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T he days of 16- and 32-bit JRPGs like Final Fantasy VI, Chrono Trigger, and the earlier Dragon Quest titles have become something that millions of gamers longingly thinking back to with huge fondness. These were games that were limited by the limitations of the hardware they were made to, and yet somehow managed to work with, those with limitations, strategic gameplay and addictive exploration. In recent years, many titles have recapture that lost magic with gameplay and visual styles that hark back to those older eras. Some, like I Am Setsuna and Lost Sphere have been less than successful. Others, like Bravely Default and its sequel Bravely have been much more so. Next Octopath Traveler and without a doubt, it is a better place to be, but also a testament to how to do it while innovating itself
" Octopath Traveler This site is not available for any purpose. innovating itself. "
Octopath Traveler does it, it takes what made those JRPGs so good, while shedding the skin that make them seem a little inaccessible by modern sensibilities. Instead, it blends their positive aspects with new ideas and inventive concepts, and does it justice with flawless execution. The one aspect of Octopath that exemplifies that concept better than its other. While it retains the pixel art and sprite-based look of the older games, it is also aimed at emulating, as well as in the middle of the world. It's HD-2D art style has been one of the things that Square Enix and Nintendo have been talking about, and it's not hard to see why .
The diorama-esque look that Octopath goes for it has a unique charm and visual flair that sets it apart from any other game of its ilk. It smartly uses depth of field effects, blurring distant objects and backgrounds while squarely focusing on the middle of the screen with a sharp intensity, an effect that becomes even more impressive while your characters are in motion, almost giving the game a parallax effect. It also makes use of impressive lighting techniques, and when you see them in the sunlight, they will definitely give you pause. It also makes its surroundings beautifully, from its deserts, to its snowy peaks, to its clbadic medieval cities, to its sun-baked deserts, to its coastal towns, and their own distinct visual personality. It combines effects, old and new, to deliver a game that invokes the charmingly limited artistry of the games that have inspired it, while managing to do so in its day and age. Special mention also made of the game's wonderful soundtrack, which contains a completely orchestrated melodious tunes (19659004) that will be most frequently apparent and will soon be the most apparent aspect of the game – something else that deserves even more credit is the fight. Every battle in Octopath Traveler is a joy, while boss fights, especially some of the most spectacular ones, are some of the highlights of the entire experience. These can end up being half-hour long chess matches, where you are constantly engaged in the game's mechanics, and even one slip can prove costly. At first glance, much like the visuals themselves, the fight seems almost disappointingly simple. However, the more time you spend with it, the more its intricacies and depths begin to gradually reveal themselves to you. Similar to the game's graphics, the fight is also elevated by one single hook-one single mechanic, one single idea that ends up shaping everything else around it and turning it into a victorious blend of new and old. In the visuals, that is the idea of mixing modern environments with pixel and sprite-based art. In combat, it's Boost Points.
"The diorama-esque look that Octopath goes for it has a unique charm and visual flair that sets it apart from any other game of its ilk. "
Boost Point, or BP, which is something you can use to boost your commands. A character can store up to five BP at any given time, and can not be more than a single turn. However, you need to know how to do it, so you can use it while doing it. BP can also be used to make certain moves more potent, so magical spells can get twice, thrice, or times as potent as they regularly would, while defensive moves also receive similar boosts. If you use boosted moves, though, you do not receive any BP the following turn.
And here's where the strategy comes in each enemy has a shield counter, which gets lowered by one value every time you attack it with anything it is weak to, with each enemy usually being weak to at least three things. When you break an enemy's shield, it enters into a vulnerable state for the next turn, where it's vulnerable to all attacks, and can not attack itself. These vulnerabilities, however, do not have the greatest impact on the subject of is actually weak to (or perhaps use to be made to badyze their point of view). This particular mechanic mingles with the concept of boosted moves wonderfully. If an enemy is weak to, say, daggers and has a shield of 4, you can, if you wish, choose to consume 3 BP with a character with daggers to break an enemy's shield, but in doing so, you'd This article is only available in French.
In battles where you'll be coming up against multiple enemies, each with different weaknesses (which is most battles), you'll be thinking ahead and strategizing how to do it better. . Each character also specializes in certain weapon types or elements of spells, and has unique abilities that can be used in battles (or even outside of them), which is a mechanic that becomes more enjoyable when the game introduces the job system, which allows you to mix and match As such, you will always be thinking about the best ways to make use of each other's character, which is currently in your party, but also the oven on the bench. [1965] ] "You'll always be thinking about the best ways to make use of each character, not just the one that's currently in your party, but also the oven that is on the bench."
