Octopath Traveler: Preview Thread

Cinemikel · Jul 6, 2018

I haven't seen the comparison yet

It's like Megaman. You pick your stage (story) in any order, conquer the stage, and move onto the next stage of your choice now slightly upgraded from the last stage. The stages don't have much in relation to each other except for the fact that they're all related to Dr. Wily's robots. That's really it. Probably late in the game (like Megaman) it'll probably come together because the game does have to end someway. For Megaman it's the Wily stages and final boss. For Octopath Traveler it's probably a common goal of some kind because I doubt the game just ends after finishing the last singular character path

PlanetSmasher · Jul 6, 2018

Disclaimer said:
If it's any comfort, the same antagonist is shown in Primrose and Cyrus' prologues, and Olberic's backstory kingdom is remarked upon as significant in Cyrus' prologue as well—perhaps tying into Ophilia's sermon about the Dark God—so there very much are connective elements.

Of course. There's absolutely going to be connective tissue, but if the characters have no reason to travel together, it still falls flat. It would be better if they were completely separate and only interacted with each other in passing, while other plot characters fill out their respective battle parties.

Here, I'll tell you the exact moment this game's illusion shattered for me. I had just finished Therion's prologue. This is a character whose primary character traits are "thief", "asshole", and "loner". Every time someone offers him help in his prologue, he turns it down because he's a dickhead and he prefers to work alone. So I leave the first town, run through the woods for a little bit, and wind up in H'aanit's town. I find her standing outside of the tavern and talk to her.

H'aanit: Hello. I am H'aanit. I am a hunter.
GAME TEXT: Would you like to add H'aanit to your party? Yes/No

That's it. No interaction, no dialogue. Therion, being a dickhead, has absolutely no reason to recruit her because he has no use for someone like her on his very specific "steal these three MacGuffins" quest, and H'aanit has no reason to come along with him, much less press him to do so against his will. No reason is given for why these two would choose to work together at all. And that seems to be consistent throughout all the recruitments - nothing is ever stated as to why these people would ever team up, much less tolerate each other's presences, and we're supposed to buy them as traveling companions even though they clearly don't give enough of a shit to help each other out during their most pivotal narrative moments?

It just...doesn't function.

ThankDougie · Jul 6, 2018

aSqueakyLime said:
ikr. It's sad that people feel the need to come into every thread regarding these games and just say the same shit over and over.

are people really saying the same shit over and over? or is it that these games can be treated critically just like everything else? if you like it, awesome! you really don't have to agree with me if I think one game is bad and another isn't. my really disliking every Final Fantasy since VII (and really that hasn't aged well) shouldn't matter one bit to you if you played it and loved it. listening to critical reactions might be interesting, you might even change your mind, but that really doesn't mean you were wrong or that the game wasn't worth it to you.

i, for one, welcome some controversy and big disagreements. the world is bland when everyone decides something is brilliant unconditionally.

HosannaExcelsis · Jul 6, 2018

Opa-Pa said:
It'd be pretty fair if the comments were limited to just talking inspirations, but claiming they made it thinking of it as the spiritual successor of FF6 is a much weightier claim that doesn't feel like holds much truth at all.

Good thing that's not what they claimed.

KrigareN- · Jul 6, 2018

WestEgg said:
The previews have been pretty glowing so far, the negativity didn't really start until Jason showed up. The Demo reception has also been great so far. I won't call it a masterpiece until I finish it, but the negativity in this thread is ridiculously disproportionate to the apparent general reception of the game so far.

Large part of the negativity here were generated by overly sensitive users who decided to reduce Jason's write up to "OT =/= FFVI," ignoring the many reasonable criticisms, comments, and observations someone who's played through 10x more content than them.

ThankDougie · Jul 6, 2018

blackmass said:
Since his "Ni no Kuni 2 has Suikoden vibes" blah blah blah, I know J.Schreier has no idea what he's talking about.

oh come on man; I don't always agree with him, but dude clearly knows his stuff. i think it's incredibly unfair to judge his work based on a handful of cherry-picked comments.

