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Those who completed Octopath Traveler how would you rank every story?(No Spoilers)
- Thread starter Graven
- Start date
Olberic and Alfyn had the best stories. Cyrus was OK too. Primrose's had potential but it's completely undermined by how utterly ridiculous and sexist the premise of her story is.
Ophelia's is the dullest one by far. Absolute bore of a character and story.
Ophelia's is the dullest one by far. Absolute bore of a character and story.
Warrior is a complete arc and satisfying unraveling of a mystery that has the best story usage of the Challenge path action. What a great buildup to that moment.
Apothecary is an interesting, unusual main character that examines his motivations with strong foil characters.
Hunter feels like mostly lore but I liked the angle throughout of her finding her own stories from the framing of their mentor.
Merchant has fun NPCs and contextual story use of their abilities. She's also cheerfully bubbly in a way that's tempered by how she's trying to make a sale. But ethically.
Thief is a personal story that convincingly goes through motivations and connections with the NPCs. Also, the character perilously straddles the line of funny edgy and annoying edgy.
Scholar is haphazard in plotting but I think his character is a fun detective type so it was enjoyable in spite of it.
Cleric spins its wheels for two chapters but has a good conclusion and story use of the Guide path action.
Dancer starts with intensity but I don't think highly of it in the end because the main villain is absurd.
Apothecary is an interesting, unusual main character that examines his motivations with strong foil characters.
Hunter feels like mostly lore but I liked the angle throughout of her finding her own stories from the framing of their mentor.
Merchant has fun NPCs and contextual story use of their abilities. She's also cheerfully bubbly in a way that's tempered by how she's trying to make a sale. But ethically.
Thief is a personal story that convincingly goes through motivations and connections with the NPCs. Also, the character perilously straddles the line of funny edgy and annoying edgy.
Scholar is haphazard in plotting but I think his character is a fun detective type so it was enjoyable in spite of it.
Cleric spins its wheels for two chapters but has a good conclusion and story use of the Guide path action.
Dancer starts with intensity but I don't think highly of it in the end because the main villain is absurd.
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Hmm... I suppose I'd go with:
Alfyn > Olberic > Tressa > Cyrus/Primrose/H'aanit > Therion > Ophilia
Alfyn's went surprisingly dark and it really stuck with me. Think his story impressed me most.
Olberic's is just solid and interesting all around.
Tressa's isn't the most impressive, but it's extremely charming and consistent.
Cyrus, Primrose, and H'aanit's are too hard for me to rank cuz they all have positives and negatives about them. Cyrus' story is generally fun and intriguing, if a bit silly, but has some really awkward moments that don't align very well with the eight separate stories yet traveling together angle. Primrose's starts out super strong, but descends into pure tropey 'wat' later on; it just doesn't hold up well the further it goes -- although its finale did have some interesting mechanics to it that were pretty cool. H'aanit's I found overall kinda boring (but this might be more because I don't like her personality much), however it had arguably one of the most interesting final chapters.
Therion, despite being my favorite character, has a super boring story. It's predictable and I didn't really care for any of its supporting characters.
Ophilia is by far the most lacking, though. It's a boring girl with a boring story that gets a little more interesting towards the end, but not enough to make up for all those, 'Your Excellency!!'s lol.
For the most part I enjoyed the stories more than I disliked any of them. Therion and Ophilia's are really the only that actually struck me as overall 'meh.' And even then they still weren't awful.
Alfyn > Olberic > Tressa > Cyrus/Primrose/H'aanit > Therion > Ophilia
Alfyn's went surprisingly dark and it really stuck with me. Think his story impressed me most.
Olberic's is just solid and interesting all around.
Tressa's isn't the most impressive, but it's extremely charming and consistent.
Cyrus, Primrose, and H'aanit's are too hard for me to rank cuz they all have positives and negatives about them. Cyrus' story is generally fun and intriguing, if a bit silly, but has some really awkward moments that don't align very well with the eight separate stories yet traveling together angle. Primrose's starts out super strong, but descends into pure tropey 'wat' later on; it just doesn't hold up well the further it goes -- although its finale did have some interesting mechanics to it that were pretty cool. H'aanit's I found overall kinda boring (but this might be more because I don't like her personality much), however it had arguably one of the most interesting final chapters.
