Octopath Traveler 0 | REVIEW | PC/STEAM

''DID SEPHIROTH DO THIS!?''

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Developed: Square-Enix

Published: Square-Enix

Genre: RPG

Release Date: December 4th, 2025

Platforms: PS5/PS4/Xbox Family/NSW/NSW2/STEAM

*Review copy provided to me by Square-Enix

Octopath Traveler 0 is the latest RPG in this renowned series and is developed and published by Square-Enix. With Octopath Traveler as a series delighting players with each entry with its uniqueness and gorgeous style, Square-Enix decided to throw everyone a bone once more and bring a brand new entry into the mix. But is this one just as good as the previous entries? or is this the first true misstep for the series in general? Only one way to find out, so lets go!

''AN OZARU COMES TONIGHT''

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GAMEPLAY:

If you've been a fan of the entries into the series for Octopath Traveler and their near perfection levels of pulling off the HD-2D and 2.5D type of art style, then you will find much of the same here in that aspect, but this time also a stronger focus on storytelling, alongside some changes in regards to the gameplay itself and its mechanics that attempts to set it apart from the previous entries into the series, for better or for worse is up to you as the player to decide really. I say for the better personally because I've seen far too many games play it safe and milk what works rather than trying to take chances... which I mean I get it, gotta make your money, but still, you like to see developers switch it up every now and then, even if its something small. Dont want to end up like Two Worlds now do ya? proclaiming its the Oblivion and Elder Scrolls killer and proclaiming itself Game Of The Year before it even released. Yeah.. how'd that work out for you? bugged and broken game and lost on the minds to everyone in the world due to the below mediocrity. Luckily Octopath Traveler 0 doesn't have that problem, but it does run into a few others though that hinders its experience at certain points. Octopath Traveler 0 acts as a prequel to the series and its story follows the Ringbearer, named Frodo Baggins. Ok, maybe not exactly, but I got Lord Of The Rings on my mind, so sue to me. On this journey you travel through the great landscape and continent of Osterra after your hometown of Wishvale gets the Nibelheim treatment and gets burnt down Sephiroth style by evil men who are looking for specific magical rings that yield unimaginable power. I mean, rings aside, this does sound like something Sephiroth would do, totally, I'm onto you Sephy... you and your glorious perfect hair. Once your town is burnt down by Ring Wraiths, I mean, evil bad guys, your objective now shifts to restoring your once vibrant village of Wishvale and also seeking out the magic rings yourself. Doesn't sound THAT major right? well honestly, by focusing on two main story arcs over the way the previous games did it which was telling eight different stories from multiple party members and then splicing them all together so they end up as one big interconnected woven story, makes things much easier to follow and makes you focus on two things over close to a dozen, which acutally makes Octopath Traveler 0's story way more coherent and even way better paced... and maybe a hot take, but much more engaging as well as I feel when you follow too many stores at once, its hard to stay connected and immersed in a story when its all over the place. I'm looking at you Kingdom Hearts. Dont even get me started on those games. Yes I do like Kingdom Hearts, but good lord when you need to learn story from a discontinued mobile game no one played and stage plays that no one has seen, then you've kind of lost the plot bro, just saying.

Instead of focusing on a plethora of characters like previous entries as stated, this time you follow a priestess named Laurana, a hunter named Phenn and an architect named Stia, who was I actually hoping would be named Stella to be honest since it would give me another chance to throw out a ''Stella Got Her Groove Back'' cringe joke like I made many years ago, but alas, it was not to be. Now overall in the game, you will have around 30 characters that are completely playable beyond just those three, however, they're the ones that will be getting the limelight overall as far as story telling goes, so if you're looking for all 30 characters to play as getting huge backstories and their time to shine with in depth story telling...well...then that's like expecting a Bethesda game to not have funny glitch out moments, it just aint happening kid, sorry. Pushing through the main narrative and meeting conditions as you do, that's when you're able to start recruiting new members to your part to aid in your quest, more so in a side character and back up support variety over anything substantial like big character development, so they're kind of just there to ride the tide of battle and offer support in time of need. This where things start to become a tad bit mixed because on one hand, you have cool looking characters that you want to know more about that really dont get any further explanation or development and then you see another change of pace for the series in the form of its gameplay itself. Instead of using 4 characters at a time that you were used to previously, now you're able to use 8 total characters that take up both the front of the line of battle and then the other 4 sit in the back. On paper it kind of sounds similar to what you'd think of for a Tactics like game, sure, but here with this style of game, it allows you to find which pairs can team up and synergize with each other the best in order to find out what attacks are strong or even weak against specific enemies, offering many different strategies this go around that weren't available in previous Octopath games due to the accumulation of new weapons and elements you have ready and available with 8 characters at a time. But that's a lot of talk about the actual characters themselves and what they do and do not offer to the overall narrative itself, right? but what about the ACTUAL thing that matters overall, you know, the gameplay? at least beyond just using 8 characters instead of 4 that is.