Saint-14 · Jul 6, 2018

Tibarn said:
Any reviewer who praised anything aside from the graphics and the charm doesn't have any idea about JRPG tbh.

I hope this is a joke.

Faiyaz · Jul 6, 2018

FiXalaS said:
for the better, trust me.

Are you forgetting about the music thing? DQ XI topics will be BAD man...

Lyon N. Laap · Jul 6, 2018

Heart_Attack said:
I never understood that Nintendo fan logic. The game was developed any ACQUIRE. They make cool games, but they don't hace the talent to make a masterpiece.

"Nintendo fan logic", as if this is merely a Nintendo issue rather than one of the gaming hype cycle as a whole. Why try to single out a single fanbase when the most egregious example of this trope was on another console entirely? None at all, other than to snipe.

In any case, while my enthusiasm is indeed dampened somewhat by the possibility of a noncohesive storyline, the demo showed me enough of the gameplay and characters to find that I enjoy both. I expect to have a lot of fun with what I'm getting to tide me over until Valkyria Chronicles 4, even if it isn't a "masterpiece", so not too worried of having unrealistic expectations crushed.

Tibarn · Jul 6, 2018

Saint-14 said:
I hope this is a joke.

It is not (I'm talking about NNK2 just in case).

Aniki · Jul 6, 2018

I don't have any problem if the characters interactions don't have any relevance to the main plot. I just want some fun party banter, lots of it. As long as i have that i will be content i think. And not so repetitive dungeons. Another user replied to me with another preview saying that the dungeons were pretty short. But the dungeons in Bravely Default were also pretty short by JRPG standards, and they were still repetitive, because their structure didn't change much.

Aters · Jul 6, 2018

Bluewind098 said:
All RPG discussions on this forum is fucking trash. Even some more innocent and consistent ones like Pokemon aren't safe from this garbage.

What makes Pokemon innocent and consistent, if you don't mind me asking?

Carthago Delenda Est · Jul 6, 2018

Aters said:
What makes Pokemon innocent and consistent, if you don't mind me asking?

It's for kids and it barely changes relative to other RPGs which are constantly evolving things as major as the battle system.

KrigareN- · Jul 6, 2018

Saint-14 said:
I hope this is a joke.

character assassination...

Saint-14 · Jul 6, 2018

Tibarn said:
It is not (I'm talking about NNK2 just in case).

Then please explain how what you said makes sense, people aren't gonna like/dislike the same things as you.

Disclaimer · Jul 6, 2018

PlanetSmasher said:
Of course. There's absolutely going to be connective tissue, but if the characters have no reason to travel together, it still falls flat. It would be better if they were completely separate and only interacted with each other in passing, while other plot characters fill out their respective battle parties.

Here, I'll tell you the exact moment this game's illusion shattered for me. I had just finished Therion's prologue. This is a character whose primary character traits are "thief", "asshole", and "loner". Every time someone offers him help in his prologue, he turns it down because he's a dickhead and he prefers to work alone. So I leave the first town, run through the woods for a little bit, and wind up in H'aanit's town. I find her standing outside of the tavern and talk to her.

That's it. No interaction, no dialogue. Therion, being a dickhead, has absolutely no reason to recruit her because he has no use for someone like her on his very specific "steal these three MacGuffins" quest, and H'aanit has no reason to come along with him, much less press him to do so against his will. No reason is given for why these two would choose to work together at all. And that seems to be consistent throughout all the recruitments - nothing is ever stated as to why these people would ever team up, much less tolerate each other's presences, and we're supposed to buy them as traveling companions even though they clearly don't give enough of a shit to help each other out during their most pivotal narrative moments?

It just...doesn't function.

I completely understand your misgivings, and share them for their joining segments (Therion's is particularly bad), but I firmly believe the party's relationship development gets better from there, after seeing Primrose and H'aanit's bonding.