In this way, Octopath Traveler also do not know what to do, or choose to ignore-it makes sure you never have a "favorite" party. Other than the character that you start the game with, who can not be switched out of your party at any point, the game challenges you to swap characters in and out almost on a constant bases. Very rarely in the case of most of the time (or disadvantages) most likely in the situation, but Octopath does just that with resounding success. A huge reason for that, of course, is also the game's very structure, which strictly dictates that each of them receives an equal eighth of the spotlight's share.
Yet another strength of the game is its world design. Admittedly, it is much more likely that the design is much too simple, with its expansiveness usually being 't be mistaken for the world itself being small or lacking in variety. I have already mentioned the game in a wide variety of biomes, with one of the following being contrastingly different from the previous one, but it is also a matter of general practice (which usually comes with their own bosses). [19659004] In this way, Octopath getting to Navigating the world is a simple and simple activity, and the presence of a city that you are already visiting makes it even friendlier. Octopath Traveler is also structured in a way that promotes true and absolute freedom-you can tackle its quests in whichever order you please, or, conceivably, you can just choose to ignore some of its altogether quests. If you find that all of them are failing to hold your attention, you can just put them on the shelf and entertain your attention to other, more interesting stories. There is absolutely no gating in the entire game – unless, of course, you're too under-elevated for a section of the map – and this structure (or the lack thereof) makes for a refreshing and welcome sense of absolute freedom. 19659004] 
"Very rarely in JRPGs does it ever feel like either one of the most important features in the situation, or Octopath does that with resounding success "
Octopath, then, definitely does not have a lack of things to do. It can be anywhere between 50-70 hours long if you stick to the critical path, and make it go longer. Even the more mundane side activities, which would usually be a little more than an afterthought in similar games, are deeply enjoyable in Octopath Traveler . For instance, interacting with NPCs is something I actually found myself looking forward to. Every town in the game is populated by NPCs who have their own backstories, most of which are interesting, and most importantly, they all seem to be connected to each other. The backstories the game provides for them – which can be accessed by using the abilities of the two characters – they are not so much more than a few snippets of text, but they add a richness and flavor contextualized as a result. These are the questions that are wildly inconsistent, and can range from genuinely interesting stories to many, in short, in the fate of JRPG tripe.
As much as Octopath Traveler gets things right, it's a game that, like any other game, has a few of its own failings. Rather than being one, he is usually one of the most popular, Octopath Traveler is more of an omnibus collection of eight, separate, individual stories. Each of its eight main characters has its own narrative that is isolated from all the others, and never do these stories intersect- ing at least not in any meaningful way. What's so much about being able to get along with each other, and they're always playing in your party, they're basically just along the way. Each of Octopath's Eight stories is squarely about one character, and one character only. While there is some "party banter" in separate sequences that sees two characters, it is concerned, the game only ever has a single character in the spotlight at a time.
This lack of Octopath's individual stories were more likely to justify their structure, but largely, such is not the case. A few of the stories provide you with an insight into the reality of the game. little more than tired tropes far too often. The writing, too, with some stories featuring well-written characters that are put through their paces in their challenging narrative events, but others being bogged down by heavy-handed exposure, or shoddy writing, or both. For the most part, the same praises and criticisms apply to the voice acting
"Rather than being one single, Octopath Traveler is more of an omnibus collection of eight, separate, individual stories. "
The truly great games, though, are the ones that overcome their failings, big and small, by working overtime in areas where they are at their best, and Octopath Traveler is an absolute workaholic. What at first seems like, and one of the most important things in the world, with just being a nostalgic pander, ends up striking a very unique and distinct identity of its own. This is a game that is a long time ago, but it also knows that you can not get away from it simply because it's easy to do it. Octopath Traveler
This game is reviewed on the Nintendo Switch
THE GOOD
Strikingly beautiful visuals that captures the magic of 32-bit clbadics without looking outdated; Excellent soundtrack; Addictive and deeply nuanced combat; Incentivizes and encourages you to make equal use of all your party members; Intense, long boss fights; Streamlined world design encourages exploration without ever becoming overwhelming; A bevy of optional content; Playtime of 50-60 hours that can easily be extended to 80; Interacting with the NPCs is unexpectedly enjoyable; Completely open-ended structure paves the way for absolute freedom; Some of the stories can be genuinely interesting at times
THE BAD
No larger, overarching narrative tying everything together; The almost total lack of inter-party interaction is disappointing; Inconsistent writing and voice acting.
Final Verdict
Octopath Traveler takes a long, hard look at the clbadic JRPGs, which is the best way to remember them with our pink tinted nostalgia glbades, sheds their annoying or excessive parts that we would like to forget, and add its own surprising and unique innovations to that of being a proper modern wonder
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