The Bravely Default games on the 3DS did a fantastic job of resurrecting the gameplay and feel of some of Square’s oldest games, employing a style that stayed true to genre roots while making modern changes wherever needed. When it was announced that the Bravely team would be tackling a new RPG on the Switch, fans were ecstatic, though there was some trepidation around the new direction being taken with Octopath Traveler. Would the team be able to capture lightning in a bottle once more, or would this be a forgettable retread of yesterday’s games? Fortunately, the former is true. Octopath Traveler is an extremely viable candidate for best RPG on Switch. To put it bluntly, Square knocked it out of the park with this one.
Octopath Traveler takes place in the land of Orsterra, breaking standard JRPG conventions by giving you eight main characters that all share equally leading roles. At the outset of the game, you must choose one of the eight to be your primary unit—one who never leaves the party, by the way—and after completing their first story chapter, you set out on a quest to find the other seven and to discover their stories as well. This non-linear approach to storytelling is a welcome change, as it gives you complete freedom over where to go next and how to continue the story. If you don’t want to pick up all the characters, you’re certainly welcome to just plow on ahead to the next chapters of the ones you recruited.
A drawback of this, at least in the eyes of some, is that the piecemeal storytelling approach makes for a less cohesive whole. Character stories are mostly isolated affairs, and there’s not much in the way of meaningful interaction between party members, but this hardly makes it a game with a poor story. Each character has an interesting narrative that explains why they choose to join the band of adventurers, whether it be a quest to avenge the death of a parent or a mission to bring medical aid to those in need; the game does a great job of establishing memorable plotlines and distinct identities for each member. Each character’s arc adds to the player’s overall understanding of the broader world, and the episodic nature helps to make it feel sort of like eight mini-RPGs all set in the same world, with some overlap here and there. It’s highly ideal for portable play, too, as each chapter is one to two hours (ish) long, making them perfect for commutes or a road trip.
Character progression is handled in two primary ways, split between rote leveling and pouring points into the job system. After each battle, participating members are given a certain amount of job points that can be used to buy skills for each character’s unique class. There are eight skills on offer, and each one offers a range of offensive and defensive benefits in combat. Buying skills also has the secondary effect of unlocking passive traits that can do things like change critical hit rates or give massive stat bumps. You can purchase active skills in any order, but they get more expensive as you go along, and the rewards are worth it once you master the class. From this point, you can then equip a secondary job to your character, allowing you to get creative with the combinations and to shape a party more to your liking.
What’s nice about this progression system is how it’s kept simple, yet it doesn’t feel dumbed down. It’s easy enough to understand how many job points are needed for the next skill unlock, yet the flexibility offered by secondary jobs keeps things interesting and gives you lots of options over the kinds of builds you want to run. Bear in mind that only the four equipped members of your party will be able to gain experience, but it’s easy enough to swap in a weaker character when playing their next story chapter and have the other three team members carry them while they aggressively level up.
Battles are set up much like the turn-based JRPGs that Octopath clearly is inspired by, but with a few key touches help to imbue it with a more modern touch. Chief among these is the Boost Point system, which is awfully reminiscent of the system seen in Bravely Default. Every character can store up to five BP at a time, with one being generated every time they don’t use BP in a turn. When the time is right, up to three BP can be used at once to power up an action, whether it be increasing the number of attacks, the strength of attacks, or the effectiveness of a heal or buff. It’s a clever way of introducing a certain amount of risk and reward to each battle, while still keeping things from straying too far from the turn-based template.
This Boost system goes hand in hand with the Break system, which sort of replaces the ATB gauge of old Final Fantasy games. Every enemy has several weapons or magic spells that it’s weak to and hitting them with these weaknesses has the twofold effect of doing more damage and lowering its shield level. If a shield level is dropped to zero, that enemy enters the 'Break' state, which means it can’t act for the current or next turn and takes double damage from all attacks. If you plan it out well, and use those Boost points wisely, this can lead to you knocking down enemies before they even get to attack a party member, and you can then eliminate them before they recover. The whole battle system hinges heavily on Boost and Break, and throwing in all the standard JRPG battle features - physical attacks, magical attacks, skills, etc. - makes for an engaging and addictive combat loop that favors thoughtful play.
When not battling enemies, you’ll find your team exploring a vast overworld, peppered with a collection of towns, dungeons, and optional areas. The main hook of this portion of the game can be found in the Path Actions that each character possesses, unique abilities which let them interact with the world in certain ways. Therion the thief, for example, can pickpocket NPCs to score some awesome loot, while Primrose the dancer can 'Allure' people to use in battle. When doing side-quests, these Path Actions are especially put to good use, perhaps requiring you to provoke fights with certain townspeople to gain access to an area, or to gather information from around town. The reward of doing side-quests are almost always worth it, and have an indirect effect on your performance in battle, as the money or equipment awarded to you can be put towards tuning up your team.
On the presentation side of things, Octopath Traveler manages to amaze, employing a unique art style that seems to capture how you remember 16-bit RPGs looking, rather than how they truly look. Detailed sprites are used around the world in a Paper Mario-esque style, juxtaposed against 3D objects in the environments. Not only is the sprite-work top notch, but there’s a refreshing level of modern polish to the world which reminds you that this is a game produced on a 2018 budget. Objects in the background and foreground blur in and out of focus as you grow nearer to them and lighting is handled in a realistic way, whether it be the long shadows cast on the walls of caves or the specks of light reflecting off the water in a rushing creek. The world is as colorful as it is diverse in environments, and a big motivator to explore it further is simply the joy of seeing what other gorgeous locales you can stumble upon. This is one of the best looking ‘retro’ games we’ve ever seen, and the novelty of the unique 'HD-2D' being achieved here never wears off.
This is matched, however, by the equally incredible soundtrack - an emotional, fully orchestrated set that does an excellent job of setting the tone. Every track here, from the quiet pieces that play during conversations in villages to the high-tempo tracks played in battle, is stunning, adding much-needed gravitas and depth to make everything you do feel so purposeful. The score really helps to drive home that storybook-like vibe of Octopath Traveler, and the talent on display may catch you a little off-guard. We expected a decent soundtrack to be sure, but the one used in Octopath is transcendent, going above and beyond expectations to deliver a memorable experience.
Conclusion
Octopath Traveler is a special RPG, the kind of game that keeps an eye on the past while walking bravely into the future. Indeed, we’d even go so far as to say this is the best RPG you can find on the Switch to date, all elements of this game link together perfectly to make for a harmonious and immersing experience that you’ll find difficult to put down. We’d recommend Octopath Traveler to both fans and newcomers of RPGs; the game does a fantastic job of straddling that line of accessibility and depth, satisfying both camps with its dizzying amount of content. Classic-inspired gameplay, an orchestrated soundtrack, and a unique approach to storytelling make this a game that you won’t want to miss. This is an absolute must buy.
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Comments 209
YEAHHHHHHH !!!
A second great game for me ! CHAMPAGNE ! I'm so happy !
EDIT : " It’s highly ideal for portable play, too, as each chapter is one to two hours (ish) long, making them perfect for commutes or a road trip." WHATTTTTTT ??? o_O Nooo, nooo, noooooooooo !!!
Yeeeehaaaaw! Come tomorrow I'll be a happy man!
I knew it would pull through! Tomorrow can not come sooner!
Sweet! I can't wait! I've been wanting this game so bad from the first demo that I threw money down on the Wayfarer edition!
Heck yeahhh!
My copy will arrive tomorrow .
Octopath & then DQXI September.
JRPG Heaven.
You done good, Square.
I'm not suprised by a good score, it was guaranteed to be amazing.
All aboard the hype train! Next stop, Orsterra!
Considering you guys gave it so much praise im surprised you docked a point from the rating. 10/10 from me
Can't wait to play this, one of my most anticipated releases for the year — besides Smash and Spiderman on PS4. I'm excited to see what else Square Enix is working on for the Switch. This is third party support done right.
You've done good, Square. You've done good.
I haven't had the chance to play the demo, but would this be worth buying for a more 'casual' player who enjoys rpg's? I heard combat can be brutal
My limited edition is waiting for me at home today! Thanks shopto!
Looks fantastic.
Picking this up from Smyths tomorrow, got it for £35. Seems well worth the money.
> there’s a refreshing level of modern polish to the world ... Objects in the background and foreground blur in and out of focus as you grow nearer to them
What you call "modern polish", I call "post-processing gone overboard". I'm still disappointed the devs never introduced a way to disable that after their response to the demo.
I don't like the graphic style and can't see how better more up-to-date graphics would not have improved the games look.
@Cobalt What do you mean no? You do realize that that is just the chapters, right? xD if you don't rush them we're talking roughly 30-32 hours just doing chapters, not counting walking around, exploring, buying stuff, managing your party, grinding and so on. It's pretty darned meaty
Not usually into RPGs but after reading this review I’m in also I love the graphics they look amazing
I'm so excited! I'm kinda disappointed that there isn't one final boss for all of them or something, but apart from that I can't wait!
Great! This review justifies my falling onto the hype train and preordering yesterday. Phew... Still need to finish Xenoblade Chronicles 2 first, though!
This sounds so amazing. I still have to get through XC2.....and Ys, and Shining Res....not sure if I'll slot this before the latter two or after, but I'm still so anxious to get my Wayfarers Edition!
Hey, @rjejr.....................
@Cobalt Seconding what Blizzia said, they mean the chapters....think of it as "quests" more or less....or "story dungeons" that are an hour or two rather than droning on for hours (looking at you, Chrono Trigger!)
The overall game, based on all we've seen and heard, for a completionist sounds like it's easy 120+ hours. The "chapters" don't include overworld traversal/exploration, grinding, exp leveling, loot management, etc. If you played the first demo, say, the knight's story, the part through the hideout was a chapter.
MY HYPE IS UNBENDING!
I feel the little to no interaction between party members make this a no purchase for me. Maybe when it's on sale.
I got Ys VIII instead, but it's good that Octopath is also pretty damn good. I'll pick it up eventually.
Not surprised given how we're talking about the people who made BD on the 3DS. Easily going to be my second GOTY with Smash be the first.
Glad I preordered.
Only thing I don't like is how the stories feel like 8 sub stories instead of one big story.. That's one big downside for me.
According to some reviews, the formula of having 8 beginnings in a row is repetitive. So I'm wondering :
Can you recruit a party of 4, and do the whole game with them four ? (and then do it again later with the other four)
Sounds amazing and I cannot wait to get my hands on it. Now I have to decide whether I'll drop hollow knight or finish it then start this? Decisions, decisions.
Sounds great. Already have the special edition pre-ordered.
I played the demo and I was impressed, but not blown away. Maybe it was because I chose the scholar. I am getting it but not after I beat Shining Renosance.