(Also, there's a little more contextualizing dialogue than that on joining, but it's easy to skip past. It happens after you view their solo prologue, IIRC.)

Aters · Jul 6, 2018

Carthago Delenda Est said:
It's for kids and it barely changes relative to other RPGs which are constantly evolving things as major as the battle system.

And how does that make it immune to criticism?

Carthago Delenda Est · Jul 6, 2018

Aters said:
And how does that make it immune to criticism?

It doesn't. I was just answering your question.

CeroMiedo · Jul 6, 2018

Tibarn said:
It is not (I'm talking about NNK2 just in case).

Btw, did he really say NnK2 have suikoden vibes?

MegaXZero · Jul 6, 2018

PlanetSmasher said:
I didn't change my statement at all. An overarching storyline doesn't necessarily need to include all eight of them together. It could very well be a "you need to play all eight stories to fully understand it" kind of structure. All an overarching story means is that there are common narrative elements that tie them together.

Game of Thrones has an overarching story. Oberyn Martell and Jon Snow never interacted at any point, but they're still both parts of that story.

I said you clarified it, not changed. There is a difference. You said that there was no main storyline including everyone. Your Game of Thrones example is still a storyline including everyone. You clarified that as together. Your first statement implied there wasn't a main story.

All of this ignores what treehouse said and bases it in incomplete playthroughs of a very long game.

Raidou · Jul 6, 2018

Pre-ordered the game yesterday on the e-shop. I still think that the random fights takes too long and I don't like the guard break mechanic but I love turn based games and I had a lot of fun with the demo. I hope Square Enix isn't lying about the length of the game like they did with XV tho.

Metto · Jul 6, 2018

Aters said:
What makes Pokemon innocent and consistent, if you don't mind me asking?

Well for one the series has never been super offensive or had content that's super off putting like Xenoblade 2's female designs. All the games are solid RPGs and each generation has their own fans and hasn't really had much of a decline and if people have claimed to be one it's for a different set of games (like there are fans of Gen 3 and 4 and claimed recent Gens don't hold a candle and others have said Gen 4 is the worst generation).

BlueManifest · Jul 6, 2018

Ign preview going up today? Or they not doing one

Aters · Jul 6, 2018

Bluewind098 said:
Well for one the series has never been super offensive or had content that's super off putting like Xenoblade 2's female designs. All the games are solid RPGs and each generation has their own fans and hasn't really had much of a decline and if people have claimed to be one it's for a different set of games (like there are fans of Gen 3 and 4 and claimed recent Gens don't hold a candle and others have said Gen 4 is the worst generation).

I disagree. I think there are enough differences between these games that people can make a legit argument that some are better than the other.

PlanetSmasher · Jul 6, 2018

MegaXZero said:
I said you clarified it, not changed. There is a difference. You said that there was no main storyline including everyone. Your Game of Thrones example is still a storyline including everyone. You clarified that as together. Your first statement implied there wasn't a main story.

All of this ignores what treehouse said and bases it in incomplete playthroughs of a very long game.

All I said was that "it is unlikely that the storylines converge into one" since we know people have made it 50 hours in and they're all still separate stories. That does not mean that I think there's no overarching storyline, just that the eight storylines don't make sense as being able to combine into one considering the characters don't really know each other and don't actually travel together, and the ideal time to fix those problems would be early in the game, not 50+ hours in.

FiXalaS · Jul 6, 2018

jschreier said:
Look, as one of the biggest FFVI fans on the planet, let me just say that from what I've played so far I'd advise relaxing with the "all time classic" stuff. At least wait for proper reviews -- ones from people who don't worship at the altar of hyperbole. It's not that this is a bad game, but the repetitive structure and lack of party interaction are no small thing.

Guide me please.