Therion, despite being my favorite character, has a super boring story. It's predictable and I didn't really care for any of its supporting characters.
Ophilia is by far the most lacking, though. It's a boring girl with a boring story that gets a little more interesting towards the end, but not enough to make up for all those, 'Your Excellency!!'s lol.
For the most part I enjoyed the stories more than I disliked any of them. Therion and Ophilia's are really the only that actually struck me as overall 'meh.' And even then they still weren't awful.
Primrose's is by far the worst because of how it spectacularly falls apart. That aside they're all pretty close to each other. I like Cyrus' because hes a funny guy and his dealt with the parts of the games lore I found most interesting
Alfyn and Olberic's were the strongest overall IMO, with very solid themes. H'aanit's was consistently touching. Tressa's was great fun as well, if more whimsical than these others.
Primrose had the strongest Chapter 1 by a wide margin, but I wasn't pleased with where her story went in the latter two chapters.
Therion, Cyrus, and Ophelia's were my least favorites, both in terms of story and the characters themselves.
The heights of the game were Alfyn's Chapter 2 & 3, Olberic's Chapter 2, 3 & 4, Primrose's Chapter 1, and Tressa's Chapter 3 -- all of which were stellar.
It didn't land every plot beat perfectly, sometimes relying on contrivance, but it nails the subtler, more important things.
In general, Octopath excelled at setting out themes to explore with each character and delivering on them -- examining more mundane, down-to-earth journeys, motivations, and struggles than JRPGs are typically wont to do. This is visible not just in the smaller scope of the eight main stories, but also our perspective of the world of Orsterra: there's very little "macro" world-building -- minimal real detail of how the lands and their leaders -- but an enormous amount of "micro" world-building, with all the NPCs having backstories, often intricately woven together.
Primrose had the strongest Chapter 1 by a wide margin, but I wasn't pleased with where her story went in the latter two chapters.
Therion, Cyrus, and Ophelia's were my least favorites, both in terms of story and the characters themselves.
The heights of the game were Alfyn's Chapter 2 & 3, Olberic's Chapter 2, 3 & 4, Primrose's Chapter 1, and Tressa's Chapter 3 -- all of which were stellar.
It didn't land every plot beat perfectly, sometimes relying on contrivance, but it nails the subtler, more important things.
In general, Octopath excelled at setting out themes to explore with each character and delivering on them -- examining more mundane, down-to-earth journeys, motivations, and struggles than JRPGs are typically wont to do. This is visible not just in the smaller scope of the eight main stories, but also our perspective of the world of Orsterra: there's very little "macro" world-building -- minimal real detail of how the lands and their leaders -- but an enormous amount of "micro" world-building, with all the NPCs having backstories, often intricately woven together.
- Olberic - This is by far the most complete story arc with interesting motivations and solid writing.
- Alfyn - This is less of a plot and more of a character study about right wrong and dogma. It was the most interesting of the 8 and it probably has the best writing too.
- Tressa - Tressa is a lovely character and her adventures are also more about self growth than plot and story. Her tale is strong because it knows what it's about and focuses on the likability of the character and adventure over drama.
- Cyrus - It's definitely an interesting tale. It's amusing but it's not particularly interesting yet it aims a lot to be. Cyrus isn't as likable as Tressa though so it falls a bit
- Haanit - I enjoy this story but it's a bit plain. It does have an awesome boss in one of the chapters and the student master bond is endearing and well written
- Therion - Did not enjoy this story frankly, it's only slightly grating though so it sits comfortably at the bottom
- Primrose - First chapter is brilliant. Second chapter is solid. Last 2 are some fucking bullshit. Man what the fuck was this?
- Ophelia- It's boring. It's inoffensive but it's boring and has nothing interesting to say until the very end. And the very end is still boring, it's just that they made a decent writing choice in the last quarter. The lore of the church is more interesting than the actual tale. Its mostly just world build.
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Primrose.
Ophilia.
Tressa.
H'annit.
Olberic.
Therion.
Alfyn.
Cyrus.
In that exact order. Started with Primrose and don't regret it at all.
