Octopath Traveler 0 Reviews
Octopath Traveler 0 defies its mobile origins, delivering a rich, 80-hour prequel with a strategic eight-person party system. While early pacing stumbles and grinding is required, the deep combat and stunning HD-2D visuals on Switch 2 make this a surprisingly essential, feature-complete entry in the series.
Hands down, Octopath Traveler 0 is the new gold standard for the Octopath franchise. Octopath Traveler II technically has better graphics, but Octopath Traveler 0 still looks great and has especially strong art & cutscene direction. The story and writing are leagues above the first two games combined, playing out like a traditional JRPG while still retaining the series' unique narrative scope. Best of all, battles are better than ever by giving you a full party of eight to play around with and challenging you with some of the most memorable bosses in the series. It was actually hard for me to go back to Octopath II since combat felt so much slower and less exciting than OT0.
Despite some smaller issues here and there, Octopath Traveler 0 is a fantastic JRPG that is a worthy entry in this series. It is missing some of the charm and character development that were present in the previous two games, but it's still a fantastic experience with great combat, a compelling story, a solid town-management system, and a continuation of the wonderful HD-2D visual style that I have fallen in love with. As a JRPG fan, this is going to be a wonderful addition to your ever-growing library. And with how great the game runs on the Steam Deck, this is definitely a worthy title to add to your portable library as well. A solid 60 FPS on High settings with around 3.5-4 hours of battery is a treat, and I can't recommend this game enough.
OCTOPATH TRAVELER 0 is a damn good JRPG. The world, despite my grievances with the main story, is interesting and fun to explore when the game lets you. Wishvale’s rebirth’s best parts aren’t the uninteresting city building but, again, the stories of the characters within. With great music and visuals accompanying all this, you can’t go wrong with SQUARE ENIX’s latest turn-based title. ∎
An unexpected delight, Octopath Traveler 0 isn't just a superbly polished addition to the franchise, it's one of the best RPGs of the year.
Review in Finnish | Read full review
Octopath Traveler 0 refines many of the elements originally introduced in the first game, building upon the strong stories and gameplay additions of Champions of the Continent. It's a fusion of both, abandoning the gacha system and delving deeper into new protagonists and the reconstruction of Wishvale, a town that players can customize, adding depth to the characters. The welcome mechanic enhances the gameplay, along with the ability to field eight simultaneous fighters in the always visually stunning battles, the appealing 2D HD graphics, and a turn-based RPG that deserves more recognition for its achievements.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Octopath Traveler 0 builds upon the familiar foundation of its predecessors while introducing meaningful refinements that make this entry a must-play. The shift to a solo protagonist who embodies the destinies of the eight, along with streamlined mechanics, enriches both the narrative and gameplay, offering a more profound and cohesive experience. That said, the prequel remains firmly rooted in the series’ established formula. Longtime fans will recognize both the strengths and the recurring frustrations that have defined earlier entries. While a more linear approach to certain storylines might have provided smoother pacing, the branching paths ultimately preserve the distinctive charm that sets the series apart.
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Review in German | Read full review
All of this doesn't make 'Octopath Traveler 0' a bad game, though. The prologue is fantastic, and neither is the final section of the story. There, the difficulty ramps up considerably, and your party composition becomes much more important. The middle section, however, is such a drag that you might wonder if it's even worth spending nearly 40 hours (the main story is about 60 hours long) on the same old thing for a happy ending. There are some really nice moments when characters in your village want to talk to each other, but even these are interspersed by several hours. That makes 'Octopath Travel 0' a game with great moments, but it's not a great game.
Review in Dutch | Read full review
Octopath Traveler 0 is a fantastic RPG that features stunning HD-2D visuals, rich storylines, a mesmerizing soundtrack, and fast strategic turn-based combat. Combining all of these elements into a fantastic package that is rewarding and fulfilling, it reminds players why they fell in love with RPGs in the first place.
Octopath Traveler 0 has a lot to it. The “main” parts of the story, primarily the antagonists discussed here, are some of the best in the series and will keep people invested along with the Animal Crossing-like charm you get from restoring Wishvale, but once you get past it, it’s all really just… there, and getting to its real, yet satisfying ending will take some effort. The end result is a huge game that definitely boasts more value than its $50 asking price.
Octopath Traveler 0 is a good prequel with stunning HD-2D graphics that stands shoulder to shoulder with the rest of the series. Taking what made the battle system great and adding a back row of four more party members to combat provides a new level of strategy. However, a mid-game difficulty spike is uneven in the big moments, so farming for better equipment breaks the pacing up to that point.
Octopath Traveler 0 is the most consistent game in the franchise, with stories that, even though they are self-contained, flow well between each other, and with well-balanced and entertaining battles. And honestly, I wish more franchises would make this kind of offline versions of mobile games.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
While the combat system does feel like a significant improvement over the previous two games, the narrative doesn't come anywhere close to either of those experiences. Octopath Traveler 0 is still a solid turn-based RPG with great art and music, but it doesn't hold a candle to the other entries. It's impressive for an experience made by cobbling together a mobile experience, but knowing what it started as doesn't make it more than just fine.
Octopath Traveler 0 is an excellent addition to the series that redefines its combat system by adding more depth and strategic elements and even throws in a cozy aspect to cater to different playstyles.
If you like the "Octopath Traveler" series, you'll enjoy "Octopath Traveler 0". It sheds light on the history of the world of Orsterra and offers a strong combat system as usual. However, after a great start, the narrative loses momentum and the city-building system fails to reach its full potential.
Review in German | Read full review
The enormity of Octopath Traveler 0 is something that must be seen to be believed. Official developer comments about the game’s playtime being around 100 hours weren't made with exaggeration, and even with that, I never felt like so much as a minute of my time was wasted. The stories it tells are grand and sweeping, and all fit snugly into a greater work that feels sort of like a playable epic. Octopath’s core gameplay in exploration, combat, team-building and mid battle strategy have also evolved considerably. The eight-character system and high number of party members means that just about everyone is going to approach it differently, and that's before getting into the open world and exploratory elements, which have also been noticeably improved. What ties this all together is the high quality of its writing. It's probably my favorite video game narrative since Dragon Quest VII (which still sits as my favorite in general), combining lots of interesting themes and talking points with a flair for the theatrical. It's over the top in ways that feel deliberate and serve to heighten the emotions felt by the characters, who themselves are very compelling. While I would never say story is the sole reason you should play Octopath Traveler 0, it is the greatest factor in why all of its systems synergize so well. From top to bottom, I loved this game to pieces. It's to a point that, after a while, I began to ask “How in the world are they supposed to top this?”