I'm not usually a jrpg guy but I got the demo on PS5 and absolutely love it. I started with Temenos who is hilarious!

I really loved how Octopath 1 basically advanced classic turn based combat and brought it to the modern era. Really looking forward to this game.

I loved the original, and this one looks like it only improves on the things people complained about before. It also comes out on my birthday so yeah I love Octopath I’m glad it’s a full-on series now, looking forward to that sweet sweet music!

So excited for this game I’ve been waiting all month for this one

This is gonna be loooong week. Can't wait til the 24th.

It's interesting to see how Team Asano used what they learned with the Live A Live remake in here. If you played LAL there are a lot of little details that one can say "yes, they took X from LAL and improved to use it in OP2". Examples would be the enemy sprites. They are as detailed and un-pixelated as those from LAL with simple animations for them. Many of the biomes give a certain "LAL" vibe (you even got 'Wild West' and 'Edo' biomes). SFX too. They are more polished and detailed versions of LALs. All this is the perfect mark of the old Squaresoft's design policy: build a 'system' up to it's most perfect form. That's what Squaresoft did during the Snes, PS1 and PS2 eras. Basic system of Final Fantasy 4 was used as the template for Mystic Quest, Live A Live and Final Fantasy 5. With subsequent games adding more polish and new complexity to the next (Mystic Quest being the simples upgrade's of the bunch, Live A Live introducing individual 'scenarios' and carry-on functions aside from the battle system, and FF5 really going to town with its many maps that experienced important changes). Then they made Final Fantasy 6 and Treasure of the Rudras, both made with the same new system, but ToR re-implementing the individual scenarios of LAL; only this time they made it so the 3 main scenarios were actual parallel scenarios, taking each protagonist to different locations and even maps (plus all the many changes that happen to those maps throughout the story), before all three converging on the fourth and final scenario en route to the ending. My point is that Team Asano clearly has a process/roadmap in mind, and each new iteration incorporates what they've learned on the others (most of it), plus new improvements. The telling signs of that are the Cross-Path scenarios. They are clearly experimenting, and likely in Octopath Traveler III we'll have a proper interconnected, overarching story (I hope). More so if they do the Treasure of the Rudras remake in between since, as stated before, that one is essentially the template/practice run they need in order to achieve Octo's ultimate form. I sincerely hope that's the case. This lil' emerging franchise deserves it.

Awesome review. The update to combat, whilst minor, is appreciated. I loved the stories in the first, but found the combat a drag. This reviews has me very optimistic.

Saw this on sale in the eShop had been holding off but played the prologue demo and realised that the save carried over which was handy! Thanks for the review! 😁

The thing I really liked about OPT1 that is also part of OPT2 is I find it respects my time. I have loved RPG's for almost 30 years now, and some of my favourite classic JRPG's need to be played for a few hours at a time to feel like I have accomplished anything, and I don't often get that kind of gaming time anymore. OPT lets me play for 30-60 minutes and I can generally complete a chapter in a story, or rob a town blind, or explore a side area. This game is great is small bites, and fun in long sessions. I think I remember reading an interview when OPT 1 launched that keeping play time in mind was part of the reason they went with the 8 path route. I like that the characters are a bit more interconnected, cheering each other on and the introduction on shared story lines, while maintaining the bite sized stories. I'd give the game a solid 9.5/10 if not 10/10

First time playing Octopath 2 demo and started the Hikari storyline damn it’s cool. Love a good old samurai story.

Glad to hear that OT2 overall improves on the first game. Which is all that you look for in a sequel. Hope it sells just as well too.

Looks like one of the best jrpgs of the decade

This is going to be my favorite week in rpg gaming in the past few years. First we are getting one of my favorite games ever Legend of Dragoon coming to the PS5 and then Friday we are getting this great game. My free time is completely booked now 😂

really excited to get this game although i still haven't finished Engage... i'm just happy that they are continueing to improve the 2d-hd style in every new game released using this style.