Ophilia.
Tressa.
H'annit.
Olberic.
Therion.
Alfyn.
Cyrus.
In that exact order. Started with Primrose and don't regret it at all.
Tbh, the hidden story is so much more interesting but it's a shame most of it is told by text in the end.
It's just a thinly connected lore dump. Anyone into that kind of storytelling is probably the kind of person that enjoys endlessly browsing fan wikis for minor hidden details.
... I mean. I guess that's valid. But it didn't mean anything to me.
Top tier: Alfyn and Tressa. Character focused, good NPCs.
Middle: Therion, Primrose, Olberic. All three are cliched revenge-ish plots, but they do fine.
Meh: Cyrus and H'aanit. Cyrus gets the most direct exposition, dragging it down a bit. H'aanit suffers from having to use her weird duel mechanic.
Do better next time: Ophelia. Also cliche, but it's slow and too predictable. Her skillset is a redeeming factor.
Middle: Therion, Primrose, Olberic. All three are cliched revenge-ish plots, but they do fine.
Meh: Cyrus and H'aanit. Cyrus gets the most direct exposition, dragging it down a bit. H'aanit suffers from having to use her weird duel mechanic.
Do better next time: Ophelia. Also cliche, but it's slow and too predictable. Her skillset is a redeeming factor.
I found Primrose herself to be powerfully compelling in Chapter 1, and Helgenish was made to be both pathetic and loathsome with an economical tightness and uncomfortable realism that impressed me (though that's partly due to the VA).
Between her Chapter 1 and 2, there was promise for her story to focus on her solidarity with and emancipation of the victims of the human trafficking network she'd infiltrated. Basic revenge was her motivation, but her story had just as much room for satisfyingly thematic introspection as some of the others achieved.
But then in her later chapters, her conviction, control, and competence were systematically and sexistly robbed from her, along with her humanizing anchors like Yusufa and Arianna, turning her story into a nonsensical melodrama whose final act was just... attempted gaslighting by a creep.
Why does every JRPG have to be an in-your-face overarching narrative with a chatty ensemble? Are short story anthologies somehow not a valid form of storytelling in the gaming medium?
Some of them were mediocre -- no question. But I think the stronger ones were anything but. And the background events that connect all of them were pretty well-laid, in text if not in gameplay (the final "dungeon" was clearly rushed, yes).
Great: favorite one is Alph. Can't put my finger on it, but felt refreshing.
Olberic's story was very fun.
Good: therion
Average: Cyrus and Ophelia felt like two sides of the same coin, but they were ok. I did Cyrus first and then Ophelia, which felt like the same at the end. Really liked the villians in Cyrus.
Hunter was ok as well. I really hated having to listen and read the old English.
Meh: Primrose ending was dissapointing. The built up was great for the first 2-3 chapters, but fell apart on chapter 4, and she was the last one I finished. The way they handled the twist sucked the most.
Tressa is probably the most dull. She want on a personal journey, which is ok. Chapter 3 was really good, and chapter 4 town is amazing, but the story is ok.
Olberic's story was very fun.
Good: therion
Average: Cyrus and Ophelia felt like two sides of the same coin, but they were ok. I did Cyrus first and then Ophelia, which felt like the same at the end. Really liked the villians in Cyrus.
Hunter was ok as well. I really hated having to listen and read the old English.
Meh: Primrose ending was dissapointing. The built up was great for the first 2-3 chapters, but fell apart on chapter 4, and she was the last one I finished. The way they handled the twist sucked the most.
Tressa is probably the most dull. She want on a personal journey, which is ok. Chapter 3 was really good, and chapter 4 town is amazing, but the story is ok.
My favourite was Alfyn, Olberic. Enjoyed Cyrus and H'aanit for the world building and some cool tie-ins post-game.
By the end I was a little annoyed by the prevailing chapter formula of faffing around for awhile, then a boss. Even chapters that seemed to promise differently ALWAYS turned into that without fail. The last chapter of Tressa comes to mind where
to set the stage for yet another boss battle. Even they were like "wait why are we here". Her other chapters were fun but the "formula" kicked them down a few notches. The same goes for anything that looked like it was going to be unique. I was excited to do some good old fashioned merchant-ing in the mountains, but then the whole sequence turns zero sum and whoops it's the same chapter set up again, and it's kind of a let down.