@Tibob
From the review:
"If you don’t want to pick up all the characters, you’re certainly welcome to just plow on ahead to the next chapters of the ones you recruited."
Sounds like I'll grab four of them and then do the other 4 on a 2nd play through.
Is it friday yet?! Is it friday yet?!
I'll know if it's as addictive as BotW if I get cramps and realise I've been sitting on the toilet for probably way too long.
So let me get this straight: upon meeting a new character you play out their chapter entirely? Or does one need to replay the game 8 times to see it all and they join the chosen main character "post-prologue" so to speak?
I swear I wasn't even remotely interested in this game and had the demo downloaded for months. Pre-release hype I could smell in the air made me play it and read previews and people's opinions and I'm a few clicks away from freaking preorder it.
I wanted this month to be a quiet one, with Sonic Mania Plus only.
@NEStalgia I'd guess this will come out to about 80 hours for 100%. Whatever it is, I feel it's the perfect length. I loved Xenoblade 2 but there was a lot of bloat to it; this game feels a lot more "toned".
I will buy this for sure, but not now. I finally finished L.A. Noire and I'm finally moving onto Zelda with some dabbling into Fortnite.
@AlternateButtons @zonks They're tweaked the difficulty a bit. I can tell you for sure that it is very beginner-friendly and that you'll be able to ease yourself into how the game works and whatnot. I have the game (got it this morning, mixup from online shop so got it a day early), on my 4th boss so far and it's still very manageable.
The only thing you really need to keep in mind with the game is: Explore. When I was doing my first boss I was just chilling tapping A doing some random attacks and stunning him, all was good. Then he suddenly killed me because he used a powerful attack and I did not really bother healing or anything.
Cue me discovering (aka using my brain for a second and checking out what menu options I have during the fight) that I can defend and use items. So next time I defended against the powerful attack and used some healing items (you're given plenty if you... EXPLORE ) and it was a walk in the park.
The difficulty does ramp up a bit later on, but the game makes it very clear when you're prepared for the next step, and it never really feels like you have to stop and grind like a madman just to beat something. Likewise, it never feels like any challenge is insurmountable. It's very well balanced, and as long as you explore a little, you're generally going to be a bit ahead of where you need to be, or right where you need to be.
Now, I can also tell you that if you want it to be a little easier on you, choosing H'aanit is a great idea because she has a pet which starts out a TAD overpowered. It makes your journey quite a lot easier at first, especially if you pick up Ophilia as your 2nd unit. That's all I'll say.
Overall it is a REALLY good game and it really fixes some of the issues I have with RPGs (GRINDING FOR DAYS for example), and makes it all very accessible yet not too easy or hard, and also kind of lets you decide how hard you want to make it on your own.
@SmaggTheSmug When you meet a new character, they tell you what they need to do in order to fulfill their quest. You're then asked if you want to know their background. If you answer "Yes", you're taken through their prologue in its entirety, albeit you will be able to use your starter/other party members while fighting throughout the prologue.
Now keep in mind I haven't tried answering "No", but I'd assume it then skips the prologue. There's a save point right before every character meeting though, and save points are generally about 5 minutes apart near new characters. You can play the game any way you wish. You can take one character and go through their chapters 1 and up, or you can go find some more characters and take them through their chapters 1 and up.
You do not need to do all chapter 1s to advance. I'd assume the game works in a way that lets you finish all chapters separately (that's how it seems so far - both in my chapter 1 and 2 of the one I tried, I was alone despite having more party members - outside combat that is) and then either there will be a merged ending or 8 separate ones.
EDIT: TL;DR you do not need to play through the game 8 times - 1 playthrough lets you do all prologues and all subsequent chapters of each character's "Story Quest".
@NEStalgia My family is 15 hour into Ni No Kuni 2. And when I say my family I mean my family, there is a ton of written dialogue that isn't spoken - like it's a 1990's Nitnedo game - so my family is all taking turns reading the lines. My oldest son does the main characters, my wife all of the female characters - b/c that's the way we roll - my youngest son mostly just cracks up b/c of all the different accents, and I press the button to advance the dialogue. There's some game play in there but for an action JRPG this has almost less playing than MGS or Uncharted games. Which is fine for my family I suppose.
After this the family will be back to watching Dragonball - we've finished all of DB and DBZ, movies next, then GT, then Super. I'll be playing The Witcher 3, which I just remembered last night I own but never started. They may take me the next 3 years the rate I'm going. Octopath is never gonna happen.
@NEStalgia @Cobalt Continuing on from NEStalgia and myself, you also have to remember that the game features a lot of sidequests that have had a lot of continuity put into them - so you might stumble upon a npc that you help after going to some area, then meet them again in another area - and as you know there is no set starting place, so you could potentially first meet this npc again much later if they start out in an area you arrive to late and go to one you were at early on.
I think it's ugly, the backgrounds all look blurry and it has the dark atmosphere that I hated in Bravely Default. I'll still get around to it though because I hear such good things about it.
I'm kind of disappointed by the fact each character's story is so separate. The lack of progression towards an ultimate conclusion is unfortunate, but my main disappointment is that to me it defeats the purpose of having 8 fully fleshed out characters if they never interact in a meaningful way and develop off of each other. Having the characters join together in a party despite not interacting only highlights the shallowness of their connection, making it feel like a pure gameplay companionship and not a narrative one.
Perhaps this is a petty complaint, but the idea of 8 characters coming together was the most appealing idea of this sort of game to me and I sadly don't think I could get into it without that.
Not gonna lie, it is disappointing to hear that there is never really any meaningful party interaction happening and that all the seperate narratives never congeal into a interlocking and overarching one. The former I never really expect (but certainly hoped for), while the latter I had expected and frankly, I kinda figured it was a necessity to really make a extensive RPG like this whole.
I dunno, maybe that is purely my own bias speaking and maybe it's totally fine having these seperate, not quite anthology-style adventures happening. I mean, it's certainly a different approach to doing things, after all I found myself growing weary of many jRPG stories after 40-50h or so. Maybe it is a good idea to have seperate stories that are individually shorter and one can movely rather freely between.
I'm definitely going to give the full game a shot. I really enjoyed the two demos, the world looks gorgeous, the music was great and the combat felt just right. I think in a way this is might actually end up to be more than just comfort food for jRPG fans. Yes, it has one foot steadily planted in the past for sure, but like the article says, it might just do enough different and fresh that it will actually feel relevant even a couple of years from now.
Mostly though, besides actually having had fun with the demo, it is true that this is exactly the kind of game I've been asking for those last couple of years and that I really want to see esp on the Switch, hence it would be stupid and, well, rude I guess to now turn my back on it, because it is not exactly what I had expected (again, I did expect for the stories to ultimately come together in some fashion at least) or because it is not exactly a 10/10-everythings-flawless-masterpiece.
PS:
I hope this game will be good enough to restore even some of my faith into Square in terms of jRPGs. Recent FF games squandered all the good will they had left with me, so ... this is a welcome change of direction.
I finally got around to buying Breath of the Wild a few weeks ago and still haven't gotten around to playing it. Now I can't wait to buy this game tomorrow and not have the time to play it for many months or years to come! Also...
"On the presentation side of things, Octopath Traveler manages to amaze, employing a unique art style that seems to capture how you remember 16-bit RPGs looking, rather than how they truly look."
That is a ridiculously good description.
I've been engrossed in the demo for days now. It is simply the best RPG I have played in a long time, and I can't even say exactly why; but it looks gorgeous, sounds fantastic, and I just feel completely swept away by the story/stories almost immediately, something that hasn't really happened since Illusion of Gaia and FFVII. For me, anyway.
Picking it up tomorrow...didn't need a review to tell me it was going to be good...such is the power of a great demo. Still, glad to know the details.
I suppose it's too early for anyone to know, but any word on whether there's truth to the game lasting 50-100 hours or however long the devs said?
I don't get all the praise surrounding this game. I enjoy a good JRPG as much as the next person but I gave this games demo a go and found the combat to be extremely boring. Maybe its just the demo.
I just read a few reviews and they all agree in one weak point, and we saw this coming: the 8 stories don't quite link well, and there are some moments of inconsistency. Then it's a matter of loving this collection of 8 stories mildly connected to one another or not.
I tried the demo for about three minutes and then got bored with how talky it was. I just don't have the patience for RPGs that I used to have. I think games like Doom 2016 spoiled me with how quickly they get you into the action. It's a beautiful looking game though. Square seems to be on a role. Capcom too. It's just a shame Konami won't likely ever be the same way.
So is there really no overarching story at all? Like you get the 8th character and then the game just ends abruptly without explanation?
Still planning on getting this, but that's kinda disappointing...
Despite being a genre I absolutley adore and a game made by the developers of the Bravely games, I just can't get into Octopath Traveler at all. Everything about it are things I tend to love but the demos did not endear the game to me in any way and so far, none of the reviews I have read for it, have convinced me to give it a try. It's a shame really as I did really want to like it.
I'm not even an rpg/jrpg fan at all really, but after playing the 3 hour demo of this game I must say it has me hooked. Can't wait until tomorrow to pick up my copy of this beautiful looking game. This will probably be my next 100+ hours Switch game.
I love FFVI, and this looks in a similar vein, but I can't justify the 60$ price tag.
I’m typically not an RPG fan, but I’m definitely interested in getting this eventually if not for the art style alone.
@MagnaRoader Sadly, there's an unwritten rule that 10/10 is only reserved for Mario and Zelda games.
And believe me, BoTW is NOT a 10/10 game. But it's a Nintendo game and it's a highly respected franchise, so of course it gets a pass :/
Sigh....
https://www.nintendolife.com/reviews/nintendo-switch/super_mario_odyssey
https://www.nintendolife.com/reviews/nintendo-switch/the_legend_of_zelda_breath_of_the_wild
The big one, can't wait to get my hands on this.
thought the review might go a bit more in depth but Im really hapy it got a 9! cannot wait to start playing this!
Hope you all understand why you won't be seeing me around much for the next couple of months.
Played the demo, kinda enjoyed. I do miss close ups of the faces of the characters. You don't see any emotion, it makes them less recognizable and ultimately makes me feel less connected with the characters.
Spent so long watching this slowly climb up the Coming Soon list and it's next in line!
The demo all seemed very dull to me. The same random encounters over and over again. The character literally says "ugh, i don't have time for this" when you start one. Such archaic game design.
@diablo2 I thought I was the only one who noticed that lol. Sad tho, this game deserves high praise and deserves to be recognized. It's still a 10/10 for me.
I want to like it.
This has been on my radar for a while. Should be waiting for me when i finish work tomorrow
It has that beautiful diorama feel to it, like you're looking into a magical miniature world... and that music! I'm really excited for this one. I only played the demo for a little while and then I stopped. I'd seen enough. I was sold!
