The Octopath Traveler Prologue Demo is a fantastic one. This demo lets the player start the actual game and play for three hours. Unlike the first demo where the player plays Olberic and Primrose, the player is truly free this time around.
Octopath Traveler is a game that is filled with story and characters galore. It is different as the story unfolds as the player wishes. There are eight different characters to level and develop. The player chooses a single character and then sets off on a quest.
All of the character’s introductory quests flow in the same way; the character is introduced in a peaceful time, and suddenly something bad happens to them. Soon, they end up in a fight with a huge boss, and once they defeat it, their quest begins. This isn’t a bad thing, as it is good to have some quickness in a game as vast as this.
Starting my demo, I jumped in as Cyrus the Scholar. This fantastic character has both magic and learns the ability to find out enemies HP and weaknesses. He is also a detective of sorts and uses what he learns from people to piece together a crime. Cyrus for me was a great starting character.
Since I only had three hours, I fought monsters and headed towards Swarkii to pick up another character Haanit the Hunter. Haanit’s power is to Provoke people. This power is rather overpowered as she can fight anyone just by using it. If necessary, the player can grind for XP in the village using Haanit’s power. The player can defeat everyone in the village, exit, and do it all again. While not fun, the experience is experience.
The last companion I picked up was Ophilia; she is a cleric. I wasn’t able to actually use her in battle, but I’m sure her healing will come in handy. She has the power to Guide, and that lets her lead just about anyone in the game. This power is perfect for leading people for quests and for escorting. If Ophilia is the player’s first or second party member, she can guide people into battle and summon them to aid her. She is just a healer, so it is good to have a good group of to aid her.
This game is great because the characters make it so. The characters have their own quirks and skills that can be used at will. Of course, every time a new character joins the group, the player will want to travel back earlier towns to collect everything. The towns in this game are rife with loot and items to collect. With so many characters to interact with; it makes for a varied experience.
There is something about seeing all of the characters living in the world. These characters simply wait at the start of their respective journey, waiting for things to go bad. Their stories are broken down into chapters that the player can continue at their leisure. While this demo only allows for the opening acts, it is enough to get the player hooked.
Square Enix has outdone themselves with this game, and it looks superb. The backgrounds are hand drawn and the world is beautiful. The player wants nothing more than to see every inch of this vast land and that is a good thing. It is marvelous seeing this world grow as players meet other characters.
The battle system is rather simple but has complexity looming. Every move, characters are given a point. By using these points players can unleash multiple attacks, akin to Bravely Default. If the player destroys the enemies defense, they are broken and the next attack does more damage. Breaking also skips the enemies turn to provide the player with another turn. The player must do their best to use breaks to their advantage. Using a weapon the enemy is weak to is also important, and this is another reason to pick up Cyrus early.
There are quests for the player to take on. These quests are dotted over the world and can go on for quite a while. The player never knows how far these quests will go. There is a quest at the beginning for Cyrus where the player heals a girl on a quest. It’s nice to see that she seems to get where she is headed. Quests make the world even more vibrant, which is of course important.
Octopath Traveler is out on July 13th, and this demo is available now. While the player only gets three hours, this game is definitely worth playing. Jumping in and picking a character is part of the fun, and it is worth noting where the other characters start. This world is vast and this short look should make any RPG fan, a buyer of the full game. Pick a character and jump in, this RPG’s out next month, and these eight heroes need the player’s help to save the world!