Also, chapters that had story stuff that took the rest of the party for granted were a little off putting too, like taking a secret coach in disguise, or sneaking around a base, all things the character would do alone, but then the party is just kind of there. It's forgivable, but just too bad. I loved basically every single tavern party interaction.
I agree Primrose goes almost completely off the rails. Whew. As an aside, it was a little bit surprising in her ch 2-3 (can't remember) to find out there is
By the end I was a little annoyed by the prevailing chapter formula of faffing around for awhile, then a boss. Even chapters that seemed to promise differently ALWAYS turned into that without fail. The last chapter of Tressa comes to mind where
villains show up out of absolutely nowhere
Also, chapters that had story stuff that took the rest of the party for granted were a little off putting too, like taking a secret coach in disguise, or sneaking around a base, all things the character would do alone, but then the party is just kind of there. It's forgivable, but just too bad. I loved basically every single tavern party interaction.
I agree Primrose goes almost completely off the rails. Whew. As an aside, it was a little bit surprising in her ch 2-3 (can't remember) to find out there is
literally a prostitution ring going on when I thought the devs were using "dancer" as a kind of euphamism for that stuff. They ended up just going for it. Pretty wild.
Alfyn>Olberic>H'aanit>Tressa>Therion>Primrose>Cyrus>Ophelia
Of them, I'd consider Alfyn's, Olberic's, Tressa's and H'aanit's to all be very good, and remarkably close in quality. Ophelia's is the only one I'd consider to approach being bad (it's mostly just boring though).
Of them, I'd consider Alfyn's, Olberic's, Tressa's and H'aanit's to all be very good, and remarkably close in quality. Ophelia's is the only one I'd consider to approach being bad (it's mostly just boring though).
I actually consider that to be refreshing and one of the game's strengths. The separate stories are all strongly personal to the unusual-as-main characters in a way a large world saving plot usually cannot be.
because otherwise its a generic lifeless borefest
characters are the bone of a story, and interesting characters interacting is tge entire point of dialogue. i could not care less when Thief talks to random throwaway npc number #3 when the idea of him and the merchant talking like traveling friends is more interesting.
thats what sidequests are fir, to flesh out characters
it honestly felt like a jrpg with all main quests ripped out leaving just the individual character sidequests and thats not interesting or fun
Okay, if that's what satisfies you, then by all means, but that's an extremely narrow-minded criteria for what qualifies as good storytelling.
Yeah but instead of sidequest, it's their main plot and it gives it a greater sense of focus. I really enjoyed the "sidequesty" nature of it because the characters were really invested in whatever it was they were doing. Not needing to tie it into some big grand thing seemed appropriate as what these characters wanted was someone smaller then usual. Once they got that, there's no need to extend their involvement in the story further.
That's actually a really good way of putting it.
Off topic perhaps: On other opposite side of the spectrum, I've been playing Tales of Vesperia for a little while now and I cannot believe how often the characters have to contort and convince themselves to stay together as a group. Almost every single town or location has SOMEONE spinning off and saying "oh I need to go do this, but I guess I could hang around with you guys a bit longer", like they are trying to constantly justify their status as a party.
And this is after they form themselves into a small "guild".
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Primrose >> Alfyn > H'aanit > Cyrus > Tressa > Olberic > Therion > Ophelia
1. Primrose's story was fantastic. The ending could have been better, but it was very well done. Started with her and was happy I did.
2. Alfyn's story is great. I wasn't expecting to enjoy him at all but he was a fantastic character.
3. H'aanit's tale was intriguing too, it felt like nothing I'd played before. Her creature capture mechanic was fun to play around with as well.
4. Cyrus' story was well done, and I enjoyed the twists and turns that came along the way. Final villains were very well done.
5. Tressa's happy-go-lucky merchant story was a breath of fresh air mixed in with the much heavier stories of those she was travelling with. She was a fun character too.
6. Olberic's story felt very generic RPG to me. I enjoyed it, but there was nothing that really stood out.
7. Therion's story was pretty eh. I wasn't a big fan of his character from the start so admittedly I might have had some bias.