I'm am RPG fanatic through and through and although I tried to like this game multiple times, I just couldn't. Something about it just doesn't work.
Glad this game is getting a fairly warm reception. Switch is already getting a good amount of worthwhile JRPG's, which is great news.
This is gonna rock.
Barely any character interaction? Guess I'll have to reawaken my inner dungeon crawler and make up the interactions myself, one of my favourite things to do!
The Kotaku review is the complete opposite of this one. For those who have been playing it, is it really "grindy, repetitive and full of structural problems"? I will probably buy it anyway haha..the presentation is too good.
Glad it’s good. Gorgeous graphics.
@diablo2
“And believe me, BoTW is NOT a 10/10 game.”
Using Capital letters does not make this any more true....
It would be a 10 if they could spell 'Traveller' correctly.
@electrolite77 i know, RIGHT?!
so ready for tomorrow
Why am I not shocked. I’m so excited for this. I am a mere few hours away from the post office that is currently in possession of my shipment and it’s killing me to wait until tomorrow!!
I’m still quite bothered by the lack of character interaction especially in a JRPG like this one but I am definitely giving the game a shot.
I have one question though. How necessary is it to have a main team with every single path action? If, for example, my main 4 are Tressa, Therion, Alfyn, and Primrose, am I missing much for skipping a path action? Are there workarounds?
For some reason I thought this was coming out later in the month so when I got my tracking info yesterday I was caught off guard I’m looking forward to getting into this tomorrow.
@rjejr Now THAT is how you role play in the extreme!
OTOH....90% of the games I play have more text to read than button presses. Nothing seems 90's about that to me Lazy Americans....can't be bothered to read, just needs things read to us....
I've also not started NNK2 nor Witcher 3. But Switch is tops for now.
@MagnaRoader completely agree. What was the -1 for?
Says it’s a must buy, still gives it a 9/10.
Sure, Jan...
@diablo2
😃😉
@Shellcore I find when review outlets claim a game is 'grindy', it can often mean they fail to apply proper tactics to the battle system and have to raise their levels a lot to make up for the lack of skill.
I haven't played this game yet, so I can't say if it applies to this game or not. Bust we live in an era were most turn based games are simple enough you can get away with spamming strong attacks and occasional heals, when a JRPG breaks that trend, like Etrain Odyssey or Battle Chasers, some people struggle to adapt.
As highly rated as this is, I can't trust it because it's still Square-Enix. They've gone down a road since Final Fantasy 10(late game) in most their RPGs I loathe — the simon says angle of play. What's this? Various random few monsters and most/all bosses have a pattern, a pea brained narrow minded pattern. You must use the right skills, have the right jobs suited up, and take the right turn at the right time, or you basically get pounded into or nearly into dust by the enemy in a blow. It's a rigid horrid way to sell strategy guides at $30 a pop to line their pockets.
I can't stand JRPGs that do this, stifling creativity to attack a problem from multiple angles. Some may be more efficient, others may suck and drag out the battle, but still work. S-E doesn't allow that level of creativity anymore unless you want to well over-level for a space making for a lot of mindless grinding. The 2 Bravely 3DS games did this, and on DS while FF3 didn't suffer of it FF4 was ruined by it entirely.
Has anyone actually played this yet to know if they're forcing the narrow minded path to combat or allowing you to enjoy the game by your own choices?
I'm sorry did you just write 2 hours per character? That's before getting to the meat of the game I presume. Because a good chunk of post has them all together.
Not 10? Whyyyy
So what was negative about the game? I read a lot of good stuff. I'm looking forward towards the grind. Looks like a 10/10 without any bad points to be honest.
@Crono1973
"I think it's ugly, the backgrounds all look blurry"
That blur is depth of field. It allows you to focus on the foreground better, and keeps the game from looking too busy. It is absolutely necessary for a game like this. Without it, it would look like a jumbled mess.
I guess the only bad thing about this game is that there's no save anywhere anytime feature which would had benefit it from a portable aspect but I guess I'll give it a pass for it being so freaking awesome with everything else.
@MoonKnight7 Actually that effect is used to converge the idea of a Diorama sort of miniature.
I would give this game a 10/10
I've installed the demo 3 times... I just cant.
All this reminds me is sitting as a kid daydreaming my pixelated jRPGs looked like the intro Anime or cut scenes. I finally do not need to daydream anymore... no reason to go back for me.
I'll wait for the "HD Remaster" version 😉
I ruled out day one purchase, because of that unlinked stories problem, but I don't rule the game out entirely. Just not now. I envy people who doesn't want to buy it because just finished some game and the next in line is another. That's not backlog. Backlog is what I have, what hasn't allowed me to play Super Mario Odyssey or BOTW for months. What has kept some digital games untouched for now. I need to stop. Sorry, Octopath. You'll probably come home, but at a lower price and in the future.
Another reason for me to get a Switch. I've been curious about this since I first saw it, and I love older RPGs. This looks like a must for me.
Yeah, though I enjoyed the demo, there is one major thing holding me back from purchasing it: Random Encounters.
I'll gladly accept JRPGs of any kind when they're good, but the random encounters feels pointless nowadays, especially on consoles much stronger than the ones from the 90's. What if I'm trying to beef up my party's levels and head on back to town to heal up and save, only to have some jerk suddenly pop up in my face and nuke my entire party, throwing my entire progress down the drain? This isn't a good thing, if you ask me. It's an even bigger problem when the encounter rate goes up when you run, all because you want to get somewhere faster and why such a thing has to exist is beyond me.
Overall, I would like to buy this game since its battle system is amazing and being able to play as eight different characters with differed stories and abilities does sound sweet, but it'll have to be at a lower price tag for me. In the meantime, I'll stick with Brave Dungeon + Dark Witch's Story: COMBAT, Atelier Lydie & Suelle, Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana, and Saturday Morning RPG for my RPG fixins' on my Switch.
planned to get this soon, i had other things to buy first.
The demo for this game kicked my butt. Are there any options for an easier experience in the final product? I have no desire to slog through a RPG anymore.
@Fake-E-Lee Yeah, I just don't have enough time that I want to sink that much into a single game. I wince when I remember that I sunk 750+ hours into Fire Emblem Awakening back in the day.
I don't like the graphical style.
A shame as it looks like a really good game otherwise.
I can't wait for my copy to arrive.
@SwitchVogel what happens after you finish a story? can the last chaper be replayed? does the game eknowledge your victory and does it have any actual effects on the game itself?
I knew the critics would love this game. Still not buying it though. I hated the demo and it only reminded me of why I don't like turn based JRPG's.
I was going to have a Switch anyway, but this was definitely one of the system sellers for me I've been patiently waiting on.
I'm going to be giving the demo (the latest one) a shot when I get the chance. Letting you carry over progress from said demo is just a brilliant idea that I've only heard of here and in Miitopia.
On the game itself, still undecided (though that's why I'm grabbing the demp), but happy to know that the Switch is getting a good RPG. It seems to be one of the more lacking genre's on it, so the addition to the lineup is great-especially being an exclusive. Hope it does well!
@megallade I'm not entirely sure, as I haven't wrapped up all the characters final chapters.
Saw this on Reddit:
The game consists of eight standalone stories about eight different characters (hence: “Octopath Traveler”). Each of these stories is four chapters long, making for a total of 32 chapters. Thirty-one of these chapters follow the same pattern. You enter a town, watch some cut-scenes, talk to people in the town using your character’s Path Action (more on that later), watch some more cut-scenes, go into a dungeon, and fight a boss. Then the chapter ends.
All of these dungeons also follow a pattern. There are around 50 dungeons in the game, some optional, and every single one is identical: There’s one main path, and then there are branches that lead to treasure chests. Sure, the aesthetics will change—maybe you’ll descend the depths of a sewer, fight through a haunted forest, or explore a mansion—but every dungeon in the game has the same structure. Once you’ve played through one of these dungeons, you’ve seen them all.
Sounds repetitive.
Such a great looking game. I’d love to see this running on a Switch screen and HDTV in person. If I had a Switch I’d definitely buy this. I’m sure I will one day
On the style, it looks like an evolved 3D Dot Game Heroes from the PS3. I’m very much a fan.
@Fight_Teza_Fight Dairy Queen 11? hmmmm
@Jumwa These kinda games are pretty niche, but it just so happens to be a really popular niche with the hardcore gaming crowd. I knew I wouldn't like this game when I played the demo because it pretty much has all the issues that I take with traditional JRPG's these days. The game also kicked my ass, but then I realized how that is because this game expects me to grind away for hours leveling up. I didn't want to put that much time into the demo and that doesn't feel like a fun way to spend my time. You have to be a really big fan of the turn based JRPG formula to enjoy something like this.
@SwitchVogel i mean like how does finishing one story effects the other seven or the overworld?
@Shellcore the same guy from Kotaku trashed XC2, fwiw.
@AlbertXi
Not really sure what that has to do with what I said about depth of field addressing the "blurry backgrounds" comment, but yeah it is supposed to resemble a diorama too — that's why there's a diorama pop up book in the special edition.
@megallade I hear that there is no connection. It almost seems like a collection of short stories.
@Crono1973 so it doesnt really effect anything? thats a bummer....
@megallade I am not certain but that's how it seems.
TLDR: Does this have random battle encounters?
@Ryu_Niiyama it's monday. a long wait for ya. lol
Supposing I decide to replay it and choose a different character to be my main one, will I get a (somewhat) different ending?
@Alucard83 lol Monday is my day off actually so I'll be pretty much working on my game database, working on building a desk, playing octopath, and studying.
I will take it . Looks fantastic.
@MagnaRoader You have to understand, the Nintendo Life rating system requires that any game not made by Nintendo automatically gets docked 1 star, whereas games by Nintendo automatically get an extra star.
Review from one of the biggest French Website : 6/10
https://www.gamekult.com/jeux/project-octopath-traveler-3050838175/test.html
Conclusion :
We probably wanted to make Octopath Traveler our summer game that we saw it too big.
In reality, it is small, in its matters and what it brings to us, like it would like to target the mid-range segment of the 90's, a so rich period for JRPGs. We miss so much the 2D JRPGs that we'd like to turn the game off and just love it. From a visual perspective, everything's here. But on the length, the octo-gimmick doesn't work and the stories assembly looks really artificial while it's where we expected from it the most. There are still the combats made with grandma's recipes that we'd thought lost for so long. Octopath Traveler, it's a vinyl disc which compile all the hits of our youth. Sensations are not really the same but we are happy to keep it at hand.
6/10
No one asked the big question yet? Sub or dub?