In OT1, I always use Scholar job to reveal enemies weakness in battles😁

Cant wait to see which kind of goodies theyre hiding still in the game. The demo was a delight. Can't wait for the full release and see what kind of 2nd jobs they have in the game. So far i manage to find the Inventor Class. Cant wait for the others. 😇😇😇

I played Ochette and Throné's chapters in the demo and I was in love. Cant wait for 24th.

super excited for this game but im curious about something i havent heard anyone with a review copy answer. is it true that it sticks to 4 chapters per character still? because in the demo you have to do osvald’s chapter 1 and 2 but his second chapter was incredibly short and featured no boss fight, so im worried that if it sticks to 4 chapters some characters will get some really tiny chapters like his and have less of a story

I have been playing the first part of the demo for each character, trying to decide which will be my main one.

By 3:30 I was looking forward to the game more (they are less "people walking together" and now "people working together"). I have loved what I have played in the demo (played 2 people so far), enjoy that there are new jobs (got the inventor job) and it looks less like "pick 4 people, give them the missing jobs and more on", the time differents (like said in the video) and the bad guys more when attacking.

Playing Octopath 1 right now. Will be getting this soon 100 percent.

I never played the first one (only did the demo.) Guess I'll have to get to it before getting into this one. Love the pixel art style.

I’d love to see FF6 done with HD2D ….but square seem to neglect it (the pixel remaster could have been so much more) and chrono trigger for some reason.

I've been eagerly awaiting this game for some time. Right now all I'm torn on is if I'm going to be playing it on Switch or PC. Until the demos came I was I was sure I'd get it on Switch, but after playing both demos and seeing just how incredible the visuals look and how smooth the high framerate is on Steam, I'm having second thoughts.

I haven't seen anyone speak to this, but @Felix or @Mitch, is the 'paper roll' effect present on the Switch version? Where the corners are faded and muddied. It was quite drastic on OT1 on the Switch but was removed by default for other console versions. It was the only thing annoyed me on the original. It was like you were playing the game looking thru a paper towel roll.

I’m hype for this, I’m finishing up Primose and Cyrus before this comes out next week.

The main two things that made me drop Octopath Traveler 1 was how grindy it got and how disconnected everyone's stories are. It looks like they did attempt to make the party feel more connected with sub-stories and callouts in battle. Party chemistry is one of the biggest things I look for in RPGs (which is something the Bravely Default games did so well), so I hope it's at least a little better here.

Got it preordered for PS5 lol not Switch but excited for it =) Crosspath is nice to hear about the concern of allies interacting together!

I said to myself after reading the review on their site “I bet Felix will do the video on this”. Well would you look at that…

see i dont get why people bash it for being too similar. why do they have to deviate from what works? what people like is this and it should stay this.

Looks amazing, loved the first one but got stuck and didn't have the time to grind it out. I'm going to go listen to the OST now.

I had so many issues with the first game, but I really wanted to like it. So hopefully this one improves some of the glaring annoyances

Played the demo for a while yesterday, got through 5 of the characters and so far all of the stories are really good except I felt casti was really lacking, the dialogue was not as good and the story was not as interesting as the others so far, I still need to play as the dancer the merchant and the thief but they all look cool so hopefully have good stories. I don't know who I'm going to start with yet because my favourite ones so far are Hikari and osvald so I want them both on my main party but they're opposite sides of the map so I cant decide who to start with, im most invested in osvalds story and I like temenos and they're close so I will most likely start with osvald

This game really snuck up on me. No idea it was out so soon. Really my concern is the difficulty curve being crap again. Which I guess I'll have to wait and see what the player base has to say on that. Other than that, looks good.

SO excited for this game!

I'll definitely get it after I play the first one (I got it at a discount on the eShop a few months ago)

Nintendo Life is my go-to for reviews! I'll be getting this day 1. So glad to see Square Enix back on track with all these hits on Switch.

I'm SO ready for this game!! The first Octopath is still one of my favorite Switch titles and already know the sequel will be even better 🔥

Logged full time in the demo and I’m DYING to get my hands on the full version!

