Overall, the amazing variety of scale and storytelling makes for a finely-polished narrative experience. While concerns about wildly disparate storytelling aren’t completely put to rest in this sequel, having a fulfilling overarching story with a true final chapter that wraps things up is a huge improvement over the first game. The characters interact quite a bit in this final chapter and in very fulfilling manners. Unlike the vague hints dropped along the way and played out in sidequests in the first entry, in Octopath Traveler II there are obvious big-picture events taking place in the land of Solistia, and they come to a head in a final chapter that becomes clearly signposted and available once the eight travelers’ stories are all complete. The pairs chat constantly while short five-to-fifteen minute stories play out, showing the eight travelers actually acting like companions. They involve pairs of characters working together to solve small-scale problems in towns. New to Octopath Traveler II are story chapters that don’t fall into such singular focus called Crossed Paths. Any game would be lucky to have one of these main stories as its overarching tale, but Octopath Traveler II bountifully offers up eight for players’ enjoyment.Ī townsperson that exists for nothing more than a laugh still has amazing flavor text. The stories told in the individual character chapters are most worthy of praise, and while they run the gamut from happy personal growth stories to ones that will make players cringe in revulsion at the depravity that evil can inflict upon the most innocent, all are excellently written. While these disappointingly only occur between the four members in the active party, they are excellent ways to see party members interact before the final chapter, as most story chapters in Octopath treat chapter’s main character as if they were on their own. A more robust example is the travel banter between party members, often in small scripted events. These are always fascinating reads as they contain so much history of the characters in a few hilarious, heartwarming, heartbreaking, or downright scary sentences. It’s evident in the short form through the descriptive paragraphs many NPCs are provided with. The excellence in writing hits at so many different levels that it’s hard to describe just how fulfilling it is. While the glowing elements of Octopath Traveler II are many, storytelling is definitely at the forefront. Knowing what worked the first time and playing to those strengths while shoring up the areas fans noted as shortcomings in the original title, Octopath Traveler II is a shining example of what a highly-polished turn-based JPRG can offer modern players. You can even transfer your save data to the full game when it comes out.While the original Octopath Traveler spent a good eighteen months between announcement, multiple demos, and release, Acquire and Square Enix gave RPGamers a scant five months to prepare themselves for the release of its exciting sequel. Want to try it before you buy it? You can. Preorder the game on any platform at Best Buy, and you'll receive a free steelbook case. While there are no universal preorder bonuses for Octopath Traveler II, there is a retailer-exclusive one available. It comes with the game, plus the following items: The collector’s edition of Octopath Traveler 2 is a Square Enix Store exclusive. That said, if you like steelbook cases, grab it at Best Buy, because you get an exclusive one at no extra charge there. At most retailers, the standard edition just comes with the game, but honestly that’s all you really need.
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