Octopath Traveler 0 has a free demo available on Switch, PS5, PC, and Xbox, and after getting my hands on it, I am confident that this game will be the next one to capture my attention. After three hours of battles, a heart-wrenching story, and fantastic visuals, I am more excited to play the full game now more than ever. It is just a shame that I have to wait another two weeks to continue my character’s story, because I would rather be playing it than anything else right now.
A Peaceful Start
After awaking in my bed after piecing together my character’s sprite, I was quickly welcomed into the town of Wishvale – a small, tight-knit community preparing for its annual festivities. It is here that I met the various characters that make up the town, from the local carpenter, members of the watch, farmers, and friends of the church.
Each of the villagers felt lively, and the town buzzed with excitement. As a member of the watch, I was required to assist in gathering the items needed for the festival, some of which were hidden along treacherous pathways. Luckily, my friends from the village joined my adventure, and I quickly fell in love with their different personalities.
Without going into much detail, as the demo is the first three hours of the game, tragedy befalls the town, and I was thrust into a heart-wrenching story with a lot of loss that hit fairly hard. Watching various characters that I grew to like in that short time disappear while forcing me to start from nothing again was difficult, but it made the experience all the better because it showed what my character was fighting for and tied into the game’s building mechanic.
Turn-Based and Town Building
The gameplay of the Octopath Traveler 0 demo was exactly what I expected it to be after playing through the first two games. This type of turn-based combat that I grew up playing in the earlier Final Fantasy titles is something that I will always enjoy, but combined with the beautiful visuals of the 2.5D art style of Octopath Traveler, it amplifies the experience and makes it feel more dramatic thanks to the additional flair.
The part of the game that I genuinely enjoyed the most, however, is the town building. While I only got to do a little bit of it, the game seems to center around collecting materials to bring back to the ruins of Wishvale so that you can rebuild all you have lost. I am a sucker for a good cozy game, and Square Enix hit the nail on the head with this part of Octopath Traveler 0.
As I collected materials, I ran into people from the village who I thought were long gone, giving me a nice surprise, and furthering that feeling when I could invite them back to the village. The village building mechanic is very deep, allowing you to choose who lives in your town and then gain benefits from them being there, such as getting shipments of stone to help you build more structures. You can really make the town however you want. Both variations of gameplay make the game that much more enjoyable because you have thrilling turn-based action with intense visuals, but you can slow down and play a cozy game when you feel tired of combat.
Can It Be Released Already?
There is no denying that I have a love for Square Enix titles, and the way they have continued the Octopath Traveler series is something I heavily enjoy. While much of the game feels very similar to those in the past, I applaud that because of the tweaks made to enhance the experience. Little things like combat timing, adding extra abilities, and working on overall movement help the newest entry feel much better than those in the past. Octopath Traveler 0 has those kinks ironed out and improves on the past games with slightly better visuals and additional gameplay mechanics. I am excited to see what else Square Enix has in store for Octopath Traveler 0 when the game fully launches in December.