Pretty sure this will be joining my future Switch library at this point! I loved Bravely Default, so I have high hopes for this game. So far, the reviews I've seen have not been disappointing!
@Ralek85
Totally feel the same way. My copy is getting here tomorrow, but I won't be able to play it meaningfully until Monday. Will check it out and let people know in the forum topic what I think.
@Cobalt your point?
@boop22
No point, just that I know the reviewer good after all these years and it's interesting to see the contrast between different people.
The guy who made the review plays JRPGs since EVER, he speaks japanese fluently and he probably played more JRPGs than everyone here, me included !
So, I'm gonna start Octopath tomorrow and I'll see if it's more about 9/10 or 6/10... That's all.
Only a 9?!
MEDIOCRE!
Maybe it's stating the bleeding obvious but this is only a must buy for jrpg fans. For me it leaves me wanting to play the legend of zelda. Bloody jrpgs and their stupid random encounters combat system spoils a lovely game for me. Give me real time combat or even Baldur's Gate (remember that?) style d&d combat!
Firstly, I love my Switch. I'm 37 and have been gaming since I was around 8-9. Now, let me tell you, that when I say that no other console has tickled my disco man lumps as much as my beloved Nintendo Switch, I cannot express how genuine I'm being! Seriously, guys and gals, you're making me sweat here!?!?
Moving swiftly on.......
I've read many a review that's mentioned the lack of 'spine' regarding the eight separate stories and mostly in a bad way. I like the fact that it's like a small-scale and more realistic insight into a digital world. Final Fantasy always 'goes big' with the end of the world malarky. Don't get me wrong, as that's also good when the mood arises. It's just refreshingly to simply have eight beautifully told stories that only hold up in their own right but there are also seven others who could do with your help in return. No big payoff, except for the individual/s you choose to focus on during your first playthrough and those you help along your humble journey and the pleasure in knowing you made a difference. .
Anyway, I'm off to kill me some more Nazis while unloading the old stomach bag and pipes.
@AlternateButtons No problem If you've got any other questions, feel free to ask. Took a slight break but I've soon gotten all the characters, and I've completed Chapter 2 of Primrose's and H'aanit's story. I won't help with game stuff but I'll happily answer questions regarding game systems and difficulty and so on It's a game best played blind as far as the game itself goes, though mechanics and difficulty and so on is generally nice to know before going into a game.
Not even a small chapter at the end for everyone to interact? That's bizarre.
Very interested in this, but read in another review that it's grindy. Which is my pet peeve that puts me off a lot of RPGs, so slightly concerned now.
@rallydefault I'm all preloaded and ready to go
@siouxrunner15 no, 2 hours per chapter. Every character has multiple chapters for their story (you have to complete their first chapter just to get them so collecting all 8 characters could take up to 16 hours alone, maybe less if you are rushing). Idk how many chapters each character has but if it’s like 5, that’s already 80 hours of gameplay ignoring side content.
@Giygas_95 I mean there IS options to skip all the dialogue if you want to just get to the gameplay - and then there’s a place in the memory where you can just read the summary of what happened so you can follow the story. You don’t really need to read all the dialogue if you don’t want to...
The second demo sold me, I can’t wait until tomorrow, I still can’t decide who to start with though!
@AlternateButtons Boosts helps, but really only if you break the "Shields" of the enemy?
Plus breaking their shield stuns them for an entire round. I recall when facing multiple enemies with different weakpoints in the demo as Olberic alone, I thus made a point of basically "juggling" them. One enemy would always be stunned, and I'm immediately break and "stunlock" the other one right after so they barely had the time to attack me when I whittled them down.
More than using boosted attack, pacing the speed at which you "break" enemy shields so you can maximizes your boost is the best pace.
For Olberic's boss for example I first focused on breaking his companions to off them as fast as I could, then moved on to the boss by alternating minor attacks to whittle his shield with slightly boosted ones to make sure I had enough boost points to fully power my single-target heavy attack special ability("Flurry" is the name of the sword skill in question, I think?)
In a way, the weakpoint system of the game was purposefully tweaked to make each fights akin to a puzzle. Finding out the best routine to stunbreak enemies and still have maximum boost points to deal maximum damage is basically the core challenge here.
I kind of like it because outwardly it's a minor variation to past "elemental/weapon weakpoint" mechanics of other games, but the difference is nonetheless a crucial one.
@ShadJV I could, but that's no way to play an RPG at least for me. If I'm gonna play one, I'd rather give it the attention it deserves, and the dialogue is a big part of the experience.
I'm kinda swamped with work and other games anyway though.
@Cobalt Interesting, I've never heard of them. I do hate these kind of numerical scores. I really do. Anyways, a 6 is like really bad these days. If you go on any aggregation side and take a look at a bunch of games that "average" (it's not a true average of any sort obviously, but since no one seems to care anyways or understand anything about statistics to begin with...) out at around 6, you end up with some real MEDIOCRE! games. The Lost Child scored a 62 on open critic. Just looking at the game, you can tell, that it must offer some serious narrative and mechanical chops above and beyond Octopath, if it manages to score a 62 with those visuals (and presumeably an inferior soundtrack as well) on the same merits otherwise. I admit, that is no a comparison that can hold up, because all these scores are subjective, they are not based on the same level of measurement ...
At least the conclusion adds some meat to the bone, so it just tells me, that this might be a reviewer who finds inherent value in games like FFXV, as they are most definitely not vinyl and certainly not short. One could also say they lack respect for tradition, things that just work and were in no need of radical redesign, and they also can be considered to lack respect for the players time, by for instance padding things out or by going retro, aka glacial story pacing.
From a personal perspective, I feel that a conclusion that starts out by refering back to an imaginary point of expectation is kinda hard to take serious. If you cannot move beyond your own expectations, how will you move beyond any of your personal biases and preferences when drawing up a conclusion? That's poor craftsmanship imho. If you should be able to do one thing, it should be to judge a game (or any piece of art) on it's own merit, for what it is. Not how it might be different from what you might have thought it to be or wanted it to be.
I had hoped that we moved passed this since The Last Jedi (it was too much like The Empire Strikes back!!! it su**ed! - it was not enough like The Empire Strikes Back!! it su**ed! - I wanted it to be different, so how am I supposed to like this!? - I acquired my tastes in the 80s and I do not believe in change as a legitimate concept! - Star Wars is just one thing and it cannot be any other, so no, there are no lady jedis, leiah has no powahs and black people are not storm troppers) but whatever ^^
@Morgan19
They did, actually. You can disable the vignette effect in the settings
Good review. Looking forward to spending some evenings getting to know this game.
@Ralek85
"At least the conclusion adds some meat to the bone, so it just tells me, that this might be a reviewer who finds inherent value in games like FFXV, as they are most definitely not vinyl and certainly not short."
They gave FF XV a 6/10 too. Not the same reviewer but they are friends and during a show, Kamui (the guy who reviewed Octopath) has said that 6/10 was kind of generous from his point of view. For him FF XV deserves a 5/10 max.
"From a personal perspective, I feel that a conclusion that starts out by refering back to an imaginary point of expectation is kinda hard to take serious"
I understand that but when you look at what the Switch is offering since December 2017, I can understand why he start the conclusion like that. Basically, there is nothing really exciting on Switch since Xenoblade 2 so...
"I had hoped that we moved passed this since The Last Jedi (it was too much like The Empire Strikes back!!! it su**ed! - it was not enough like The Empire Strikes Back!! it su**ed! - I wanted it to be different, so how am I supposed to like this!?"
You're supposed to not like it because like you said " It su**ed! " REALLY it su**ed!
But whatever, I'll start to play Octo tomorrow, I'll make my own opinion about it. One thing is clear for me, I'm not a fanboy, I'm not a hater, just a guy who analyze the games he plays and that's all... So, wait and see...
@Ralek85 I was a bit bummed by the lack of party interaction in the demo but... at the same time?
I'm kind of okay with it. Looking at it... all of the characters are not just "party members" but very much protagonists with a very specific story all of their own that required characters to all have a similar level of development.
It's not like other games where you have a clear "lead" protagonist and everyone else is a companion. Everyone has to be "both" a protagonist and companion.
Now there's the other big issue: You can recruit all 8 characters, but can only bring four of them at once with you. you can even skip from recruiting anyone, if you want! And giving that level of freedom indeed was a stated goal of the devs if I recall.
How do you handle variation between the wildly different parties that even just two different players might bring around with them for even just the same given quest? What kind of dialogue do you write if someone has Olberia/Therion/Primrose/Cyrus and another has just the exact same party except he's switched Therion with Alfyn?
How do you handle the change in dialogue, let alone potential coding/script triggers for such, without having the lines of characters being hyper generic... at best?
Thinking about it, I can see why the devs decided to keep characters chapters focusing on the related character exclusively. All the different permutations might have simply taken way too much writer resources/time/budget without mentioning the issues of deadline.
That's a game they announced back before the Switch was even out... and they certainly wouldn't have wanted to be able to release it only in 2019 or 2020.
So in a way I feel that focusing only on a single character at once was indeed the best compromise they could have made to give everyone their own unique stories while still keeping their deadlines.
In many ways, it very much is a SaGa experience. It's just that it lets you experience everyone's stories in a single playthrough rather than having to start over from lvl1 eight different times.
As Primrose would say, “I am ready.” I’m picking up my copy tomorrow!
Kotaku gave it a "Meh".. Lol
(Side note: why do you have to scroll past all the comments to make a comment?)
As someone who grew up with the 16-Bit JRPG's of lore, I've loved the 5 or 6 hours I've put into the demo of this game so far. The reviews are starting to roll in and it's averaging around an 85% or 8.5/10 which is great. I love the battle system, the "HD 2D" visuals, orchestrated score and even the voice acting which is surprisingly very good.
I just wish the character's stories intertwined more with each other and their interactions with each other were deeper. And of course, I would've liked to see a main villain/big, bad, evil boss or force the team has to defeat to save the world. Perhaps Squeenix will address this in potential DLC down the road? Either way, this is probably the closest thing I've played to a Super NES JRPG in years so I'm buying it tomorrow anyway.
Hi. Good review. I have a couple questions. Can you save anytime outside battles in this game?.
If you grind your characters stats up. Does your enemy stats also go up or are they static?
Cheers
I'm liking the idea of 8 separate story lines personally. It means the world doesn't hinge on these people to be the "great saviors" of the world and instead they are allowed to have personal, even selfish stories that give you far more insight to the characters than "great evil has risen once again to end the world and the fated heroes shall strike it down". I view the party members in many ways as mercenaries. They have their own goals to accomplish and if somebody is heading that way or willing to employ their services which in turn helps them out that is great, but they aren't obligate to confide in these people beyond some basic information really. Looking forward to tomorrow.