PlanetSmasher said:
All I said was that "it is unlikely that the storylines converge into one" since we know people have made it 50 hours in and they're all still separate stories. That does not mean that I think there's no overarching storyline, just that the eight storylines don't make sense as being able to combine into one considering the characters don't really know each other and don't actually travel together, and the ideal time to fix those problems would be early in the game, not 50+ hours in.

we know that it is possible for the characters to know each other. Must it be forced?

Tibarn · Jul 6, 2018

Saint-14 said:
Then please explain how what you said makes sense, people aren't gonna like/dislike the same things as you.

Ok! If you weren't at the NNK2 OT, I can understand that you don't know my opinion.
There's lot of talk about how some character introductions are generic in Octopath, but at least they make sense.
You know what doesn't make sense? The president of the USA deciding in less than 20 minutes that he doesn't give a fuck about the USA anymore and he will be constructing a new kingdom with some random cat kid because he sees potential in him.
In general, the characters in NNK2 are flat, uninteresting and underveloped, an the same for the story arcs. You go to the next city, the ruler is corrupted as well as the guardian god, you fight them, everybody is happy.
Lack of interesting villains, and the only good revelation in the game is in the last 15 minutes, so the impact is almost null.
The combat system is bad: unresponsive attempt of making some real action game, without real depth and the enemy repetition makes BotW a varied game.
The music is really disappointing coming from Joe Hisaishi, I only remember the towns having some decent songs and the abuse of the first game main theme arranged for every situation.
And the extras: the top camera battle mode is simplistic, the city building mode takes a lot of time and it doesn't even offer interesting decisions, and the sidequests are... bad sidequests.
Edit: The world exploration offers NOTHING interesting, and there's two entire regions that are basically unfinished areas without anything but recycled monsters.

Bitanator · Jul 6, 2018

All I know is I loved the demo and I am buying the game

Metto · Jul 6, 2018

Aters said:
I disagree. I think there are enough differences between these games that people can make a legit argument that some are better than the other.

That's kind of my point. People have their own preferences to why they prefer the generations while disliking others however all of them have their own fans and there doesn't seem to be a consensus that any game is significantly worse than the others in the same way there's a consensus over certain Final Fantasy titles.

jschreier · Jul 6, 2018

Raidou said:
Just pre-ordered the game yesterday on the e-shop. I still think that the random fights takes too long and I don't like the guard break mechanic but I love turn based games and I had a lot of fun with the demo. I hope Square Enix isn't lying about the length of the game like they did with XV tho.

Random fights don't take too long once you've got a full party, and in fact, they feel more meaningful than your average JRPG random encounter because you have to be thinking and paying attention the whole time. Can't just mash the A button.

I really, really like the combat system. Lol @ people in this thread acting like I hate this game because I said lines like "could be an instant classic" and "the official Final Fantasy XVI may still be quite a few years off, we firmly believe that it's already arrived under a different name" were hyperbole.

Raven117 · Jul 6, 2018

Punished Dan said:
I don't understand why people get so pissy over one persons opinion.
Just enjoy the game when it comes out.

Because this is Reset. All opinions must be the same.

I played the first demo, liked it, pre-ordered it. Didn't read one preview or anything.

It does seem that certain games on certain systems really brings out the unity of thought more than others...

Monster Zero · Jul 6, 2018

Tibarn said:
Ok! If you weren't at the NNK2 OT, I can understand that you don't know my opinion.
There's lot of talk about how some character introductions are generic in Octopath, but at least they make sense.
You know what doesn't make sense? The president of the USA deciding in less than 20 minutes that he doesn't give a fuck about the USA anymore and he will be constructing a new kingdom with some random cat kid because he sees potential in him.
In general, the characters in NNK2 are flat, uninteresting and underveloped, an the same for the story arcs. You go to the next city, the ruler is corrupted as well as the guardian god, you fight them, everybody is happy.
Lack of interesting villains, and the only good revelation in the game is in the last 15 minutes, so the impact is almost null.
The combat system is bad: unresponsive attempt of making some real action game, without real depth and the enemy repetition makes BotW a varied game.
The music is really disappointing coming from Joe Hisaishi, I only remember the towns having some decent songs and the abuse of the first game main theme arranged for every situation.
And the extras: the top camera battle mode is simplistic, the city building mode takes a lot of time and it doesn't even offer interesting decisions, and the sidequests are... bad sidequests.
Edit: The world exploration offers NOTHING interesting, and there's two entire regions that are basically unfinished areas without anything but recycled monsters.

