A third Octopath Traveler game is on the way and the Square Enix JRPG series looks as stunningly retro as ever. This one is called Octopath Traveler 0 and includes a bunch of new features. It also looks perfectly positioned to once again trick me into thinking I will fall in love with these games.
Revealed during today’s Nintendo Direct, Octopath Traveler 0 will hit Switch 1 and Switch 2 on December 4 and tell the story of a world on the brink of collapse that must be rebuilt (and which is seemingly based on the 2022 mobile spin-off Champions of the Continent). Players will still go around collecting party members and grinding through turn-based battles, but this time their own personalized character will be the star of the show. New base-building mechanics will also add some light life management sim aspects to the formula, it seems.
Most importantly, however, the HD-2D pixel art still looks incredible. Here’s the trailer:
Octopath Traveler should be the prefect series for me. I grew up on 8-bit and 16-bit games. I was obsessed with SNES RPGs. I’ve played Final Fantasy VI, the most direct inspiration for the Octopath games, at least a dozen times. But try as I may, my appreciation, admiration, and respect for the Octopath games has never given way to being truly in love with them. I play a bunch, mostly out of a feeling of duty, and then eventually bounce off. They can be nice JRPG comfort food but never felt like anything more to me.
Octopath Traveler 0 is definitely going to be the one to fix that though, I can feel it. This it the one that will convert me into a true believer rather than just a sympathetic skeptic. I will definitely not buy Octopath Traveler 0, play it for 10 hours, and then never put the game back in my Switch 2. This time will be different. Octopath Traveler 0 will fix me. I can’t wait to order it, gift wrap it, and leave it under the Christmas tree just waiting to not break my heart on Christmas Day.
.
