![]() ![]() They can either add a second attack to a combo. It’s the boost points.īoost points are gained each turn and add a fun wrinkle to decision-making. What really makes fights interesting isn’t just the turn-based attacks and debating what to do based on who goes when. Granted, this is also an oversimplification of the combat and mechanics. It doesn’t start out as rough as it sounds, and the build-up to this level of skill and thought is a critical part of the different chapters for each character. The gameplay quickly turns into a dance of finding the weaknesses, exploiting the weaknesses fast enough, juggling buffs/debuffs, and preventing massive attacks from landing. Enemies have weaknesses and a “shield” where if hit with enough weaknesses, they get stunned for a turn. This cuts back a LOT on having to switch party members to meet specific needs, whereas now, a party can be built and can be stuck to because all you need is right there, depending on the time of day.Īs for the combat, it’s a beautiful puzzle game that I couldn’t get enough of. Or Throné, the thief, can either steal during the day or knock people out at night to get through blocked paths. At night he can mug people, fighting them for everything in their pockets. For instance, Osvald, the scholar, can glean information during the day about the goings on in a city. What I loved about this was it changed the party dynamics to allow for almost any party to get what you want to be done. This has improved dramatically in Octopath Traveler 2, with each character having two path actions. In the first game, every traveler had a “path action”, an overworld action that let you interact with NPCs to glean information, recruit people to your party, or get their inventory. However, this shift also plays on a fantastic evolution from the first game, too. One cave in particular actually plays on the dynamic lighting to help you traverse through it, and to solve puzzles too. Particularly in caves, is this just a lot of fun to shift between. Seeing the sun or moon swirl around the world with the lighting change from Mid-day to dusk to twilight to night is brilliant. With a function to change the world from night to day at the click of a button, there is no loading screen. Even then, this execution feels modern with how dynamic the lighting and world are. In a magical sort of way, every aspect of this game looks how I imagined all my games looked back in the day. Even the sprites felt more distinct, reminding me of much more detailed sprites from Final Fantasy 6. The lighting felt more dynamic, the worlds felt more alive, and the turn-based combat felt much flashier. I played on the Switch OLED, and just about every color popped. The HD-2D style feels like its best iteration yet in this sequel. And similarly to its predecessors, there is an overarching story being told that will not get revealed until the end about how each of these eight were destined for each other and for their own individual greatness. As the story unfolds, you assist each one with their issues as a band of travelers lending a helping hand, leading to a group of 8 friends who all believe in each other. Every one of the eight party members has a deep story to tell, delving into their own personal growth or overcoming a near-insurmountable obstacle. From Cassti, an amnesiac apothecary, to Agnea, a dancer trying to make it big and inspire others. From Osvald, the defamed scholar jailed for murdering his own family, to Partitio, a merchant trying to become the best merchant in the lands. Each with their own gifts/talents, goals, and needs. Octopath Traveler 2 follows the eight individual journeys of eight individual travelers. Does it address all the critiques? Did it improve on an already-loved twist? The answers are all a resounding YES. Now, we have its follow-up, Octopath Traveler II (Octopath Traveler 2). Praised as a beautiful, modern take on a long-beloved genre more-or-less made popular in the west by Square in its days of yore. With a cast of eight different strangers helping each other on their personal journeys, each quest building the individual and overall narrative more and more. This all features a gameplay and storytelling style akin to 1994’s Live-a-Live JRPG. ![]() It introduced us to their new art style dubbed “HD-2D”, a mix of old pixel-style art from the Final Fantasy 6/Chrono Trigger days of RPGs with modern lighting and animations. ![]() When Square Enix revealed the first Octopath Traveler during the original Nintendo Switch reveal in 2017 (which is now 6 years ago!?), it felt like a new era for the beloved publisher. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |