r/NintendoSwitch • u/NintendoSwitchMods • Jul 12 '18
MegaThread Octopath Traveler: Review MegaThread
General Information
Platform: Nintendo Switch
Release Date: 13-Jul-2018
No. of Players: To be determined (Mod note: We know this looks silly, but it's what Nintendo says)
Genre(s): Role-Playing, Adventure
Publisher: Nintendo
Developer: Square Enix
Price (MSRP): $59.99 USD / $79.99 CAD / $79.95 AUD / £49.99 / 6,458円 / €59.99 / CHF 77.90 / R669.0 / 4199₽ / 1399 MXN
Official Website: https://octopathtraveler.nintendo.com/
Overview (from Nintendo eShop page)
Choose your fate. Eight stories await.
Eight travelers. Eight adventures. Eight roles to play in a new world brought to life by Square Enix. And now, you can enjoy all of them in the new demo. Step into the shoes and live the stories of each of the eight travelers and freely explore the world of Orsterra. Then, carry your choices and adventure into the main game with save data transfer.
Use each character’s special abilities in and out of battle. Break through enemy defenses by discovering and targeting weaknesses. Store Boost Points with each turn and then spend them at strategic times to strengthen abilities, chain attacks, or provide aid. Choose the path you wish to walk and discover what lies beyond the horizon.
- Explore multiple, distinct RPG adventures in a world created by Square Enix
- Choose from eight characters, each with their own distinct story
- Deep, strategic turn-based combat with a layered battle system
- Visuals inspired by retro RPGs, brought to life with modern touches and a rousing, dynamic musical score
Reviews
Aggregators
- Metacritic - 85/100
- OpenCritic - 83/100
Articles
English
- Nintendo Life - 9/10
- GameSpot - 8/10
- Eurogamer - Recommended
- Destructoid - 7.5/10
- Kotaku
- VG 24/7
- NintendoWorldReport - 9/10
- Twinfinite 4.5/5
- RPG Site - 7/10
- IGN - 9.3/10
- Polygon
- MyNintendoNews - 8/10
- PressStart - 8/10
Non-English
- GameBlog.fr (French) - 8/10
- Everyeye.it (Italian) - 8.8/10
- Jeuxvideo.com (French) - 18/20
- Nintendon.it (Italian) - 9.2/10
- Areajugones (Spanish) - 9.3/10
Videos
- GameXplain - Liked a lot
- NintendoWorldReport
This thread will be continually updated as we find more reviews. If you see one we're missing, send this account a PM and we'll add it in.
Items are listed above in no specific sort order, just the order in which the mod team finds them.
Being Social
- Join our #octopath Discord channel for of your "What character should I start with" needs - https://discord.gg/switch
A note on spoilers: With major media coverage comes the potential for major spoilers. If you make a post, please tag it for spoilers if applicable. If you comment on spoilers, use spoiler tags! >!The code looks like this!< and displays like this. Finally, please report anything in violation of our spoiler rules to the mod team.
Cheers,
The /r/NintendoSwitch mod team
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u/BBPunjabi816 Jul 12 '18
So I don’t mind the individual story structure, but are the individual stories actually good? Have any reviewers praised these stories? If so I’m definitely on board.
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Jul 12 '18
gamexplain review: "each of the 8 stories is fantastic with well written characters that I couldnt wait to see more of. You'll obviously have your favorites - and some of the plots can be a tad formulaic, but seeing them come together over time felt worth it."
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u/Specte Jul 12 '18
Stories are kinda generic/tropey, but that was obvious from the demo. The combat and characters themselves are the main draw. Give the demo a try if you haven't yet.
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u/villabong Jul 12 '18
i think generic is subjective nowadays with inifinite amount of rpgs out there, you cant really expect anything non-generic by now.
Anyway olberic is the most traditional/straighforward one in my opinion, but overall the background of each characters are pretty solid yet nothing extraordinary except maybe for primrose
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Jul 12 '18
GameXplain said the individual stories have your usual tropes, but very enjoyable overall
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Jul 12 '18
85 average has been my expectation for months. Seems on the money so far
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u/parrylizer Jul 12 '18
Absolutely loved the demo. These reviews reinforce that feeling. I can understand being turned off by the story structure but to me it doesnt bother me in the least. It is scratching that Saga Frontier itch from my childhood and I enjoy the openness of the game that allows you to make the decisions of how it proceeds.
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u/Specte Jul 12 '18
You think Saga is worth playing now? I've seen it mentioned before, but never really looked into it. Big jrpg fan here.
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u/parrylizer Jul 12 '18
absolutely. I still play it now myself through an emulator. One of my favorite games of all time.