I still need to finish the first game. I spent so much time trying to grind the dance trick to max out stats

Really appreciate the specifib memtion of a noncentral story. If u are gonna charge 60 for a retro title, at least try and match the scope of the classics ur paying homage to. Ill try and grab it on sale for the excellent gameplay and collection of well written side quests that it is.

This is a great review. IGN did not cover many of the gameplay elements discussed in this review. I'm sold day one buy for me

I started the demo and it seemed like a total retread of the first. Hoping it comes into its own. Even if it doesn't, it'll be amazing. Loved the first.

My biggest question is that I’m wondering if the final boss of this game is once again a mix convoluted side quest with an unimpactful ending and not even voice acting. That was honestly my biggest issue with the first game.

Makes me so happy to hear that its a worthy sequel! Can’t wait to play it for myself

this game sets a bar high in my jrpg games benchmark. After playing the first one, I'm having a hard time looking for jrpg games that gives Octopath Traveler's level of satisfaction.

Day one buy for me! I beat the first one with a play time of almost 85 hrs (learned how to play the game better about halfway thru). I just hope the grind isn't quite as prevalent in this one, and maybe slightly shorter boss fights.

Great review!!! I will add however, Octopath doesn’t need to change much despite appreciating what the second one has done. For instance, Soulsborne games have come a long ways but keep the same dna from Demons Souls just more refined. They are now what other games try to copy. The first Octopath was a masterpiece imo, I mention it with the likes of Chrono Trigger and Final Fantasy. The emphasis on multiple protagonists with fully fleshed out stories, endings, and the ability to beat the game without “beating” the game (competing all stories) is special. I think only Live Alive has a similar construct. If it loses that then it’s just like any other turned based jrpg.

They got a little bit of the Vega theme going there (From Street Fighter). It's alright, I like that song

I wish if there's an OT3, they implement the mobile style where 8 players can be in battle

I just want to see an analysis of handheld mode in particular before I buy it. It looks so great on PS5, but I would play exclusively handheld if possible. It's not helpful to say a game looks poor on handheld but not show footage. Is it native 720p? I wish Xbox would put it on cloud gaming. Best of both worlds

I can’t wait to get this next week. I LOVED the first game.

So after playing the original, I enjoyed starting it because it had strong starts to narrative stories but I got a bit bored of it after the stories sorta fell-off once it got started. I played the demo for this new sequel and loved the strong start to Particio's story that was so interesting and compelling, but does it uphold a strong story after the prologue where the demo ends? I am curious because I do not want to buy this game as well if the story gets weaker and less interesting after such a strong start.

I really hope the studio makes a new game (not octopath but a stand alone) with one story. Literally the only reason I gave up on the first I just couldn't care less about some of the characters and it killed the experience for me. Though the crossed path quests make me wanna give it another go.

I played the demo on pc and I got hooked, so I bought it on the switch. I'm having a blast but I'm really sad about one thing. And that one thing is the beautiful visuals get completely lost on the switch screen, I don't know how it looks like on dock mode but yeah...

My god, I can't wait for this. I loved the demo, as it showed how much they improved the already very fun, albeit somewhat grindy base game. Can't wait to dig into this one for 2 hours a day after studying :)

Ngl. I forgot other games I want to play after I saw and played Octopath Traveler II demo. :)

I seriously can't wait for this game! I loved the first one so much, I spent well over 150 hours on it. Cheers and rock on!

It’s on sale in E-shop and bought it today. Excited to start playing. I was looking for jrpgs to play, I was thinking about disgaea for the nostalgic feels but your review convinced me. Pretty sure there are much better jrpgs out there but I just hope the game doesn’t dissapoint

Just finished the game for the first time, and it's officially my favorite video game ever; I cannot reccomend it enough

I like the crossed paths idea. Just wish the 8 stories intertwined more and came together as one

Hi Felix. Is it srill that only the fighting 4 gets expirence points, or are the expirrence points now for the whole party? That's what I did not like in the first game.