8. Ophelia's story and character were forgettable. Very slow and predictable.
All in all I really enjoyed Octopath, it was a solid 9.5/10 for me. I enjoyed the different feel of the party just being together for convenience rather than an overarching goal (of course it all does get tied together, but whatever). I'm thinking of doing another playthrough later this year if nothing that interests me releases in the second half of the year.
1. Primrose's story was fantastic. The ending could have been better, but it was very well done. Started with her and was happy I did.
2. Alfyn's story is great. I wasn't expecting to enjoy him at all but he was a fantastic character.
3. H'aanit's tale was intriguing too, it felt like nothing I'd played before. Her creature capture mechanic was fun to play around with as well.
4. Cyrus' story was well done, and I enjoyed the twists and turns that came along the way. Final villains were very well done.
5. Tressa's happy-go-lucky merchant story was a breath of fresh air mixed in with the much heavier stories of those she was travelling with. She was a fun character too.
6. Olberic's story felt very generic RPG to me. I enjoyed it, but there was nothing that really stood out.
7. Therion's story was pretty eh. I wasn't a big fan of his character from the start so admittedly I might have had some bias.
8. Ophelia's story and character were forgettable. Very slow and predictable.
All in all I really enjoyed Octopath, it was a solid 9.5/10 for me. I enjoyed the different feel of the party just being together for convenience rather than an overarching goal (of course it all does get tied together, but whatever). I'm thinking of doing another playthrough later this year if nothing that interests me releases in the second half of the year.
OP
OP
Battle system and artstyle/atmosphere alone already make this game greatly enjoyble for me so far.
H'aanit > Olberic > Therion = Alfyn = Tressa > Cyrus = Ophelia > Primrose
The strength of Octopath's anthology narrative is that is can tell a wide range of smaller stories without losing focus, as would happen with a single narrative that tried to merge all those different topics, moods, and genres. It also has more freedom to tell stories that deviate from the usual heroic fantasy model followed by most other JRPGs, like Tressa and Alfyn's routes, which you'd never see in a game that has to sustain a single story and constantly raise the stakes over 40+ hours while appealing to the mass markets.
The downside of this is that some of these stories are much better written than others, and the stories are short enough that a writing fumble in one chapter can pretty much sink the entire narrative. The stories in Octopath that go for higher drama tend to suffer more from this—the writers have a good sense for small-scale personal conflicts, but I don't feel their sensibilities scale well to the grander fate-of-the-world conflicts.
The repetitive chapter structure is a limitation as well, but mainly when looking at the game as one 32-chapter experience, rather than within any of the given stories.
The strength of Octopath's anthology narrative is that is can tell a wide range of smaller stories without losing focus, as would happen with a single narrative that tried to merge all those different topics, moods, and genres. It also has more freedom to tell stories that deviate from the usual heroic fantasy model followed by most other JRPGs, like Tressa and Alfyn's routes, which you'd never see in a game that has to sustain a single story and constantly raise the stakes over 40+ hours while appealing to the mass markets.
The downside of this is that some of these stories are much better written than others, and the stories are short enough that a writing fumble in one chapter can pretty much sink the entire narrative. The stories in Octopath that go for higher drama tend to suffer more from this—the writers have a good sense for small-scale personal conflicts, but I don't feel their sensibilities scale well to the grander fate-of-the-world conflicts.
The repetitive chapter structure is a limitation as well, but mainly when looking at the game as one 32-chapter experience, rather than within any of the given stories.
1. Olberic and H'aanit
Even though Ophelia is technically the first character, Olberic feels a bit like the default protagonist of Octopath Traveler. His prologue begins in Hornburg, and all eight narratives eventually conclude in Hornburg at the Gate of Finis. Olberic's route is also the most creative with its structure by far, featuring the tournament and the extra Challenge action in Chapter 3. If more of the routes had been like Olberic's, I think the game's narrative as a whole would have been better received.
H'aanit's route is my favorite, though. There's nothing particularly special about her story, but it does feel very personal, and the more lighthearted fantasy adventure approach is a nice change of tone when set against any other route save Tressa's. Redeye is also the best boss fight in the game, and ends H'aanit's route on a very high note, which is more than a lot of the other Chapter Fours can say.
