Absolutely love Octopath Traveler II. One of the best modern JRPGs of all time. This game is a love letter to fans of the classic JRPG genre. Octopath Traveler I is a masterpiece and Square Enix greatly improved upon it in the sequel.
Story: Each of the 8 Octopath Travelers have amazing individual stories and themes. You are fully immersed in the world and engaged in each of the character’s conflicts and resolutions from start to end. The characters in the party actually feel like friends traveling together in an epic journey. The overarching theme of the story is darker, yet the player is captivated throughout their entire playthrough. In comparison to the previous installment, Square Enix listened to the feedback of the players by implementing better character development, party interaction, and intertwining connection between all the stories. Overall, great story!
Gameplay: Octopath Traveler II refined upon the turn-based “break & boost” combat system from the previous game. As a fan of the first game, Square Enix surpassed my expectations for improving in the sequel. There are so many quality of life updates to the overworld and gameplay mechanics. I enjoy the dynamic battle system, water travel, and day and night path actions.
In world exploration, you will marvel at the breathtaking HD 2D graphics. Each of the distinct 8 regions in Solisitia are visually stunning to traverse. Each town is lively and filled with unique side stories from all NPCs.
In combat, there are many more tools available at your disposal. There are more abilities, adjustments to existing and new jobs, and various new passive abilities. You are always engaged in every battle as you strategize your plan of attack to achieve victory. This is most notable in boss battles, which I particularly enjoyed. You will definitely have so much fun in the game and play for countless hours. Overall, absolutely incredible gameplay.
Music: Yasunori Nishiki, composer for Octopath Traveler I & II, did an astounding job for the OST. Each track in the game fits perfectly with every scenario and situation. The orchestral accompaniment to the gameplay supplements the player’s experience. The prominent use of strings, brass, woodwinds, and percussion complement each track well. Whether it is exploring different areas of the map, character themes, or battle themes, the soundtrack is a banger. I enjoy listening to Critical Clash 2 (One of the boss themes). It’s so hype, especially when it seamlessly transitions from the character’s theme and into the boss battle. Octopath Traveler does the best at this with its OST. The OST slaps harder than a critical hit with a 4x boost. Overall, I throughly love the music.
Overall, Octopath Traveler II deserves a 10/10. This is a must buy and play. I highly recommend this game to fans of JRPGs and the first game.