Octopath Traveler 0 Review: A Charming But Aging JRPG Experience

Octopath Traveler 0 is the latest addition to Square Enix's growing roster of HD-2D JRPGs. Based on a mobile game known as Champions of the Continent, Octopath Traveler 0 is a sort of semi-prequel that takes place before the first game.

Set in the land of Osterra, Octopath Traveler 0 sets you on a quest to both avenge your hometown of Wishvale, and also rebuild it to its former glory. A tall task, but one that any JRPG hero worth their salt is up to.

With Octopath Traveler 0, Square has continued to refine the formula that has made the HD-2D lineup of games so enjoyable. It's not perfect, and while the art style is endlessly charming, it may not be everyone's cup of tea.

Square has leveraged the HD-2D art style in numerous other games, but those titles have all dabbled in different settings, as well as explored unique themes. Octopath, meanwhile, feels stuck in a haze of sorts.

While the new town building mechanics are incredibly fun, the rest of the game feels like it's treading water a bit. This series always produces a fun experience, but I can't help but feel the series needs to do something more drastic in order to stand out in the increasingly crowded world of retro-style JRPGs.

Welcome To Wishvale

The prologue of Octopath Traveler 0 does an outstanding job in getting you to care both about the characters you'll be spending close to 100 hours with, and the town of Wishvale. It's not dissimilar to other JRPG prologues, but the writing and characterizations are delightful.

It follows standard tropes, seeing the protagonist's hometown of Wishvale wiped out by an invading empire. The twist is that you're not just avenging Wishvale, but rather are tasked with rebuilding it. Town building systems in JRPGs are always appreciated, and it brings to mind Ni No Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom.

JRPGs are often built on variety, where you instinctively shift from one task to another in rather rapid succession. Indeed, variety is one thing that Octopath Traveler 0 does exceptionally well.

After the prologue, you're free to tackle the game at your own pace. The world map is open to you, and you even have the freedom to wander into incredibly high-level areas without the game telling you no.

If you're sick of fighting, go rebuild Wishvale for a bit. If you want some battles, head into a high-level monster area.

That being said, the quest to return Wishvale to glory makes up some of my favorite parts of Octopath Traveler 0. It becomes available immediately after finishing the prologue, and while it's not going to challenge Anno 1800 for its throne, it's a fun little diversion.

While the actual physical act of rebuilding Wishvale is fun, it also could be more complex. If you're expecting it to be like SimCity, with thousands upon thousands of intertwining systems, you should scale back your expectations.

It's fun in the moment, but outside of assigning someone to live in a particular house, it feels shallow. This is to be expected, as this is a JRPG and not a town building game, but I can't help but want more out of it.

Get A Job

Job systems have become a major part of JRPGs over the years. The first modern job system appeared in Dragon Quest III, and has been seen in numerous other JRPGs ever since.

Since its inception, the Octopath series has used some form of a job system. And like so many of the others that inspired it, its enjoyment comes from its flexibility.

With Octopath Traveler 0, its flexibility is exactly what makes progression so enjoyable. You're not ever locked into one job, and as long as you unlock them, Octopath Traveler 0 lets you change jobs anytime you want.

If you're tired of being a Merchant, make the change to a Hunter. Sick of the Hunter job? Swap for the Warrior.

It's not revolutionary stuff, as a lot of JRPGs have done this for decades, but even so it's always nice to have the freedom to change your mind whenever you see fit.

Not being locked into a starting class, but also being encouraged to stick with what's working for you if you prefer, is the level of open-ended freedom that Square gives you with Octopath Traveler 0. Your journey following the prologue is yours, no matter what direction you take.

That has its own strengths and weaknesses. On the one hand, being able to freely swap between what you're doing at any time is great.

On the flip side of that, the story can feel a little aimless as a result. You can track quests and focus on one thing, but the game doesn't do a great job at letting you know what the main path is.

It's not a terrible problem to have, as that freedom is what makes some video games so much fun, but it feels like you're just kind of doing random tasks with no payoff. Even the rewards for defeating bosses or completing large dungeons don't feel as great as they could be.

This is largely due to the Octopath series starting to feel a little long in the tooth. Over the course of seven years, there have been four games and a mobile spin-off.

That doesn't seem like a ton, but when each game doesn't feel terribly dissimilar from the other, the fatigue starts to kick in. It's not to say that Octopath Traveler 0 is bad, but it doesn't do enough to stand out from the others outside the town building.

From Zero To Hero

The original Octopath Traveler forged a reputation based on its slick, fast-paced combat system. That system was aided by its Boost and Break mechanics, which added some aggressive, incredibly fun physicality to combat that some JRPGs were missing.

Breaking an opponent by targeting their weakness combines smart, strategic thinking with brute force in a way that still feels good. Sniffing out an enemy's weakness to break them feels great, but then boosting up a special attack four times to completely annihilate them feels even better.

It's a battle system with a lot of energy to it, but after four games, it's starting to feel like it could use something more. Considering you'll be fighting a lot over 100-plus hours, a lot of its tricks start to become obvious.

It does feature a stellar battle theme, however, which is a must for any good JRPG. In fact, the entire musical score is simply gorgeous.

Composer Yasunori Nishiki crushes it, evoking the melodic beauty of classic Square JRPGs. The entire presentation is just fabulous.

The game runs at a blistering 60 FPS for 99.9% of the experience, but I did run into a few bizarre problem areas. Certain locations tank down to less than 5 FPS.

It's strange, as the majority of the game never drops below 60. I'm certain this is an issue Square can fix without breaking a sweat, but it was still strange to see.

Octopath Traveler 0 introduces a new town building system to its endless turn-based battles, but doesn't innovate much outside of that. Combat feels fun and powerful, but with this being the fourth game in the series, it could use a touch up. In the end, Octopath Traveler 0 is an incredibly enjoyable JRPG, but one that feels like it's just spinning its wheels at this point. Town building is fun, but ultimately shallow.