Looks to be a pretty good game. Its great to get some more jrpgs on the Switch.
@chardir whaaat??
@boop22 I don’t think cobalt ever has a point
To be honest, I haven't really been paying attention to this one. I really thought it was just over hyped. But now it's defiantly on my list of games to pick up
Still trying to decide if I want to download it or buy the game card🤔🤔🤔
@JudgeMethos
Buy it ! Always buy ! If you finish the game or if you don't really like it, you can sell it still... Try to do that with a DL content... you're skrewed !
im having fun with the game, im not completely sold on the stories so far but the world itself is interesting and the battles are so much fun, i can put up with a somewhat average story if the rest stays solid.
I am so annoyed at Amazon now. I pre-ordered this in MAY and was expecting release day shipping, like they usually promise, but the website is telling me it wont arrive until Tuesday!
Also an "absolute must buy" is only a 9/10 why?
Downloading now!
Went to pick it up at lunch today and EVERY copy was sold out the moment business opened all over the metro where I live (Manila). A much longer wait for me and sadly lower chances of a collector’s edition.
@Bronson
Mannnnnn, just by reading your post, a lot of memories come to my mind espacially the OCEAN PARK !
This is already on my Switch ready for action. This is likely going to be the best game of the year on the Switch, and whilst I wish it ran better (30fps at best really isn't good enough for a game with such simple visuals) I can forgive the technical gaffs as the game is just so good.
@Seacliff The review actually praised the battle system, it was more the progression with the 50 or so dungeons progressing much the same way. Looking forward to hearing more hands on impressions.
well some other reviews arent so happy about the storytelling and characters however
I should have actually went to a store and bought the game instead of preordering from Amazon. Now I've got to wait until Sunday for it to arrive.
Thanks Nlife, now I have to buy it!
@Cobalt hadn't thought of that🤔
@diablo2
and BELIVE ME and MY 350 HOURS spend on it..
BOTW ITS A 10/10 GAME.
(capital letters are for make my statement more true.)
@JudgeMethos
It's always a plus to have physically your games... We never know how it turns in the end.
And something else to take in consideration, the price !
Here in France, if I download the game I pay 59.99€
If I buy it physically, I pay 44.49€.
https://www.amazon.fr/dp/B07BLD5NTQ/ref=as_li_ss_tl?tag=node-gaming-21&smid=A1X6FK5RDHNB96&linkCode=sl1
So, simple math : -15.50€ and I'm able to sell it if I want.
I think you understand why I never go digital.
@CorvoRevo it is
@CorvoRevo
Breath of The wild is fantastic BUT the castle part is Mehhhh and the final fight against Ganon is crappy as hell.
9/10 personally. (392 hours)
@Cobalt Fair enough about FFXV then, even though, as I said, I would have expected this reviewer to be rather fond of it, based on what he found so apparently off-putting about Ocotpath
"I understand that but when you look at what the Switch is offering since December 2017, I can understand why he start the conclusion like that. Basically, there is nothing really exciting on Switch since Xenoblade 2 so..."
I get that, actually, it is a natural reaction to have. But I think it is reasonable to ask of someone, who does professional reviews, who does not only by chance but by intent influences others, to move way beyond such view viewpoints. It's not Squares fault that there wasn't much going on in the last couple of months (even though, I do disagree up to a point, as we got even got another very good jRPG like YS VIII for instance rather recently), and it's certainly not the fault of the team behind Octopath Traveler. To hold them responsible for that, even to a small degree, is profoundly unfair and yes, I think deeply unprofessional.
I mean, one could honestly get the feeling, that if Ocotpath Traveler had released last year, closer to Xenoblade, it would have been viewed more favoribly because it would not have caried that much expectation and "hope" on it's shoulders. That's sounds rather insane to me.
"9/10 personally. (392 hours)"
If I were to follow suit with this mode of review-by-circumstance, I would have to - in hindsight - severly downgrade BotW after playing God of War. God of War did virtually everything better than BotW, except the open-world exploration, as that was much more linear and streamlined and most importantly interface-driven, which it (thankfully for once) was not in Zelda. Still, visually it's not even a contest, in terms of actual narrative and world building, it is neither, the combat system was on a totally different plane, as was the 'crafting' ... I don't like perfect scores, but truly the only real issue I had with God of War as that I felt it was too short. So if I start at the assumption of 10/10 and then start listing contras, I don't think "I really wanted alot more of this" justifies a downgrade to like 9/10, so I'd go with a 9,9/10 (there were also too few boss fights for my tastes after all). Anyways, since I can't say that BotW could hold a handle to GoW in terms of audio-visual appeal and mechanical depth, I'd probably give it like an 7,9/10 by comparison. It really excells in terms of exploration (even if in the end, there is not that much interesting to find that is not a shrine) and how it brings everything from it's pyhsics to it's geographical design naturally together to further that exploration.
If I take the game on it's own merit though, seeing what it was shooting for and how it executed that approach, I'd be willing to underwrite a much higher score. If one is willing to compare it to a game released like a year later and take those 'circumstances' into account ... In short, if my expectations about BotW were informed by having had previously played GoW, and I let them define my experience, I would have a vastly different assessment of the game. But then how is someone to relate to that review, if they don't have the same perspective, if they don't have played God of War? It's a very tricky path to walk, that quickly turns into a very slippery slope. We can't ignore everything that came before or after, but we also cannot let our expectations define what a game can do and what it can't.
It'S an issue with all reviews though, not just this one. I just brought it up, because I feel conclusions are the most important part of any review, esp. one ending in a numerical score. It should summarize your findings and justify the score. That justificaation - in my view - can never be based around an expectation, as that should at the very beast only be a small part of the overall picture. It cannot be an essential part of what I took away from a game. Or to put it differently: "Did not live up to expectations placed on it" is not a legitimate criticism.
@Ludovsky I get that, it would have certainly been a lot of work, but I mean, it's definitely possible. Baldur's Gate did it like 20 years ago, so ... I don't know (yet) how much it will actually end up bothering me, it's just something I would have liked to see more of, this strange sense of party-as-a-family, as it is also a consistent theme in many fantasy writings and as it's often something I miss from western RPGs like Witcher or so.
If the game does right by it's own goals and ideas, I am okay with it. It does not have to conform to my hopes and ideas. We'll see how I feel about it by the end. I already have the game loaded now and had strated it up just now to import by demo save game. Now I am going to get me a third party member, H'aanith!
That Amazon dialogue screenshot was cringeworthy. Equally formidable men, only wanting invitations of challenges. Guess that is feminism 101, I'll pass.
@Cobalt that's what's so good about opinions. We all have them I agree with most of what you said but I personally loved the final Ganon fights. As far as Ganon fights go, it was one of the more epic ones to me! Like I said, opinions ☺
@Ralek85
I understand your point, just one little thing disturb me...
You cannot compare BOTW to GOW4 because they're not similar in their approaches. By contrast, Octopath does everything to mimic its old brothers born in the 90's. ;p
It's a different case if you want my advice.
@JudgeMethos
EPIC ? A non moving big peace of devilish monstrosity in the middle of a flat field ? EPIC ?
Zelda talks : "LINK, throw arrows in the big yellow target, 1 , 2 , 3, 4 , 5, 6 times" etc... EPIC ?
I respect your opinion but man, we have a TOTALLY different definition of EPIC ! LOL
PEACE.
I'm talking about the overall Ganon fight at the end. Like I said... opinions. Yes, this world should practice 'peace'.
@JudgeMethos
Don't you think it was really too easy ? too flat ? too "generic" manner of speaking ?
Like I said, I totally respect your point of view but I swear for me, the entire end part of the game was or meh or bad even. Humm, not bad, really dissapointing more...
Would like to understand why this is not a 10! Also, is there a place to see a list of games based on Scores? I’m curious to see all the 9/10 and potentially buyin all 10s around. Thanks, NL.
@zonks I think the best way to answer that is playing the demo.
I haven't played through an RPG since Grandia II and Skies of Arcadia on the Dreamcast. I think I just got worn out on the genre...and also came to the conclusion that no RPG is ever going to make me feel the way that Chrono Trigger does.
Every now and then, I'll see a game that makes me want to come out of RPG retirement, but so far, nothing has won me over. It's helped that Nintendo systems haven't exactly been an RPG hotbed.
The hype preceding this game, and now this review has me thinking this near two decade-long drought is at an end. I think the main factor that has scared me away from modern RPG's is the time commitment. I really don't have 100+ hours to sink into one game, and I don't want to completely neglect other releases. However, the comments in this thread mentioning the very reasonable amount of time it would take to just play through a few of Octopath's characters' stories makes me think this might really be the one. Then, of course, I could always go back and play through another characters' story if I get the itch. Time to finally download that demo.
@Cobalt Well, I dunno about that. Why do you feel like they cannot be compared? Both are 3rd-person action adventures, set in a medieval'ish fantasy setting and both are 1st-party exclusives and marquee titles (if not even THE marquee title) of their respective platforms. I think that is more than sufficient grounds for comparison. That's like saying you cannot compare Killzone and Halo, as they are not exactly the same, or you cannot compare Gears of War and Uncharted for they are not identical ...
No, they aren't, that is the point, they are supposed to set them system apart, but at the same time, they are supposed to speak to similar audiences and be tentpole releases for their respective systems.
I'd go so far, if you were to compare platforms (like advising a friend what to get for instance), a comparison between Zelda and God of War would have to come up as a mandatory part of that (unless you're friend really, really, really doesn't care for anything those games are doing of course, but that would definitely raise the question why he would care for a PS4 in the first place, as a whole lot of that system is about 3rd-person action adventures games, certainly in terms of exclusives ^^).
So yeah, if we are talking top exclusives, system sellers, top tier 3rd-person action adventure games, top tier fantasy games and a bunch more relevant categories both games would need to come up for sure.
@Ralek85
For me if you're able to place God of War 4 and Breath of The Wild on the same level to compare them, there are no differences to say that Street Fighter 3.3 can be compare to Mark of the Wolves... o_O
It's impossible for me. Ok it's a fighting game, OK you do Versus, OK there is a roaster, Ok you can combo as a maniac etc... BUT I really cannot compare the two games. It's totally different.
As BOTW and GOW4, they play not the same at all.
To have some common points at first sight, it's a thing, but when you actually play with, it's something else.
Mark of the Wolves and SF 3.3 are Top Notch fighting games from SNK and CAPCOM. They can probably be seen as the same type of game from a person who don't play those but no way I could compare them... They are really different in term of vision, goals, gameplay and ergonomy.
Dunno if it's understable ( my english is kind of poor :/ ) but yeah God of War and Breath of The Wild in the same sentence, that sounds not normal to my ears...
