Gametraders Live September Magazine

In today’s gaming world
of extremely high-quality
graphics, it’s rare to have
something wow you visually,
unless it has a very distinct
art style. Puzzling as it may
seem, Octopath Traveler
gave me similar vibes to
those I experienced playing
Donkey Kong Country on the
SNES back in my childhood,
where it felt like it may have
changed the entire scene
for games of its type. Just
as Donkey Kong Country
served as a predecessor to
the 3D quality we would see
everywhere a few years later,
it does feel like Octopath
Traveler will go down as a
trendsetter, with many 2D
games following its visual
approach. I certainly wasn’t
expecting sprite-based 2D
graphics to be brought to
new levels in this day and
age, but Octopath Traveler
and its “HD-2D” really does
give me that vibe when I play
it.
The gameplay is reminiscent
of classic RPGs like the 2D-era
Final Fantasy titles, though it
also takes some inspiration
from the more recent Bravely
Default series, with a battle
system that feels like a more
refined version of the Brave
Points system we saw in
that game. In battle, your
characters will gain a Boost
Point at the end of every turn,
which can be spent to attack
multiple times or strengthen
a spell you’re casting.
Besides this, each of the eight
characters present in the
game has unique abilities,
such as the hunter H’aanit
being able to tame monsters
and call them in for backup
in later fights, or the cleric
Ophilia who fills the classic
healer role with spells which
will restore your allies’ health
points. Characters also have
unique abilities outside of
battle when they interact
with NPCs in the overworld,
such as the dancer Primrose
being able to lure characters
to follow her, or the merchant
Tressa who can buy items
from NPCs who wouldn’t
usually be selling them (and
sometimes ones that aren’t
ordinarily available in stores
at all).