring all eight, I learned that some characters have the same type of ability, just a different way of using it.
Outside of Hikaris Dual challenges, he can bribe NPCs to get information. Agnea already possesses the ability to utilize it for free instead of wasting your precious currency.
If It’s Not Broke, Don’t Fix It
Combat remains mostly unchanged from the original. As you enter combat, your focus becomes finding out what weapon or magic type your opponents are weak against and utilizing that to your advantage. Each enemy comes with a shield break.
When the enemy’s weakness is struck, that shield number decreases. The goal is to break their defence and unleash your most powerful attacks while the enemy is stunned.
Characters receive boost points when it’s their turn to attack. Spending boost points allows you to attack up to four times with a character.
Combat Is Fun And Requires Some Forethought
The strategy comes into play when you have to decide whether to use your boost points to quickly break an enemy and let your party finish them off or break them and unleash a volley of attacks with all your party members.
You can also use your skills and abilities with boosts to unleash even more powerful attacks. Magic spells won’t be used four times; instead, you’ll unleash one powerful spell that can hit all enemies.
Think of it as if you’re playing Final Fantasy and cast Fire, but with boost x4, you’ll unleash Firaga instead.
One addition to combat comes in the form of Latent Powers. Each character gets their own and can utilize it when a circular orb is filled up next to their name in combat. This provides multiple uses depending on the character.
Castti: the Apothecary can use her ability to allow her to use multiple skills at once or use multiple items.
Difficulty Spikes And Plenty Of Grinding Await
As much as I love the combat, just like its predecessor, Octopath Traveler II can be a brutal game. The difficulty spikes jump around so much that you won’t know what you’re up against next.
There were plenty of times when I would breeze through a dungeon and then end up facing the boss of the dungeon, who wiped my entire party in just a few turns.
It’s not as difficult as the original, but a lot of grinding is still required to get past a boss and move on to the next portion of the story.
This happens with character quests as well. You’ll find plenty of moments where you finish a character’s quest mission only to find the next part of their mission just one town over.
Unfortunately, the level required to complete it jumped twelve levels, forcing you to abandon it and go somewhere else until you’ve levelled up.
Great Exploration And World Building
Exploration is a critical component in Octopath Traveler II. Its world enthralled me, and I constantly wanted to explore the various regions.
Though it may be jarring when you first notice it going from a Samurai castle to a wild west town, I truly appreciated it as the game’s world is full of various cultures and people.
There are plenty of secrets to find off the beaten path, but one introduction In the sequel allows for exploration by water.
Many locations have lakes and rivers that you can traverse using a boat. It’s fun and adds an extra layer to exploration. It also makes sense because almost all the villages are beside the ocean.
It’s important to note that you can explore wherever you want; it’s not recommended. As you enter a new area, the game will tell you the recommended level you’re party should be at when exploring that location.
Take that to heart and listen because Octopath Traveler II is an unforgiving title, and you’ll find yourself on the game over screen more than you would like.
Changing The Time Of Day Add’s Another Layer To The Exploration
An addition to Octopath Traveler II is the ability to change the day and night cycle on the fly. With a simple button tap, you can explore whatever town or location you want during the day or night.
The world changes depending on what time of day it is. Nighttime brings out stronger enemies to fight but also changes what NPCs you’ll encounter.
Some side quests can only be completed by finding what you need at night, while others during the day. Some character skills also depend on the time of day, making it very important to explore each location during both times.
Fantastic Visuals And Soundtrack Bring The World To Life
Visually the HD-2D art style is once again showcased here. It’s a style that stands out and pops out the moment you look at it. Everything is meticulously detailed.
Trees flow with the wind, and leaves move around the ground. It’s breathtaking and should become slandered for some RPGs looking to keep a traditional style while modernizing their mechanics.
The soundtrack is also stellar, with a great mix of tracks that does representation well. Depending on your region, you’ll hear tracks that sound like they’re part of that world. Enter the wild west town sounded like I was booting up Wild Arms again for the first time.
Octopath Traveler II marks every box in the JRPG genre. It features great characters, a compelling story, great combat and exploration, an epic soundtrack, and a visual style that will stay with you for years to come.
Though it’s still hampered by some of the same issues found in its predecessor, it’s hardly an issue for seasoned JRPG players.
With only two games under its belt Square Enix has found a new type of RPG to appeal to its growing fan base that provides something very different from Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest.
Octopath Traveler II releases on the PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 on February 24, 2023
Review code kindly provided by PR