I was about to raise a finger at the "best RPG on Switch" statement but then I realized it may be right. It's only "real" competition right now is what, Disgaea 5 and Xenoblade Chronicles 2? I really hope SMT V blows them all out of the water. For now I'll definitely be picking Octopath up.
Isn't the game super hard? Because if so I might wait a bit before buying.
@Cobalt Well, to be fair though, if you feel like you cannot compare those games, which games do you feel can be compared? I'd say the comparison between GoW (I'm talking the PS4 entry here, which is widely different from its predecessors - just so there is no confusion ^^) and BotW works on many levels. Not on all, sure, but if that were true, we would have not much to gain from it, so ...
@Carlos1996 No love for YS? I actually feel that it at least in some regards steals the show from Xenoblade (not in terms of presentation though ^^). But yeah, I'm inclined to agree that Ocotpath might be the best on Switch yet, esp. if we are talking exclusives and I have really high hopes for SMTV as well (and FE, if you want to consider sRPGs as well). I'm a weirdo though, I liked Tokyo Mirage Sessions #Fe all-in-all much better than 'X' on WiiU (although I really enjoyed the exploration aspect of X and how that was expanded upon in BotW). I'm not saying that X was horrible game, but if I had to pick my favorite WiiU jRPG TMS#Fe would come out the clear winner.
@Ralek85
Yes I can't !
To be honest, from my perspective NOTHING can be compare to BOTW... at least with the games that I know and played...
PS : another point we're not agree.
My top Xenoblade is :
1 Xenoblade X
2 Xenoblade Wii
3 Xenoblade 2
@Cobalt Well, if you say so I think little can be compared to the particular structure of the world in BotW and the way it facilated exploration, but in terms of narrative, how the narrative was told, in terms of combat and crafting, and certainly in terms of 3D visuals, sound and music ... there are actually a great many games that can be compared just fine really - among them certainly God of War (imho).
I kinda love BotW for what it is, but I feel it would be unfair to immunize the game against criticism by saying that is flat-out impossible to compare it to anything else as it is this utterly and completely unique in every facet of it's creation. The game has flaws, no two ways about it, and one good way to point these out is by drawing up comparisons with other games that share common traits.
That is not to say that BotW is not a humongous achievement in its own right, because it certainly is, but could it have been better? Yes! It absolutely could have been better. It may not always have seemed to me that way when first playing it, but now with some distance, I can safely say that there are aspects to it, that didn't quite work and aspects that some other games have handled in superior, more enjoyable fashion. I certainly don't want Nintendo to feel complacent about it going forward.
As for Xenoblade, I dunno really. I enjoyed the exploration in 'X', like I said, and the combat in Xenoblade 2 was just kinda broken. The quest tracking in Xenoblade 1 was truly horrible though ... they all have their strengths and weaknesses to be honest. I'm looking forward to the day, when Monolith tie all of this together into one coherent, epic vision.
@Ralek85
A game is an addition of several elements. When those elements are put together, we can start to talk about...a game.
So, I don't really look at these elements(graphics, musics, gameplay, SFX etc...) separate as you do but more as an "all in one". More in a way like, how they work together.
Not sure that BOTW will be better with the graphics of God of War... I even think it'll become unbalanced and it'll lose a part of magic.
I don't want to convince anybody, just my point of view.
About Xenos, you're right, they have all flaws. (if you know a perfect game, please give me the title ^^)
Xeno X is objectively the most successful piece but to really get that, it takes time. A lot of people said that there is no story in X and they complained about that.
The reality is that you have to understand how the game is built, to understand the story construction. It was just a genius idea from Takashi to let the player on its own. Basically more involved in the game you are, more you know about the story.
The Kizuna's quests are a key element to understand Xeno X.
Another thing, in Xeno Wii, Shulk is the hero, in Xeno 2 it's REX but in Xeno X "the hero is Mira itself kind of" It's brilliant.
An like you said, I'm looking forward when MonolithSoft tie all together into one game... goshhh I'm drooling !
@Cobalt Yes and no, certainly a game is more than a sum of its parts, but that does not mean that each individual part should no have merit on its own as well. Like for instance... well, think about the music. Obviously, you'd want to have music that fits with the game's world and atmosphere. You actually want it to fit with each individual scene, yet a really good soundtrack also works divorced from any game, right? Sure, if you played the game, remember the music, it will add a whole 'nother layer of appreciation to the soundtrack, for sure, but still, really great soundtracks are not just their own thing, they are also timeless. They will impact listeners even when the game (or movie or tv show or what ever really) is long since forgotten.
As for the graphics ... yeah, I dunno, I do like that soft watercolor'ish look of BotW, but then again, God of War really made my jaw drop on so many occassion, inducing this insane sense of pleasant stupor, if you will, that it's hard to honestly say, that this could be conceived of as a bad thing for BotW. Considering how BotW has this dynamic day-and-night cycle, with beautiful sunrises and sunsets, the choices made for GoW would, I think, really work well for GoW, which was all about showing of that HDR by creating scenes of endless contrast. To that end, God of War (designed with HDR in mind) also had this absolutely bonkers particle system, that - while other games tend to avoid particle systems due to the heavy performane drain - just filled the screen with glorious life all the time.
I don't want for all games to look the same, not even if they were to look like GoW, but I think it would really just be rationalization on my part if I were to say that Nintendo did not want BotW to look anything like GoW. The fact is that there is no way this could have been realized on the Switch, and even if the system had a lot more power available, it would have been a significantly more expensive undertaking for them, which leads me to believe, they would have stuck to their guns anyways.
I mean, you could easily adopt GoW's technical and aesthetic achievements for BotW, meaning you would not have to loose the current style altogether at all. I've said this before, but just having HDR support for BotW - not changing anything about the rendering itself - would make a big difference. There is no denying for me, that in direct comparion, BotW looks extremely flat, lifeless, unappealing an just a bit morose really. That is something inherent to the game, but something I cannot get out of my mind, when making the direct comparison. It just puts the games visual splendor, so to speak, into some stark contrast.
I also don't quite see how the very basic combat system was really something that, if changed, would make the game anything but better. GoW had this incredible sense of weight to Kratos Axe (less so with the Chains to be honest, but using the Axe felt absolutely right, virtually perfect). The combat was also a lot more tactical than in BotW, despite it being more fast-paced, visually impressive and gorey. Also, and this is basically part of the combat system, GoW had this kinda RPG-lite progression system, that while not going full D&D or anything like it, it still added a lot of depth to combat and, well, I'm a sucker for progressing my character and - this matters and is really import to me as well - my playstyle as well. GoW linked this very well. You did not just increase your stats, so you hit harder, but you also got new abilities, active and passive, that you could link together to produce glorious carnage.
The result simply was, that the combat was A LOT more varied and engaging in GoW than anything BotW could even hope to come close to producing. I really enjoyed just doing the Muspelheim arena stuff in GoW, while I'd have really no interest in doing an arena in BotW. BotW worked, because combat was not the main focus and it was mixed with using the environment and physics (like settings foes on fire or dropping stones on them and because you had stealth-mechanics and such at play seamlessly). But if we are just talking actual combat mechanics, then it's a pretty shallow game to be brutally honest. And I absolutely think that adding a bit more depth to that aspect, would have made me like the game more.
So yes, it's the grand total that matters in the end, but these games are made by hundreds of people, each contributing to their part, and as such, each part has it's strength and it's weakness, some matter less in the grand scheme of things and some more, but no, I don't really stand by any notion that BotW was perfect.
If I compare the 'quest' component, to name one final example, for instance to the Witcher 3, then we have another aspect, were issues are more than obvious. BotW had plenty of glorified fetch quests (most were not even in any way glorified honestly). They did little to get me invested into the world or the 'people' inhabting it. They create no suspense, or really any emotional response (very few expections aside). Some of the better Witcher 3 sub quests were more enganging in terms of a personal narrative, than the whole of BotW - in quality as well as quantitiy. I'm saying this as someone, who is not really that fond of Witcher 3 for many reasons, but as far as the amount of work they put in their quest lines, the writing and sheer diversity of tasks (in this case they were really tasks and not just mostly chores as in BotW) ... it's just impressive and often I felt like I was on a "quest". BotW, like I said, was 9/10 more akin to a chore than anything quest'y, meaning exciting or cool or just meaningful in any way.
I think if you really care and you really look closely, if you are not afraid to disect a game you love, you will find that it's a construct and that it has moving parts, and that some of those parts work and some don't and some just work on occassion and not really at to their fullest potential. That's okay though, it only means that the game has room to grow, to become even better. It's actually in many ways a good thing.
Perfection after all is the death of progress.
As for Xenoblade X ... I'd say that it's easy to mix up story, plot, narrative and backdrop, the worldbuilding. I think in terms of worldbuilding, there is - if you make the effort - alot to immerse yourself in, and this in turn adds context to alot going on with the story. Unfortunately, the plot of the story is not that interesting and the narrative (the way the story is told) suffers severly from the open-world design induced stucture, though that is common in that genre. Also, the story itself has just not that much going on, and a fair bit of it is cliched, predictable and lacking in the kind of complexity that forces us to engage with it.
All in all, I feel like the plot wanted to say something, but it never really quite got there, and the effect was severly amplified by the hamstrung pacing due to the open-world strucutre. It's not a game I could recommend to anyone looking for an engaging plot or narrative. There are better choices out there simply put.
Finally, no I don't know any perfect games. I know games that got close. Dark Souls got really close. Baldur's Gate II got really close. Ocarina of Time got really close. Mind you, this is me talking about the games in their specific place in time. Everything I said about the underwhelming combat in BotW needs also to be projected at OoT, but back then, it never occured to me, or probably anyone, that this is an issue, as we simply had no idea what could be done. 3D games itself were pretty new, and so was 3D combat ... But yeah, in their day and age, these games are examples, I consider as close to perfect as anyone ever got in terms of videogames yet. They really got it right.
That's part of the problem though, combat did not really improve all that much since OoT in Zelda, despite OoT being 20 years old by now. I mean, simply based on that, you can see the issue with implying BotW might be something like perfect as a whole. I feel, to give this a positive spin, they were probably just not focused on that at all. They've been experimenting with structural changes forever in Zelda, even though it was always more muted (just look at A Link Between World, Wind Waker, the Oracle games). With BotW they took a big structural leap forward, but the rest kinda just stuck. No time left probably. YOu can tell they are not finished though. The way the shrines were just these artifical bodies within the whole word ... seperate levels, when the whole design was really about having a one-world-design ... and then they were just endless iterations of themselves after a while, with no thematic theme, virtually akin to rote challenge rooms from other games (I mean, they were just that really) ... even the structural changes have a long way to go. I'm sure the will get around to the mechanical aspects as well, at least in good time. Zelda has a lot of room to grow, and BotW is an amazing proof-of-concept in that regard. They open so many doors for them to explore with BotW ... it's quite something, but mostly, it's a helluva lot of work!