Thank you for the great review! A story all your own, here I come! 👑

After stumbling right outta the gate with Forspoken to begin 2023, Square-Enix redeems itself big time with this hugely anticipated sequel to one of the best games of 2018. My brother & I can't wait to get our Switch & PS5 Collector's Editions of Octopath Traveler 2 from the Square-Enix official store. This game is the perfect way to pass the time until Final Fantasy 16 arrives in June.

I'm so fucking excited for this game, I can't wait for Friday. So far I've been coping with the release date by forgetting it exists so it sneaks up on me, but now that I've played the demo I can't forget about it anymore. Also, does anyone remember what the original collectors edition cost? Iirc, it was about $100. I was planning on getting this collectors edition but it's a staggering $180!

Already preordered

How much overlap is there in terms of the quest or campaign from character to character? Like, if you only beat the game with one character, have you literally only experienced 1/8th of the games content? How much overlap is there in this and the first game?

I'm hoping there is a final crossed paths quest with all 8 characters to tie it together in the end. Would love that! I loved the first one, so I feel like more interaction in a final quest would be fantastic.

first time trying out this kind of game.. brought it on steam 20 min before release after i found this Review. Perfectly Good Review!

Gotta say, this game is amazing. I’ve been playing via Ps5 remote play, and it feels just as good as playing on my switch OLED. Love it.

Only reason why I never got the original was because I heard how hard the game can get and I am just not into hard games anymore. So is there difficulty settings here? Or is the game at least manageable to play? I just don't want to grind too much if there are difficulty spikes.

This is worth buying then? FF6, SMRPG, Chrono Trigger are my favorite absolute favorite style of games ever made. Playing thru the demo with the warrior right now, seems like each character will be a vastly different play thru? I didn't quite get into the first one, I tried to start every character's story and none of them were engrossing enough to keep me. This one has me digging the mechanics out of the gate.

i played the demo and sure most stories and characters are fantastic, but i dont see any replay value once you see the story of each one. Idk maybe im wrong. (throne temenos and osvald are so goated)

Trying to decide between this and Live a Live

Do we need to play the original first or is it an entirely new storyline?

is the weapon looks the same within each category? since octopath 1 weapon looks the same which makes me bored since the strongest weapon looks like the weakest one by graphic

This is one of my favorite turn based RPG's ever! Ready for more!

When i play octopath 1 thats when i realize i love this game, now i alrdy preorder it, can't wait to play this game :))

Do characters finally interact with each other? (outside of banter)

Never played the first one, think I’ll start with this one.

This is already sounding like a great improvement from the first game. Time to buy it now.

I never really played the first one and I still have it but I’m going to give it a go with this one 😊

Oh sweet!

I’ll save you 12:01 Yes! Yes it is worth it.

I’m unironically more hyped for this than tears of the kingdom. I already pre ordered the special edition

oh man I'm glad they stuck with this art style, I couldn't get into the first OT because of the color palette and that strong vignette effect that while you could tone it down, never looked right. the sequel looks so much better

The game isn't for everyone since it does appeal to a narrower audience than most games on the market, but should you be in that audience, this sequel is the gold standard. Went well above the standard 3 hour mark with the demo thanks to some value editing and can confidently say if you enjoyed the first game in any capacity, it will only be a better time spent with the second. Great review- totally agreed from start to finish

I feel like ypu guys gave a more thorough review than ign.

I just bought one today after watching this! tnx!

Just a question how big are the difficulty spikes/ how much grinding is there?

Absolutely love this game! Though they didn’t mention that Octopath 2 is less grindy, and when you finish all the characters storylines 1 last final chapter unlocks where all 8 characters interact at the same time to go and beat the true final boss!

One of those games you don’t have to question it’s worth, so glad people are enjoying the magic of Octopath & discovering the original one too!

Thank you truly for this balanced and thoughtful review.

Loved the first one. This looks awesome. Loved the demo yoo

I hope the final boss is just as satisfying and challenging as the final boss of the first game. I also hope the super bosses are good

So excited for this

Kind of sceptical wether to buy the game or not, now im convinced. Will def buy thr game

Do you need to play the first one to enjoy this second game? Or can one dive in freely?

I loved the first one. So this is a must buy.

Can’t wait..time to go back and finally beat Galdera