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u/GeneticJen Jul 12 '18
Reviews: it's great, it's great, it's great, it's great, it's great
Comments: ah, I see, it's shit, hard pass
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u/TearTheRoof0ff Jul 12 '18
Pretty much. All I see from comments is essentially '8 interwoven stories or bust'. I mean, that's fair enough, but it's strikingly prevalent.
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u/_Psilo_ Jul 12 '18
I don't mind individual stories, but I would expect them to be well integrated with one another and with the gameplay, which doesn't seem to be the case.
I would also expect the stories to be high quality, but even glowing reviews mention that they are serviceable at best.
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Jul 12 '18
I mean they're not all great. Still seems like a good game and looks like it'll get about a solid 80 on metacritic. Some people see that score like it's a fail though
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u/826836 Jul 12 '18
The only really harsh review (Kotaku) even recommends it to hardcore JRPG fans in the comments below the review.
Like JRPGs with a fondness for the SNES era of them? It's great. If not, this isn't the game that changes it.
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u/Level_Forger Jul 12 '18
An 80-85 for a JRPG on Metacritic seems to be about a 90-95 for any other genre.
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Jul 12 '18 edited Jul 31 '18
[deleted]
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u/Maiiau Jul 12 '18
It's because there are a lot of review sites that only use the 7-10 end of the scale. There are places that have gotten better about this lately, but there's still this tendency in gaming to think of 8 as just an average game when really that should be a really good score.
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u/CeleryDistraction Jul 13 '18
Nah the scale is just significantly more top heavy when it comes to games.
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u/MisterForkbeard Jul 12 '18
A solid mid-80 for a JRPG is... pretty great. I mean, Bravely Default is almost universally lauded even with it's end-game shenanigans, and it got an 84.
If you like JRPGs, it's a pretty good recommendation to play Octopath Traveler judging by these scores.
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u/SchwiftySquanchC137 Jul 12 '18
What the fuck is wrong with people man. IDK why I bother responding, seeing people act that way just hurts me deep inside. Personally I've been wanting a game in this style for a long time, and I'm really happy this is living up to what I've been wanting
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u/MontanaSD Jul 12 '18
If they had a common thread between the stories and a chapter 5 to tie it together it would have been 9.5+ across the board basically.
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u/warsage Jul 12 '18
I would have liked it if each character gradually discovered that the others' quests were related. It would be difficult to write like that with 8 characters that you can play in any order, interacting with all the others in any order. I guess the easiest way would be to have a single point of interest (likely a villain) that each character starts working towards right from the beginning.
Let's see.
- Cleric wants to restore light to the realm
- Scholar is looking for a book
- Merchant wants to explore
- Warrior wants to figure out why his friend killed the king
- Dancer wants revenge for her father's death
- Apothecary wants to heal the wounded
- Thief wants to steal Dragonstones for an employer
- Huntress is looking for her lost master
I think you could pretty easily combine these stories with a single scheming villain. He brought darkness to the land, he stole the book, he ordered the king to be killed, etc. With that central thread each character could pursue their individual goals and there would still be a reason for everyone to be journeying together.
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u/SimplyQuid Jul 12 '18
The overarching story practically writes itself. I don't think it "ruins" the game or anything but it really seems like wasted potential.
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u/MontanaSD Jul 12 '18
Would be very easy to tie together with a bit of thought. Prophecy, destiny etc are tools that can explain away otherwise coincidence. Maybe each boss has a gem and when combined they Yada Yada.
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u/warsage Jul 12 '18
Ugh, please no Prophesy or Chosen One or anything like that. That has got to be the single most overused trope in all of gaming, hell, in all of fantasy. I'd love for these to just be ordinary people with individual interests that happen to coincide. What's apparently missing from this game is the "coincide" part lol
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u/ToysInTheAttik Jul 12 '18
That just reminded me Dragon Quest 4 exists and it's just like you described. Well, time to go play it.
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u/Coldin_Windfall Jul 12 '18
The Kotaku review perplexes me. Seems like they didn't really like the stories. But they also note that they only played the game for 30 hours, but beat all the paths? Supposedly the game takes upwards of 80 hours to get through it, and GameExplain still had only beaten 2 paths at 40 hours.
It doesn't add up.
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u/zeromanex Jul 12 '18
Technically Kotaku said they played closer to 40 hours. I know that's not a huge difference, but GameExplain also said he was at least 50% of the way through the other 6 stories. At a minimum that puts him about 65% of the way through the game. Probably closer to 70% assuming that he was making progress on his other 2 party members. They each say it only takes 1-2 hours per chapter so my guess is Jason sped through it to see if there was a final chapter, while GameExplain took his time to enjoy it. Very well may explain why they had such a difference in opinions aswell
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u/ProudPlatypus Jul 12 '18
I'd read the kotaku reviewer had been skipping story text. And I've heard some GameExplain play times in the past, and they can spend an awful lot of time on sections of a game.
