Octopath Traveler could be the Square Enix RPG that I was expecting

A few months before the launch of the Nintendo Switch, Square Enix began advertising a magnificent game called Project Octopath Traveler . It can be badumed that many of the 16-bit Square RPGs of the 1990s were recalled, such as Chrono Trigger and Final Fantasy VI based on Octopath Traveler & # 39; Look alone. Fast forward to today and Octopath Traveler is almost there, abandoning the "Project" by his name and promising a completely different JRPG experience from the games we remember from these simpler times.

At this point, I spent about 15 hours with Octopath Traveler and although it is clear that I still have a long way to go, I can definitely to say that it does not look like any JRPG I've ever played before. Admittedly, I have not played a ton of them, but I have hit most of the big names over the years, and even with my limited playing time with Octopath Traveler Up to now, I can say that it is absolutely

The approach of Square Enix to Octopath Traveler is interesting and different from most JRPGs. Instead of our group of heroes coming together to fight a common enemy, their alliance seems to be more of a coincidence than anything else. Each of the eight characters of Octopath Traveler has its own story, with its own goals, ambitions and enemies. There does not seem to be a villain that they band together to defeat, and if there is any, he has not shown his face yet.

For this reason, the opening hours of the game are devoted to the recruitment of eight characters. and completing the first chapters of their respective stories. You can choose who you want to start the game with (I've chosen Primrose the dancer) and your choice does not seem to affect the game outside of the order in which you recruit new characters. For example, the second character that I brought into the lap was Olberic the Warrior, as his starting area was next to Primrose on the map.

I am a bit torn on this certainly unique approach to opening an RPG. On the one hand, I have the impression of being much more familiar with the heroes of Octopath Traveler than with the heroes of any JRPG before. Each opening quest gives you a ton of information on each of the eight characters, putting their motivation to the test and giving their personalities a lot of time to develop.

On the other hand, there are times when the game loop can begin to feel a little flawed. Although each character has a unique story, the structure of all opening chapters is the same. When we talk about 10 hours or more to recruit the eight characters, you sometimes want you to simply continue to see if the game opens in subsequent chapters.

One thing that helps keep these hours of opening exciting is The Octopath Traveler's Combat System that allows you to find enemy weaknesses and exploit them to break through their defenses and launch a major punishment. I am a big fan of Octopath Traveler's fight up to now, for the simple fact that you can not fight your way through the enemies you meet by spamming the same and again the same attacks.

Octopath The Traveler's Combat System makes you think of your next move, and the emphasis on wearing an enemy's guard makes you consider things that you could ignore in other RPGs, such as the order of the turn. I would say that fighting is my favorite part of Octopath Traveler up to now, but it's not a very easy call to make because there's really a lot of d & # 39; # 39; love about this game.

The Octopath Traveler is just as beautiful as the trailers suggested it would be. I've always been blown away by the way this game looks, because its visual style perfectly balances the preservation of the 16-bit appearance of clbadic RPGs and its update for modern audiences.

Similarly, the score was only excellent. It's been a long time since I've heard such a good soundtrack in a video game, and that really adds to the overall beauty of Octopath Traveler . If you play the game in handheld mode, make sure you have a pair of headphones to be able to hear the soundtrack in all its splendor.

Up to now, I have been impressed by Octopath Traveler although I have some reservations about the pace and how all of this will come together to form a story consistent. One thing is certain: Octopath Traveler offers a fairly recent variant of the JRPG formula, and it's hard to blame Square Enix and Acquire (who have co-developed the game) to try something again, even if these efforts fall a little flat sometimes.

I'm going to have a full review of Octopath Traveler coming up next week, and this weekend I'm going to dive deeper into the game to see if she can really put away the greats of the JRPG type. Square Enix is ​​definitely a master in games like this, so I hope Octopath Traveler will leave me with the same feeling Chrono Trigger or Final Fantasy VI did all these years. Octopath Traveler is available on Nintendo Switch on July 13, 2018.