1.5-ish. Therion
Therion's story manages to sustain a single narrative the entire way through without any major missteps, which places it higher than the next five by default in my books. That said, while there's nothing seriously wrong with the story (the Fool's Bangle is a ridiculous plot device, but a small one), I found it less interesting than Alfyn or Tressa's. It's extremely straightforward, like H'aanit's, but without the same charm, heart, or spectacle. Ultimately, I think it's the game's most forgettable storyline, even if it's technically competent.
2. Alfyn and Tressa
I'm a big fan of low-key fantasy about people just living their lives, and Tressa and Alfyn's stories definitely deliver on that count, though they have some major issues. As others have said, the main one in Tressa's story is Esmerelda's sudden entry in the last chapter. That story beat works with the overarching narrative about the Galdera cultists searching for Graham Crossford's legacy, but it undermines Tressa's story as a standalone narrative. The issue with Alfyn was the deus ex machina of him happening to suddenly remember how to cure Ogen's disease, which he happened to have as a child, while the necessary ingredients are conveniently in the cave next door. It was too much coincidence for me, which is a shame because the rest of his story has some of the game's strongest writing. I'd love to see more of these kinds of narratives in a hypothetical Octopath 2.
3. Cyrus, Ophelia, and Primrose
These three all suffered terribly from their cartoonishly evil villains. Cyrus's villains (Yvon and Lucia) were the least offensive instance, since they at least keep the theme of all his bosses being power-mad scholars-turned-necromancers, but his story doesn't have much going on outside of that. I liked the cross-storyline lore that his route includes, but lore alone doesn't substitute for narrative. Ophelia's route fares much better on the narrative front. It has some touching and memorable moments, like the final Guide action, and Matthias is pretty good as a boss fight. That said, the writing around him and the big "reveal" of his villainy are dreadful. Even the slightest bit more subtlety would have raised Ophelia's story to around Therion's for me.
The less said about Primrose, the better.
Even though Ophelia is technically the first character, Olberic feels a bit like the default protagonist of Octopath Traveler. His prologue begins in Hornburg, and all eight narratives eventually conclude in Hornburg at the Gate of Finis. Olberic's route is also the most creative with its structure by far, featuring the tournament and the extra Challenge action in Chapter 3. If more of the routes had been like Olberic's, I think the game's narrative as a whole would have been better received.
H'aanit's route is my favorite, though. There's nothing particularly special about her story, but it does feel very personal, and the more lighthearted fantasy adventure approach is a nice change of tone when set against any other route save Tressa's. Redeye is also the best boss fight in the game, and ends H'aanit's route on a very high note, which is more than a lot of the other Chapter Fours can say.
1.5-ish. Therion
Therion's story manages to sustain a single narrative the entire way through without any major missteps, which places it higher than the next five by default in my books. That said, while there's nothing seriously wrong with the story (the Fool's Bangle is a ridiculous plot device, but a small one), I found it less interesting than Alfyn or Tressa's. It's extremely straightforward, like H'aanit's, but without the same charm, heart, or spectacle. Ultimately, I think it's the game's most forgettable storyline, even if it's technically competent.
2. Alfyn and Tressa
I'm a big fan of low-key fantasy about people just living their lives, and Tressa and Alfyn's stories definitely deliver on that count, though they have some major issues. As others have said, the main one in Tressa's story is Esmerelda's sudden entry in the last chapter. That story beat works with the overarching narrative about the Galdera cultists searching for Graham Crossford's legacy, but it undermines Tressa's story as a standalone narrative. The issue with Alfyn was the deus ex machina of him happening to suddenly remember how to cure Ogen's disease, which he happened to have as a child, while the necessary ingredients are conveniently in the cave next door. It was too much coincidence for me, which is a shame because the rest of his story has some of the game's strongest writing. I'd love to see more of these kinds of narratives in a hypothetical Octopath 2.
