Octopath Traveler had a lot of flaws but ultimately, I loved the game because of what it tried to do. I love Octopath Traveler II for succeeding at it. Every shortcoming from the first game is addressed in this excellent sequel, which features superior storytelling, deeper combat, better character interactions, and even a better soundtrack. This is no small feat, given how excellent the first game's music was.
I love RPGs that focus heavily on individual characters and how they interact and cross over. I am very much invested in the lineage of games that sprung from Live a Live and Dragon Quest IV and Final Fantasy VI. Octopath Traveler II is likely the best of them all.
So many times have I played a game of this type and found myself so invested in the concept that I was able to overcome their shortcomings. In Octopath Traveler II, I never had to. This is a game of 8 protagonists that I feel I will not soon forget. Each of their stories has a weight and depth that help them stand alone and each has a dimension of character that effortlessly differentiates them from each other. Although I was very fond of the initial Octopath, I found myself struggling to recall the individual character's stories. I can't tell the future, but I don't envision myself soon forgetting Throné's quest for her freedom and the dark secrets she uncovers along the way. I don't see myself forgetting Osvald's prison break and subsequent journey of revenge, Castti's pursuit of her lost memories, or Partitio's ambition to eradicate poverty from the world. I don't see myself forgetting Temenos's investigation into a series of mysterious murders, Agnea's journey to become a star, Hikari's reclamation of his kingdom, or Ochette's hunt for a series of nigh mythical creatures to help save her island from the Night of the Scarlet Moon.
Octopath Traveler was very formulaic. Each character's story was 4 chapters long and for the vast majority of those chapters, the character would visit a town, use their Path Action on an important NPC, and then fight a boss. The specifics of those stories varied, of course, but the formula remained very much the same. Octopath Traveler II shakes up the format in several important ways. Not every character's story is four chapters long. Some chapters are split into multiple parts. Some chapters feature dungeons, some don't. Some feature bosses, but some don't. Path Actions are still important parts of the story, but there are two important distinctions compared to the first game. Path Actions are split into Day and Night actions, so the variety of abilities your party has access to it at any given time is much more nuanced than before. If you need to get an item from an NPC, you could buy it from them or steal it from them. You could even mug them at nighttime or use Agnea's inimitable charisma to Entreat them for their items. Each of these abilities has its strengths and weaknesses. Maybe Agnea isn't high enough level to successfully Entreat, so you'll take your chances with Throné, who has at least a chance for a successful steal no matter the level. Alternatively, maybe the NPC in question isn't around during the day, so you're going to have to Mug them with Osvald instead, but let's hope you can win the solo fight that ensues.
Octopath Traveler II is all about these choices. Many of the game's sidequests have a variety of different possible solutions based on your Path Actions. Maybe you could Guide a particular NPC with Temenos to talk to another NPC to resolve a quest—but maybe there's a more unorthodox solution that involves knocking out an NPC with Throné. You could even accomplish the same thing by soothing them with medicine with Castti or simply dueling them with Hikari during the daytime. There were many times when I looked up the solution to a quest only to figure out that I had resolved it a completely different way than what the guide suggested.
The first game already had an excellent combat system, but Octopath Traveler II fleshes it out further by adding Latent Abilities to every character, serving to further differentiate each character's unique strengths. There are even unique EX Skills you can find for each character that only they can use, even after the ability to mix and match subclasses is unlocked. Hidden classes return as well, one of which you can stumble across in the game's opening hours. Instead of gating these hidden classes behind even more grinding, only two of them require Job Points. The others have skills unlocked through a series of sidequests.
Aside from an excellent soundtrack, a series of incredible stories, characters, and moments, Octopath Traveler II also has some great visuals. Opinions vary on the HD-2D style but I'm personally a big fan. I'll close this with a showcase of a few of the screenshots I've taken along the way.