If I do manage to get the game and collector's edition eventually, I have NO PLANS OF SELLING IT. It's great to stay physical over digital, but I believe we have a good age where digital and physical can co-exist, although it needs improvement for sure with both mediums.
You tell me I can just download a game if I can't find it at retail, I point out that my Internet is limited to 800MB a day and then goes to pre-DSL days with dial-up and even being slower than dial-up once I get to 800MB. When I do find connections for better Internet, I enjoy a splurge of getting some indie titles, but by and large, I get games because the package and the cartridge to me are like pulling out an old book, and an old friend, and can be shared instead of lost.
In other news, I'm frustrated as hell because I have to wait longer until they restock Octopath Traveler and even more frustrated because I'm going through Hollow Knight.
@Ralek85
I have to disagree with you, due i follow an different "Gamedesign Philisophy" because for me an Masterpiece, even the one we might consider as "nearly" Perfect, results from it's strenghts and weaknesses. You pointed out that you have some Games, which in your Point are nearly Perfect, and than you come up with Dark Souls, and even as an fellow Souls Fan, i find it awkward if you point exactly this Games as "nearly perfect" while you pointed out that there is a Game like Witcher which is in terms of Quest and Story way more engaging than Breath of the Wild?
But where is the Story and Storytelling of Dark Souls? Where are the "good" Quest of Dark Souls? There are none. Yeah you can puzzle together a Plot and imagine parts of it, it's an cool Features which you could say - if you enjoy the Game you can have extra fun with these or be even an Fan of the concept... but atleast i would never recommend someone any Dark Souls for it's narrative...
And Witcher 3? While it have this amazing Story, it's Open World was kinda bad... even more if you compare it to Breath of the Wild. Don't misunderstand me, it fits the Game due the Game don't want to have an interesting Open World, the Open World is simply a huge Stage of the Narrative, unlike Breath of the Wild - where the World is meant to be played, explored and enjoyed... where you interact with the world, in many ways... yes it's quest aren't filled with plot and narrative, but the Shrines alone have more variety in terms of mechanic and gameplay, than the whole Witcher Game.
But even while i critisize both Games from an certain viewpoint, i still consider this Games, like breath of the Wild as well as Masterpieces due if any aspect would've been changed, it would've an way different Pacing, Feeling and such. Let's Compare it to Doom or Skyrim, both Games aren't really Narrative driven. Okay Skyrim had atleast alot of interesting Side-Quests, but the Mainquest? And than you had this Mod Enderal, and Doom 3 which clearly showed what would happen with the Series, if they would take a different route, in this Example to focus more on the Story. Doom and Doom 3?I''m not an nostalgic Fan due i missed this Games (i'm born 91). But i played it 3 Years ago (3 and 1 Classic) and you know, while i enjoyed Doom 3 for it's narrative and Atmosphere, it felt way different to the Classic Doom which has no truly Cutscenes or Narrative, but simply pick the Game up and Shoot. And Skyrim, if i look at Enderal or imagine if it would have a better Plot like Witcher 3, it would also kill the experience for me, because in Witcher 3 you play as Geralt, and even while it have it's amazing Stories for the Sidesquest, it doesn't matter for the fact that the major point of the Game is, to look for Ciri. It a Game centered around the Mainplot - due it how well and focused it written on that, while in Skyrim the Mainplot is kinda meh. Skyrim doesn't feel it's centered around the Dovakin Story, but to write your own Story. To make an Character for yourself and do the Quest you want to. I don't mind if i make in Skyrim Zigrag Serverus and Wooden Elf, who flee to Skyrim to find his new home, and for that he had to enter the thief-guild so he ends up for enough money to buy an new home for himself... and after that it ends the Story. He wasn't the Hero who followed the Path of Dovakin, or gets involved in the war, he was an simply archer for his simply needs, even though he knew he could follow the part of Dovakin. And now imagine Witcher 3, where you only make the Blood Baron Quest or something like than, and than stop the Game. That would be a freaking waste for the amazingly well written Story.
And that's the Point. If skyrim would've a better Story, it would feel different. If Witcher 3 would have a better Gameplay or Open World, it would feel different. It would kinda destroy what we love about the Games. From an Perspective where you look at Games what they could do better in general, almost every game would fail to get nearly as perfect, because no Games can fullfill all desires, that's impossible to achieves. That's why we have different Genres, with different Settings / Szenarios, with different Focus, with different Visions for different Target Audience... because in this Case there can be fullfilled different desires - and also create unique experiences... and that's why the sums of its part ist the most important thing about Games.
I atleast, while i enjoy Story Games like you mentioned God of War, or Witcher 3 - i don't want Nintendo focus on that, because it wouldn't feel really like TLoZ anymore. We had one of these already, called Skyward Sword which focused more on Cutscenes and Story, and made a trade off with smaller maps an more linear Gameplay. I enjoyed it is as one game, but i don't want another game like this. Because in The Legend of Zelda i like the Story to be onpoint and simple, like breath of the wild and any other Game. I love the Souls Series, and for me it have one of the BEST Action RPG Combat-Systems in the whole genre, and i don't want to have that in Breath of the Wild or in Zelda in general because that wouldn't feel Zelda for me... for the same reason above... Zelda shines with simplicity(as well most Nintendo Games), while it still have in an certain dagree depth... i mean how can you explain why Super Smash Bros works so well. Compared to the real Fighting Games is way simplier, and still engage the competitive Scene... You argue about Graphics? My jaw dropped for God of War and even Horizon, but for an different matter... because it is on the technical side amazing. Then again i enjoyed Breath of the Wild more due its artistic Side, and compared to Horizon the World also felt more lively, while in Horizon everything felt kinda static...
And that's why i don't see your mentioned points would improve Breath of the Wild. BotW broke alot of traditional aspects, and we've seen many games in the past how they failed if they do so... the reason why it worked for BotW was due Aonuma and his Team still cared about the Legacy and not drift too much away from what makes this Series great. Sure some People will dislike it for it's changes... that's simple a matter of tastes and can't be avoided... and sure, there is room for improvement, but that count for every game! But doesn't change the fact, that if Nintendo would focus on more story, more (deeper) quest, more deeper Combat, it would (or atleast could) appeal less to me than BotW now... because for me the strenght of the Series is on different aspects... Even if you would rework BotW as it is now by slapping more Story, more Quests and such into it, it would be less appealing for me, because it would alternate the Pacing and Gameflow of the Game, it would feel more Storydriven and that's what i don't to have in BotW because as it is now, its "nearly" "Perfect" for me and definitely one of the best Games of the past 20 for me....
@TheLightningYu You said it yourself, there are no (side) quests in Dark Souls. Well, there are quest lines of sorts, but the game never makes any explicit mention about it. There is no quest tracker, there are not goals stated, no progress showed and no rewards promised. In fact, it never asks you to do anything in that regard. It only gives you hints on how to proceed onward (how about some bell ringing maybe?).
Breath of the Wild does have quests though. It has a quest tracker, it promises rewards and it helps you understand how your chore is coming along. So obviously From Software never felt they needed quests to keep the player engaged, interested and moving forward, while Nintendo did. That is not my opinion, it's just looking at what they actually ended up implementing and what not, and making the assumption that these were conscious decisions and not arbitrary happenings. My criticism wasn't that they decided to implement quests, when there was no need (which I would consider a reasonable stance though), but that the quests implemented really served no discernable purpose to me, other than to pad out the content.
Not every game needs quests. It's up to the developer to make their case and yes, I think Nintendo failed in making the case for quests in BotW. Would the game be better without them? No, but coul they have BEEN better? Yes, and also, they could have been replaced with other content, mechanics or system that might have enriched the game in their stead. That is definitely conceiveable to me.
As for Witcher 3, I don't really disagree with any of your criticism about the open world as such. I specifically said, that I personally am not THAT fond of the game for many reasons, but it's quest design mostly really reigns supreme. And there is variety there, there is combat, exploration, dialogue, alchemy, you have drama and crimes, you have Gwent .. sure, there could be more to it, always, but I'd have a hard time pointing to a comparable game, that gives you more depth and diversity in it's quests than Witcher 3.
"where the World is meant to be played, explored and enjoyed... where you interact with the world, in many ways... yes it's quest aren't filled with plot and narrative, but the Shrines alone have more variety in terms of mechanic and gameplay, than the whole Witcher Game."
I can only underwrite this partially. 1st, I wholly agre about the world, it's clear purpose and enjoyable execution, and the resulting exploration, but it is remarkable that the shrines itself are not actually part of the world. The entrances are, but the central conceit of the game "if you can see it you can go there" (and on the flipside, if you can go there, you can see it) actually breaks down for the shrines. The are seperate microcosms within Breath of the Wild. I also don't feel we should really applaud their diversity that much, many of the dungeons take a well-established puzzle mechanic and recycle even that idea for like half a dozen times. Sure, there are some cool twists here, and filling 100+ dungeons with wholly unique and enjoyable ideas would probably have been to much to ask, but again, it's good, it's not masterful - not to me at least. Even that is ignoring the fact, that the combat shrines are really just super basic mini-arenas ... not much to say here. It is what it is. Saying that there is more mechanical depth here, than in whole of Witcher ... well, in terms of physic engine sure, but BotW had no dialogue system, and comparing it's combat and alchemy system to the Witcher exposes their shallowness, so that is also part of a games variety and mechanical depth.
Hell, Gwent alone has enough going on to successfully spin-off it is very own game and in many ways it an actual part of the game of Witcher 3. So, well, you can ignore it, but it seems uncalled for.
To me the point about Skyrim is that it propelled forward by it's interface for the most part. It gives you a very good idea on what to do, where to go, how to progress, how to improve yourself and so on and so forth. That is what sets it apart from BotW, which was really THE game - to me - that moved beyond that tradition of open-world games, that hyper reliance on interface. That what makes it special to me personally. Doom .. well, you are right the game changed alot from what today you might basically consider an arcade shooter to a shooter driven by bits of narrative, interface and progression. Thanks to it's level design though, which propells you forward in it's own right, these elements are still rather subdued.
"because no Games can fullfill all desires, that's impossible to achieves."