3. Cyrus, Ophelia, and Primrose
These three all suffered terribly from their cartoonishly evil villains. Cyrus's villains (Yvon and Lucia) were the least offensive instance, since they at least keep the theme of all his bosses being power-mad scholars-turned-necromancers, but his story doesn't have much going on outside of that. I liked the cross-storyline lore that his route includes, but lore alone doesn't substitute for narrative. Ophelia's route fares much better on the narrative front. It has some touching and memorable moments, like the final Guide action, and Matthias is pretty good as a boss fight. That said, the writing around him and the big "reveal" of his villainy are dreadful. Even the slightest bit more subtlety would have raised Ophelia's story to around Therion's for me.
The less said about Primrose, the better.
It was sexist from the start, though.
Sorry but only a male writer could have come up with that ridiculous premise to begin with, of a woman deciding to endure violent sexual assault for years in order to maybe get a look at the guy who killed her dad, when it wasn't even necessary for that to accomplish her goal and in fact was completely counter productive.
Rolled my eyes sooo hard when she said (about her dad) at some point, "there is no indignity as bad as losing you" . Fuck offffff
Rolled my eyes sooo hard when she said (about her dad) at some point, "there is no indignity as bad as losing you" . Fuck offffff
Alfyn's story was definitely my favorite (he was also far and away my favorite character), followed by Olberic's and Cyrus'. Ophilia's and H'aanit's were the dullest, leaving the rest somewhere in the middle for me.
Primrose's was so good until it (rather quickly) wasn't. Hers was probably the most disappointing in terms of how far it fell from its initial potential, but it still wasn't out-and-out boring like Ophilia's and Haanit's.
Primrose's was so good until it (rather quickly) wasn't. Hers was probably the most disappointing in terms of how far it fell from its initial potential, but it still wasn't out-and-out boring like Ophilia's and Haanit's.
I'm surprised at the Ophilia story hate...
It turned into her sister betraying her and ending with a cult, that actually shocked me, it was like the opposite of Primrose story where Primrose started off strong and ended weak where Ophilia story started off weak and ended strong.
Ophilia's is shit until chapter 4, where it ends with a magnificent bang.
Best Climax: Tressa, Ophilia (I will fight people on this)
Best narrative arc: Alfyn, H'annit
Best midstream moment: Olberic
Just okay: Cyrus
Not so great: Therion, Primrose
In general, the story is a vehicle for the gameplay, until the final chapters. Towards the end, the threads woven throughout the adventure start pulling together into a payoff. It's a long cast in almost every story. And the stories are very different. It doesn't surprise me that different ones resonate with different people. But a few of them land pretty hard, or at least did with me.
Best narrative arc: Alfyn, H'annit
Best midstream moment: Olberic
Just okay: Cyrus
Not so great: Therion, Primrose
In general, the story is a vehicle for the gameplay, until the final chapters. Towards the end, the threads woven throughout the adventure start pulling together into a payoff. It's a long cast in almost every story. And the stories are very different. It doesn't surprise me that different ones resonate with different people. But a few of them land pretty hard, or at least did with me.
i liked Olberic and H'annit. Primrose had a strong start, but it got really bad and the "twist' was predictable. A similar twist was used with another character like seriously writer are you even trying? lol.
Ophilia and Cyrus had their good moments.
The rest might as well be side quest characters.
Ophilia and Cyrus had their good moments.
The rest might as well be side quest characters.
Pretty much. On paper, it doesn't sound too bad, but the execution just wasn't there. And of course like you said, the cast not being able to interact with one another in a more... satisfying manner certainly did not help.
I put a loooot of hours into the game, then I eventually just bounced off it because the storytelling just wasn't worth it at all. Even before I dropped it, the main appeal for me tbh was min-maxing my stats more than anything else. (It was fun to steal stuff.)
Each character has four chapters, with each chapter roughly an hour long.
Haven't finished any yet (really struggling to get through the game with the amount of grinding and lack of compelling story, been at it for a year), but I'm at chapter 4 in all of them, and at the final boss for Olberic, Therion and H'aanit. Really liked the direction Olberic's went in. H'aanit wasn't as much a story, but was still somewhat interesting to see unfold. Therion's didn't do much for me. Not many have been interesting through to chapter 3 tbh. Orphilia's is a fucking joke.