The overall BP system is still the same as you remembered it in the last few games, but instead of just using one attack here and there, you're able to stack your BP this go around and initiate multiple standard attacks in a single term, allowing you to get in extra hits should you need to, or use that BP instead towards making each special skill your character has, even more powerful with output in damage or a chance to stun an enemy. But once its used, that's it. So you can't get just spam happy using BP and instead think about which scenarios during a battle is best for either using one single strike and conserving as much as BP as possible until a last crucial moment, or just say you know what? screw it, and then proceed to Leeroy Jenkins yourself to victory or failure by stacking and using your BP all in one go, the choice is entirely up to you. Strategizing is the name of the game in Octopath Traveler 0, more so in my opinion than any previous entry and even its art style has seen an improvement, alongside its weapon and elemental particle effects look way more smooth this go around as the developers seem to be getting better and better at their craft, especially in the art and environment direction as seen in places like Osterra which tend to wow your eyes. But while the story honestly is pretty great with lots of twists and turns and stuff I didn't see coming and the battle system itself feels improved and refined, honestly, my favorite part of the game is the restoration process of Wishvale itself.. why? well because I'm a sucker for town building mechanics in games like Hello Kitty Island Adventure, Animal Crossing and other similar simulation themed titles. Hell I even got excited when you can do a smaller version of it in Super Mario Party Jamboree, so yeah... I'm pretty easy to entertain in that regard. While town building and restoring Wishvale isnt exactly in depth and thought out like those mentioned games or even as major as other games on the market with similar mechanics, but its still pretty fun to restore bits and pieces here and there and see a once destroyed town start coming back to life, just not in the shady an fake way that Nibelheim was brought back in Final Fantasy 7 when Shinra rebuilt it, freaking losers. Building and learning as you play through the story goes hand in hand as well with incentives and unlockables that actually aid you in the gameplay department rather than just the visual novelty due to you being able to build a variety of things like a dojo for example. Building this dojo for Miyagi san, I mean for your party members, allows all the party members that you've casted out and not used in awhile to gain and earn EXP as they chill and wait for the return of your main party. Shoot, that's living the best life to be honest, not do a damn thing but reap the rewards? they're the manifestation of ''Luigi wins by doing nothing'' and take it to a whole new level.

''SEPHIROTH BETTER STAY AWAY THIS TIME''

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OVERALL:

At the end of the day Octopath Traveler 0 tries new things for both the narrative setting and its gameplay mechanics and while it does work overall with it, some cracks still exist that keep it from reaching what could be seen as ''perfection'' or ''peak''. For example having the narrative focus mainly in depth on 3 or so characters is great in itself and allows the story to be fleshed out easier, but at the same time, with 30 characters to use, a lot of them feel kind of useless, with the ones they do try to give you a story with during cutscenes with your main characters, not feeling very meaningful, and by the time the cutscene is over, you really do not care about what you just heard or makes you just feel like skipping the cutscene in general as it adds nothing to the story, narrative or to whats going on, making it feel a tad bit disappointing. Having you use 8 characters at a time instead of 4 could be an issue as well, not for me, but I could see people not liking moving away from 4 characters as 8 might be seen as making it way more easier since that's a lot more moves being able to be used at a time. I overall feel its not an issue and more strategy is involved than not, but that's not up for me to decide. But I feel even with some annoyances that I mentioned, likeable main cast, great changes to the mechanics of the battle system that elevate it beyond the previous entries, town building to give you a small break between the normal RPG elements that also work hand in hand with those same mechanics, intriguing story that gives you flashbacks for Lord Of The Rings and Final Fantasy 7 with specific elements and a plethora amount of content to keep you engaged for dozens of hours on end, makes Octopath Traveler 0 a MUST PLAY for not only RPG enthusiasts, but also for fans of the series as well. So with all that having been said, my verdict is clear, GameNChick says BUY NOW.

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