See, I think this is where we disagree, and where I think you are mistaken. A game doesn't have to do everything, but it does need to do everything that serves it purpose (whatever that may be) and it has to do everything it choses to do ... just right. At least a perfect game has to. Perfect is then not about pleasing everyone, covering every conceiveable desire or such. Notice how I did not suggest that BotW should add it's own version of Gwent? Why would it? I mean, it could potentially gainfully implement something like it into it's world, but it chose not to, and that is fine. It did decide to go ahead with proper side quests though, and like I side their inclusion into the game seems hard to justify to me, for their lack of .. anything really. Same goes for the combat. Nintendo felt they needed it, but compared with other games, it really is only serviceable. As an actitivty on it's own, it cannot really stand. Same goes for the character progression, basically you can progress in a linear and narrow static path (more HP, more Stamnia, better armor, minimal set bonus, collect&-then-break better weapons + the Master Sword). There is no real choice, new weapons barely give the combat any additional depth or variety, you never learn any new skills, the whole affair is there, but it is really a token effort that is we have seen better executed in other games.
No, I don't follow your notion, that BotW would loose it's identity or unique personality (I think that might be what you were trying to say, right?) if it made changes to these elements. Again, I think you are right and we agree about why BotW worked so well. None of the reasons are related to the shallow melee combat or the way progression is handled. It's the way exploration is handled, how the geography makes it natural process, how there is only a minimal interface, that does not get in the way of the experience, how the story can be seen unfolding out of the world in large part (not that completely unsimilar to Dark Souls, where locations and circumstances actually tell a fair bit about what has occured here as well as the enemies you might and the state you find them in - items aside), as well as some - what I consider fun activities - like finding all the memories and piecing it all together. It's the way the open-world meshes with the basic combat and stealth and the physics engine.
That is not to say, that the combat does have to be THIS basic for this to work though. Because I really don't think it does. I think the essential part of BotW, as described above, works really masterfully and that is why it is such a fantastic game. The rest though ... is just barely there and could definitely have used alot more attention. I do not think at all that this would ruin Zelda, if done right.
I don't think that the difference between Zelda and Witcher 3 quests is really cutscenes or 'story' as such. If anything it's the narrative, the way the story is told, but really, like I said, I dislike the way the actual task in almost all Zelda quest burns down to fetching or killing something to fetch something (or take a photo of something). That is - to me - not really fun to do. If you pair that with mostly empty dialogue that has no real bearing on the character in question or the world at large ... again, what is the point of all of this? What does the player gain other than for instance a bunch of rupees? That's my criticism. I never said I believe the best way or only way to develop a story is cutscenes. To the contrary, I kinda think more games should look at the approach Half-Life 1 used all those many years ago. It was not perfect, true, but it showed the right mindset. And it that way, I do think Dark Souls did a good job, there is a story there, but that story does not come at the cost of player agency, where the game task the control away for you for minutes at a time and turns into a movie. That's the way we often do things, yeah, but I doubt it's really the necessarily best way to go. God of War actually was not that rich in cutscenes to be honest. Yes, there were some, but plenty of the story was told in-game, while you were in full contorl, or was told by tidbits strewed through the world.
Honestly, I think the way the told large swaths of story through a little device called Mimir was really well done. As it was non-intrusive, it was world-apropriate (not a random unknown narrator suddenlty poping up) and it preserved player agency (such as it was in the boat). Yeah, I think was a solution more games should take notice of, and definitely superior to the classical cutscene or dialogue-box-that-needs-to-be-scrolled-through.
"Then again i enjoyed Breath of the Wild more due its artistic Side, and compared to Horizon the World also felt more lively, while in Horizon everything felt kinda static..."
Fair enough, but I don't quite get your point, because God of War had amazing art direction if you ask me. Yes, the game was stunning technical achievement. I talked at length in another comment about how it probably has the best HDR implementation of any game yet, and it's particle system alone is a resounding success (even though it makes the PS4 Pro sound like a jet turbine ^^), but that is not what it's so gorgeous. It's the use of interesting mythology-inspired architecture as well, of - like Zelda - the use of inspiring, almost dreamy vistas, like when you visit the mountain and see the valley below. True, the game has more realistic approach to visuals (with individually adjustable motion blur and film grain), but that is not per se 'inferior'. You could definitely have GoW render a softer image, with less detail and get a similar result to BotW, while mainting aspects like the particle system to stunning visual effect (to name one example). Visuals are not JUST art direction and not JUST technical aspects. The presentation - to go beyond - visuals, also needs to include menus and an appropriate interface, how the game communicates for instance damage taken, and all these things. Look at how well Persona did scene transitions, to use cinma language here. That is something barely any game does AT ALL. Persona did it constantly and really well. Things like these stand out then, you don't just hard cut from what screen to other, you create transitions ... it's a basic tenent of film making, yet in making it is virtually absent. Transitions and visually appealing menus are on of the many reasons why people consider Persona (5) to be one of the most stylish, in a good way, game of all times. Despite the actual ingame graphics being rather generic, really on a technical level, there is little there that is impressive.
"Even if you would rework BotW as it is now by slapping more Story, more Quests and such into it"
Again, that is not what I said though. I'm definitely not in favor of more, absolutely not. More of the same old boring and really utterly pointless fetch quest? That don't give me any inside into anything, neither Link, nor the World, nor it's inhabitants to any meaningful degree? No thanks.
I'm obviously just stating my opinion here, but I do believe, that I would have enjoyed the game more, if some of the individual elements, like the combat and progression, had been more fleshed out. Because besides exploring, this was a major part of what the game actually offered, on what I spend my time on in the game. Yeah, it was simple, and there can be beauty in that, but I do feel there is stark difference with BotW, as that game was designed to be played for a long time. It'S one thing to have tihs kind of combat system in OoT which lasted like maybe 30 hours. BotW can easily be undestood as game that can and should be player for 10x, aka like 300 hours. Shallow system that I might find uninspired by the end of 30 hour game, they might become a real issue in a significantly longer game.
I do think, that thanks to varying difficulty settings, God of War, despite it's higher complexity, is absolutey accessible as well. It might be to high a bar to clear for like a 6 year old (still not sure 6 year olds should necessarily play videogames yet, but to be fair, what do I know ^^), but if we are talking teens, then they can definitely play God of War, if they can play BotW. Saying that this is inappropraite for Nintendo (not that you explicitly did) is kinda silly though, as no one ever said, that Metroid Prime was a 'bad Nintend game' because it was not simple enough, or that Fire Emblem need to go away, because Nintendo should focus on making simple games ... I don't believe in that at all, and even if I did, there is still no denying that it's we are looking at a very limited system, that might appeal because to some because of that, but that fact does not change it's very nature.
A solid 8/10 for me. Not perfect but still very good.
@Carlos1996
Go play Lost Sphear. That's very good also.
@AlternateButtons Just to update, I purchased the game this morning, have been playing it for 2 hours straight now. Well worth it and once you understand the mechanics of fighting (which turned out to not be overly complicated as I first thought) it becomes quite fun
I think after reading everything above I might be the only person actually excited about the 8 individual stories. Perfect for short bursts like I enjoy playing
Very witty of them.
O lberic
C yrus
T herion
O phelia
P rimrose
A lfyn
T ressa
H 'aanit
@NEStalgia "But Switch is tops for now."
"But Switch is the top 3DS replacement for now."
Fixed that for ya. Kids played a ton of Switch this weekend while we were away w/ their cousin owning Switch. (Berkshires if that means anything to you.) A lot of ARMS and Mario + Rabbids. Not sure what else but between the two of them they were running down batteries pretty regularly. We did get outside a bit. so there was that.
@Belatarr "What other games have you guys played together?"
My wife isn't that big into gaming, the 4 of us played MKWii - I think she skipped MK8 - SSBB - she skipped 4 - SM3DW was a lot of fun. Rayman Origins, she might have skipped Legends. Basically once is enough for her. Godzilla Unleashed on Wii. Wii really was a family console, my kids were just the right age that gen, she could keep up. Dokapon Kingdom, it's a somewhat obscure board game on Wii. Ooga Booga on the Dreamcast - family friendly first person shooter. Maybe it's 3rd person.
As for me playing and them watching, recently we've gone through Kingdoms of Amular Reckoning - it was rated M but wasn't all that M - White Knight Chronicles 1 & 2, XC and XCX. We really like JRPG, but not western RPG. Colors are good. We're waiting on XC2 for the DLC to drop.
My wife actually started watching me play when we first started dating 20 years ago - she was writing fantasy for grad school at the time. Parasite Eve, FF7, we played FF8 twice, it's a great game story for a dating couple, FF8-FFXV, though they've been bad since X-2, though 12 was tolerable. She's played a few herself, mostly on the Dreamcast. Hard to play while you're a woman raising - ie nursing, changing, bathing - 2 babies.
My sons and I have played a bunch of other stuff together, we just finished Kirby Star allies recently, the 2 new Rayman games. It's hard to find 3 player off-line games, basically just 4 player minus 1.
Mushroom Wars was great for 2, 3 or 4 player - though a little too difficult for my youngest at the time - and I was really looking forward to MW2 last week but I missed the 10% off pre-order bonus so now I'm waiting for a sale. If Amazon drops some eShop credit for Prime Day I'll pick it up.
Video games are what we do. My sons are also slowly building Labo, I'm waiting to play with them until after they are done.
@rjejr Nothing wrong with a 3DS replacement. Between my PS3, PS4, Vita, and X360, my 3DS got the most play time last time around! Not always because I wanted portable but because it had the best games
@SomeWriter13 That's brilliant! Once seen...
Nothing in the review about the rate of random encounters etc... The rate is annoyingly high for me since I prefer exploring, still really like the game
I haven't got a switch yet and often enjoy games from Square/Enix but are there any good switch titles besides Mana rehashes and Zelda BotW that are good but don't use turn based combat ? turn based disconnects me from the game and the only games I made it through despite turn based were Chrono Trigger and Breath of Fire 2
@CapricornDavid This is exactly what I used to do as a kid! If you have a bit of imagination, it shouldn't bother you that much. I am going to adore this game. I'm picking it up tomorrow!
@Belatarr Yeah, seems like we do, thanks. Since I wrote that we're 70 hours into DQXI, me playing, them watching.
One of my picks for GOTY. A total masterpiece.
@Cobalt so was it a 6/10 or a 9/10 after playing ? Just picked one up at Amazon for £30 new
@rjejr if you own a wiiu, or if they ever remaster it. Yoshi Wooly world would be the perfect game to play with your wife! 😁
Had so much fun with my sister getting everything!
@garfreek Thanks. I do own a Wii U and did play Yoshi Wooly World when it released, had no idea it was multiplayer. May look into it after we're done w/ Knack 2 soon, though I'm leaning towards 1 or more of the Skylanders games, we own all the games and way too many figures b/c the kids wanted them all. My wife and I may have played the 2nd already, several more to go. If I have a console I can plug the docking stations into. 😂
@rjejr sounds amazing!
I was a primary school teacher, my students were obsessed with skylanders when it was a hype! 😂😁
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