Square Enix Octopath Traveler - for Nintendo Switch

Wanted to pick this up for so long, such a pretty, atmospheric game.

Good game. Nice retro graphics, good character development, interesting story, gameplay easy to understand.

Those who love RPGs with a complex story -- Go for it!!

Great game if your like the style. Definitely recommended. Looks gorgeous and runs smooth.

I grew up in the late 80's and 90's during the height of the Square SNES RPG golden age. I worked afternoons and summers doing little jobs around the house and at my dad's work to scrape together the money to afford classics like Final Fantasy III and Chrono Trigger. Seeing even a hint of the charm that reminds me of that era was enough to get me interested in Octopath, but I've been down the road of those cashing in on nostalgia without wanting to put in the effort to make something truly worth the time and money. This is not that kind of game. Touching on all of the beauty found in colorful sprite work, along with the memorable music from days gone by, Octopath Traveler manages to ride the line of reminding us of the best games of our past, while also giving us something new and different to cater to modern game design and the unique capabilities of the Nintendo Switch. With content you can play in short bursts or long marathon sessions, the individual chapters of the eight characters each have their own stories to tell. Though there seems to be little to connect the stories together, there are hints at story that concretely establish each character within the same world. One character will reference things that are prominent in another's story line, or work with another representative of a group that spans the continent. Though none of these give the same feel as the overarching big bad stories of the older games, they still firmly establish that these people are from the same world and that that world is alive and in motion. Combat involves a mechanic that allows you to "break" enemies by attacking them with weapons or spells they are weak to. This makes even random encounters more interesting, and allows combat to become more a puzzle as you enter a new territory than simple rote execution. The fact that you can open up secondary jobs for the characters to round out a party with the skills and weapon capabilities of other characters means that by mid-game you should never be without the ability to take the party you want into almost any area and have the tools to engage the enemies efficiently. Overall the art, music, and engaging combat is what keeps me playing this game well beyond my fondness for the games that clearly inspired it. Not often does a studio develop something with that tug of nostalgia as its premise that actually lives up to what you hoped it could be. This is one of those rare gems where the game both reminds you of yesterday, and gives you the convenience and design of today. It's like stepping back in time and remembering how fun classic turn-based RPGs used to be.