Test: "Octopath Traveler" is an almost perfect retro epic

O b "Chrono Trigger", "Final Fantasy 6" or the "Grandia" series: The 1990s are considered to be the pinnacle of clbadic Japanese RPGs among 16-bit console owners countless hours of fun

Even in the exclusive role play "Octopath Traveler", eight protagonists embark on a retro adventure in the best retro style and walk on the paths of old genre hits. "Computer Bild Spiele" has tested it.

The motives of the heroes could not be more different. Primrose dancer seeks the three murderers of his father. The cleric Ophilia goes on pilgrimage with the sacred flame. Thief Therion is blackmailed to bring the stolen dragon stones back to a noble lady, and the scholar Cyrus sets off in search of a stolen book.

Soon, the eight characters will cross and solve their tasks together. At the beginning of the game, they decide that one of the critics is a permanent main character, but experience the adventures of the hero wars at one time

Back to the 90s

These adventures give season players a little older Sega Mega Drive and Super Nintendo, because the beautifully drawn characters could also easily come from one of the great 16-bit clbadics.

The context, however, seems to be that the developers of Square Enix and Acquire had taken the oldies' flat-pixen scenarios and built a plastic diorama on them. The unusual but enormously creative graphic style is complemented by modern light and water effects, which are noted as well as music and atmospheric English (optional Japanese) vocal output of the current technological base.

Fun, you can expect a clbadic genre cuisine: the band moves from city to city, performing side tasks often surprisingly interesting, buys a lot and follows little by little Stories of eight figures. During the game, the individual abilities of individual heroes are regularly used.

The Tressa trader, for example, can buy pbaders-by of valuables that do not exist in the usual stores, while the pharmacist Alfyn provides additional information useful to his interlocutors.

Speaking of conversations: The game texts are based on the system settings of the switch. The German localization has obtained first-clbad results and reads very fluently and in an atmospheric manner.

Round by Round

In the open air, in enchanted caves or in closely guarded areas, many fights await the troupe. Just like in ancient times, you attack enemies at random.

Löblich: The frequency of random fighting is very moderate. Talents quickly learned can also halve the fighting time.

Pleasantly tactical confrontations with wild animals, bandits, pirates or enemy guards unfold turn-based in their own combat screen. Each opponent is allergic to certain elements or types of weapons.

Cleverly uses this circumstance and misses the properly acidic counterpart, this provides the so-called pause: The opponent can then attack during a round and to inflict more damage,

Just as important are the Boost Points (BP): Each hero is credited with one round per round – instead of one attack, you can tie up until you reach the end of the game. to four attacks. Magic Attacks are also more efficient through the use of BP

It is also important to keep in mind the individual talents of the characters: for example, they can steal your opponents, capture monsters and Rush on the enemy or distract them with graceful dances or support a mash rider with him.

But that's not all: After the first chapter, adventurous adventurers discover many secondary clbades, in this way, for example, the group's Haudrauf hero also learns useful healing magic, while the fragile scholar learns how to practice the sword.

Conclusion: "Octopath Traveler" turns out to be like a retro epic almost playable with 80 to 100 hours of play, friendly heroes, a complex combat system and excellent music.

It's a pity that heroes do not interact much with each other and that the gameplay is a bit more stereotyped during longer sessions. Still, if you're in the mood for a lovingly crafted Japanese RPG, do not miss this first-rate production

Highlights: Eight playable characters, varied skills, tactical Combat system, fascinating graphics, great soundtrack, not unnecessarily complicated, huge reach, good German lyrics

Weaknesses: Random fights can annoy both players, the heroes interact very little between them, the structure sometimes seems somewhat stereotyped

Test score: good (1.6)

Release Date: July 13, 2018 for Nintendo Switch.