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OCTOPATH TRAVELER
review | SWITCH
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Publisher: Square Enix.
Developer: Square Enix; Acquire. Released: July 2018. Genre: JRPG. Other versions: PC; XONE; PS4. Posted 31st May 2026. By Shane Battams © 2026 |
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While retro throwback RPGs have been pretty common during the eighth generation, Octopath Traveler feels like an altogether different beast. Square Enix and Acquire would collaborate to devise something nostalgic, but with modern flourishes reflecting current hardware, resulting in a new “HD-2D” style. That, and its initial exclusivity on the Nintendo Switch, felt like a callback to the glory days of Squaresoft JRPGs on the SNES. Those with love for the genre should find great value in this game, though its strict adherence to certain tropes may turn off the impatient or uninitiated.
Across the land of Osterra, eight characters embark on their own journey, led by personal motivations. These range from scholar Cyrus attempting to track down a stolen dark magic tome, to thief Therion hunting for a quartet of dragonstones to remove a bangle acting as a mark of shame. Uniquely, players can begin with any story of their choosing, recruiting the remaining cast along the way and completing their chapters in non-linear order. You can even focus on a single character during a playthrough if you desire a challenge. The only cost comes at the story threads themselves, as these can harbour some emotionally resonant moments, but a lot of the cut-scenes feel less than engaging. The voice acting is decent, but the writing never gifts the narrative a sense of thrust or depth, and although short, optional scenes see the heroes in discussion with each other, quests feel somewhat disconnected, at least until near the end.
A classic pixel-art style mixed with more modern lighting effects makes for an enchanting, unusual appearance
The good news is that the gameplay feels much more compelling. The world of Osterra is large and filled with side paths for treasure chests, optional dungeons to engage in, and side-quests gleaned from NPCs. It’s highly enjoyable to explore, and also ties nicely into each class. While combat classes are what you’d expect, you can also utilise specific abilities in general exploration. NPCs can be challenged to combat, analysed for information, and even bartered with for unique items (or you can just steal them). Your character’s level determines their efficiency with these skills, and failing an action too many times will see your reputation damaged and these actions unavailable until a financial gesture is paid at the tavern. It offers great incentive to thoroughly explore towns, with the rewards along the way including new story strands, class cultures and world-building.
Of course, combat proves just as major a component here, and utilises the traditional turn-based format you’d expect. A couple of unique quirks add some spice, however. Boost Points are gained with every turn, and allow you to charge up attacks and skills for more damage or buffs. Standard attacks increase in quantity, which ties nicely into the Weakness system. Each foe has a set number of shield points, with certain attack types and elements lowering the shield. Once broken, enemies are stunned and open to more damaging attacks. It feels like a satisfying evolution of the system, with experimentation rewarding more powerful moves. It becomes a task of balancing magics, weapon types and abilities while considering your Boost Points, as while using multi-attacks can drop the shield quicker, a fully charged assault on a stunned opponent will often wipe them off the battlefield. When you factor in class abilities, which unlock equippable passive skills, it becomes immensely addictive.
Of course, combat proves just as major a component here, and utilises the traditional turn-based format you’d expect. A couple of unique quirks add some spice, however. Boost Points are gained with every turn, and allow you to charge up attacks and skills for more damage or buffs. Standard attacks increase in quantity, which ties nicely into the Weakness system. Each foe has a set number of shield points, with certain attack types and elements lowering the shield. Once broken, enemies are stunned and open to more damaging attacks. It feels like a satisfying evolution of the system, with experimentation rewarding more powerful moves. It becomes a task of balancing magics, weapon types and abilities while considering your Boost Points, as while using multi-attacks can drop the shield quicker, a fully charged assault on a stunned opponent will often wipe them off the battlefield. When you factor in class abilities, which unlock equippable passive skills, it becomes immensely addictive.
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It’s just a shame that the difficulty balancing is very spikey at times. Those not keen on grinding will likely find themselves dismayed when later chapters begin to increase the recommended level. Even then, challenging boss encounters often see sharp jumps in difficulty, regardless of whether your characters are over-levelled. Balancing a squad of eight characters to be appropriately strong only adds to its taxing nature. There are plenty of high-level side activities too, such as special classes that can be unlocked by defeating powerful gods, but many may find the main strand too frustrating to seek these out. The true ending boss is particularly egregious, forcing a gauntlet of eight redux boss fights before an insanely difficult encounter, with no saving at all during this process. While hardcore fans of the genre will likely eat this all up, newcomers and less committed fans may lose interest before they reach the ending.
The visuals pay fantastic tribute to JRPGs past. Octopath Traveler mixes old-school character sprites with polygonal environments and the results are excellent. It’s striking to see such a retro look spruced up with stunning lighting, gorgeous shadows and vibrant colours. Larger sprites for enemies and bosses look superb, intricately drawn and animated with appreciable small touches. It sometimes resembles a gorgeous diorama, with certain objects and characters popping to life. The audio is strong too, with a stellar soundtrack that lives up to the greats of the past. From the flute-driven main theme, to the soothing blend of acoustic guitar, the pleasant piano accompanying certain towns, and the epic orchestral battle themes, it’s all top-notch. The sound effects are potent, be it strong strikes or devastating magical moves.
The visuals pay fantastic tribute to JRPGs past. Octopath Traveler mixes old-school character sprites with polygonal environments and the results are excellent. It’s striking to see such a retro look spruced up with stunning lighting, gorgeous shadows and vibrant colours. Larger sprites for enemies and bosses look superb, intricately drawn and animated with appreciable small touches. It sometimes resembles a gorgeous diorama, with certain objects and characters popping to life. The audio is strong too, with a stellar soundtrack that lives up to the greats of the past. From the flute-driven main theme, to the soothing blend of acoustic guitar, the pleasant piano accompanying certain towns, and the epic orchestral battle themes, it’s all top-notch. The sound effects are potent, be it strong strikes or devastating magical moves.
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Octopath Traveler offers a gorgeous and inviting world to explore, though it becomes very tough
Octopath Traveler works as both a tribute to a genre’s past and a great entry in its own right, benefiting from a stunning presentation, tons of content to explore and combat that feels strategic yet accessible. Fans of the genre could easily spend 100+ hours exploring, and those who grew up on old-school JRPGs should feel right at home. It feels great on the big screen, in docked mode, or for handheld sessions. For better and for worse, Square Enix would emulate many of the genre’s enduring blueprints, including a tough learning curve and difficulty spikes, which could turn away those unfamiliar or less patient. That being said, anyone with an interest in JRPGs, and plenty of time to spare, should find much to like here.
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VERDICT
"For better and for worse, Octopath Traveler pays tribute to JRPGs of the past, benefitting from stunning presentation, tons of locations to explore, and strategic yet accessible combat." OVERALL: 8/10 |
OTHER TURN-BASED JRPGs REVIEWED
Suikoden (1997, PlayStation)
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Legend of Legaia (2000, PlayStation)
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