Octopath probably features more voice acting.

Plum · Jul 6, 2018

To be honest I'm genuinely not certain whether I want to keep my preorder any more. I'll dwell on the thought of cancelling it for a little bit but, right now, it's looking like I might. Why? Because after thinking on things the lack of party interactions does seem like a pretty major downside to my enjoyment of the game. Also, considering that's the only thing the previews seem to be talking about in regard to story there's a fair chance that what's there won't make up for it.

Eh, I don't know. I've already paid off most of it on Amazon (took advantage of a gift card deal a while back) so it's not like there's a massive financial cost, but I'm still not too sure. I wish reviews weren't so close to release. That and I was fully excited for the game yesterday so not having that excitement now just feels bad tbh (I know it sounds silly lol).

MegaXZero · Jul 6, 2018

Tibarn said:
You know what doesn't make sense? The president of the USA deciding in less than 20 minutes that he doesn't give a fuck about the USA anymore and he will be constructing a new kingdom with some random cat kid because he sees potential in him.

I didn't play NNK2 but I remember watching the Zero punctuation episode for the game and I thought Yahtzee was just joking when he discussed that. I was shocked it was real.

Saint-14 · Jul 6, 2018

Tibarn said:
Ok! If you weren't at the NNK2 OT, I can understand that you don't know my opinion.
There's lot of talk about how some character introductions are generic in Octopath, but at least they make sense.
You know what doesn't make sense? The president of the USA deciding in less than 20 minutes that he doesn't give a fuck about the USA anymore and he will be constructing a new kingdom with some random cat kid because he sees potential in him.
In general, the characters in NNK2 are flat, uninteresting and underveloped, an the same for the story arcs. You go to the next city, the ruler is corrupted as well as the guardian god, you fight them, everybody is happy.
Lack of interesting villains, and the only good revelation in the game is in the last 15 minutes, so the impact is almost null.
The combat system is bad: unresponsive attempt of making some real action game, without real depth and the enemy repetition makes BotW a varied game.
The music is really disappointing coming from Joe Hisaishi, I only remember the towns having some decent songs and the abuse of the first game main theme arranged for every situation.
And the extras: the top camera battle mode is simplistic, the city building mode takes a lot of time and it doesn't even offer interesting decisions, and the sidequests are... bad sidequests.
Edit: The world exploration offers NOTHING interesting, and there's two entire regions that are basically unfinished areas without anything but recycled monsters.

I haven't played the game so can't comment on this but it seems like you can't accept a differing opinion than yours regarding the game, most of the things you've mentioned are subjective.

Namyu · Jul 6, 2018

PlanetSmasher said:
Have you played the demos? Like, the SP system kind of feels a LITTLE bit like Press Turns, but I don't think it's that similar. And beyond the fact that it's turn-based it feels nothing like a Final Fantasy game.

No I haven't, though I'm quite tempted to. Hearing this is too bad though lol

Tibarn · Jul 6, 2018

Monster Zero said:
Octopath probably features more voice acting.

I'm sure of it, I was only listing my major complaints with the game.
The "nitpicks" like the lack of voice acting and lenghty cutscenes can make a list twice as long.

Ridley327 · Jul 6, 2018

Monster Zero said:
Octopath probably features more voice acting.

There are 3DS games with substantially more VO than Ni no Kuni 2 possesses.

Tibarn · Jul 6, 2018

Saint-14 said:
I haven't played the game so can't comment on this but it seems like you can't accept a differing opinion than yours regarding the game, most of the things you've mentioned are subjective.

Well if you play the game you will mostly understand my complaints, the game is bland and has nothing aside from the graphics and good animations.
I can accept any differing opinion that makes sense, so feel free to offer me your take once you play the game.

Holundrian · Jul 6, 2018

Tibarn said:
Ok! If you weren't at the NNK2 OT, I can understand that you don't know my opinion.
There's lot of talk about how some character introductions are generic in Octopath, but at least they make sense.
You know what doesn't make sense? The president of the USA deciding in less than 20 minutes that he doesn't give a fuck about the USA anymore and he will be constructing a new kingdom with some random cat kid because he sees potential in him.

I don't know man looking at reality this doesn't seem too far fetched :thinking;

Unknownlight · Jul 6, 2018

WestEgg said:
Based on the beginning of this thread, I'd call it:

Octopath Traveler |OT| But here's the thing about Xenoblade Chronicles 2...

Can we do this? I'm not even joking. This sounds hilarious.

Deleted member 4090 · Jul 6, 2018

jschreier said:
Random fights don't take too long once you've got a full party, and in fact, they feel more meaningful than your average JRPG random encounter because you have to be thinking and paying attention the whole time. Can't just mash the A button.

I really, really like the combat system. Lol @ people in this thread acting like I hate this game because I said lines like "could be an instant classic" and "the official Final Fantasy XVI may still be quite a few years off, we firmly believe that it's already arrived under a different name" were hyperbole.

Did you feel like any of the gear etc. that you have grabbed with path skills or found early due to the non--linearity have been partially game breaking, or does the game seem balanced around leveraging your path skills for early gain?

Tibarn · Jul 6, 2018

Holundrian said:
I don't know man looking at reality this doesn't seem too far fetched :thinking;

Reality surpasses fiction!
But it's not only that, the scene where the "fearful pirates" become your best allies after talking to them during a few minutes is bad as well, as most plotlines in the game.

Deleted member 4090 · Jul 6, 2018

Octopath Traveler |OT| The spiritual successor to (INSERT RANDOM JRPG HERE)

Deleted member 2102 · Jul 6, 2018

Octopath Traveler |OT| The Final Fantasy VI of Xenoblade Chronicles 2

AtmaPhoenix · Jul 6, 2018

Good lord this thread is embarrassing.

I really like the class and battle systems and honestly couldn't give two shits if all the stories come together or whether it makes sense for the whole party to come together. In fact, since it seems like you're given the option to not follow character arcs you don't want to, I feel like I'll be able to streamline the experience to keep my attention. Sounds like a win-win to me.

I can't decide if I want to continue with Therion as my main character (I like him, but not sure I want his story as my "main" one) or roll up a complete new game.

mjc · Jul 6, 2018

WestEgg said:
Based on the beginning of this thread, I'd call it:

Octopath Traveler |OT| But here's the thing about Xenoblade Chronicles 2...

Geg · Jul 6, 2018

We really are the Octopath Traveler

Spooky_Lantern · Jul 6, 2018

Can someone clarify if second chapters are locked behind a level gate or until you get all eight characters or if they are locked at all? I keep hearing conflicting things things.

I think the game would be more enjoyable if I didn't have to do everyone's introductory chapter right from the start.

Noppie · Jul 6, 2018

Tibarn said:
Well if you play the game you will mostly understand my complaints, the game is bland and has nothing aside from the graphics and good animations.
I can accept any differing opinion that makes sense, so feel free to offer me your take once you play the game.

You don't like the combat, the path actions and the side missions? Especially the latter is one of my favorite parts so far.

Octopath Traveler: Preview Thread

What rating do you think this game will get?

90+

80+

70+

60+

"Garbage like Xenoblade 2"

The Abominable Showman

One Winged Slayer

One Winged Slayer

One Winged Slayer

The Abominable Showman

One Winged Slayer

Press Sneak Fuck

Attempted to circumvent ban with alt account

One Winged Slayer

One Winged Slayer

User requested account closure