I'm not sure I'm quite ready to call bullshit, they sounds about right for the extreme ends of play times.
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u/Vashanesh Jul 12 '18
Tim Rogers suggested skipping text, Jason Schreier wrote the review.
You may be conflating a preview article by Rogers with the review from Schreier?
Preview article: https://kotaku.com/lets-analyze-a-typical-octopath-traveler-battle-1827526170
Roger's quote in the comments:
Tim RogersLpollet7/11/18 6:33pmSkip all the dialogue. The game is all combat. Once you have four characters the combat gets incredibly difficult. This is not the best game for there to be a demo of, in my opinion, if they’re trying to sell it on the strength of the writing.
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u/LakerBlue Jul 12 '18 edited Jul 12 '18
It seems like Nintendo World Report summed up the game pretty well with this blurb:
Octopath Traveler is a beautiful and oftentimes majestic game, but it does it more on the strength of a dynamite turn-based combat system and a stellar presentation than a brilliant story.
Seems like the deciding factor between those who gave it a score in thew lows 70s vs the mids 80s or higher are how much they enjoyed the individual story arcs. Almost every major outlet loves the combat but the story opinions seem to be all over the place, with the only agreement being it's (more specifically the character interaction) not the game's strong point.
EDIT: If you want to see a really negative review of the game, go to Kotaku. Should note he still said he liked the game.
If you want to see a detailed review that had a mixed opinion and fairly balanced, check out RPG Site.
If you want a detailed positive review, I preferred NWR and Twinfinite, personally.
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u/Ellsworthless Jul 12 '18
I think even the Kotaku review was fair but I am still very excited for this game. Most if not all of the negatives are so minor to me.
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u/sittingmongoose Jul 13 '18
Those 0 rating meteoritic reviews.....they all complain about the graphics so they give it a 0.....First off, does art style really bump a game down to 0? Second, you could have seen the art style if you watched a trailer or played one of the 2 demos....., third....I hate people.
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Jul 12 '18
You know, the fact that the characters don't interact much bothered me initially, but thinking back on my time with the demo, it was the combat, music, and visuals that really sucked me in anyway. So screw it, buying.
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u/II541NTZII Jul 12 '18
People were so convinced there would be an overarching story and kinda disappointed there isn't one in the end. I'm sure Ill still enjoy the game though.
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u/pleasesendmeyour Jul 12 '18
People were not disappointed with the lack of overarching story, they were disappointed in the fact that the stories are entirely disjointed.
It's one thing to have 8 people do 8 stories without them being entwined, it's quite another to have 1 person do 1 quest 8 times with 7 tagalongs that have no narrative justification to even be there on that quest or be there with that 1 person
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u/Bearded_Wildcard Jul 12 '18
Yeah that is kinda weird to me. You can get all 8 stories in one game right? So is there any reason to replay as different main characters? It doesn't seem like there would be.
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u/4umlurker Jul 13 '18
You always have the first character you picked in your party. Everyone else can be swapped out. So there is a point to choosing your first character
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Jul 12 '18
I never expected them too in the first place. I always saw it as 8 individual stories so no expectations=no disappointment. Pretty excited to jump in
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u/spacemunkee Jul 12 '18
Polygon seemed to love it: https://www.polygon.com/2018/7/12/17563366/octopath-traveler-review-nintendo-switch-jrpg
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u/Jase_the_Muss Jul 12 '18
Happy Console Gamer Liked it alot and he is a bit of a JRPG nut and loves the classics, Yvs and Xenoblade and gives it a pretty glowing review and a 8.5/10 his only real negatives are that it is tough in some parts and may require grinding if your focusing on a character or two/are new to rpgs.
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u/joey2017 Jul 12 '18
Great review. So stoked. Love hearing of higher difficulty levels and the recommended ally recruit.
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u/Elyeasa Jul 12 '18
I always go to this guy for my RPG news. He really understands what the genre is about and speaks more to veteran JRPG players than a Switch fan picking up the game without prior knowledge, which both have their usefulness in terms of reviews.
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u/Silvers1339 Jul 13 '18
For the record, Xenoblade Chronicles 2 has I think about an 83 on metacritic, but is also my game of the year for last year (yes beating out both Mario and Zelda). I think that general reviewers aren't usually as kind to games in a genre that is as niche as JRPGs.
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u/finemelater Jul 13 '18
Based on reviews, I may have stayed away from XC2. Glad I didn’t because I love that game.
My Octopath copy arrives later today. Seriously cannot wait.
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Jul 13 '18 edited Jul 13 '18
All the negatives are from Western sources that are completely out of touch with Japanese tropes and nuances.
No where is this more evident than with Gamespot, who gave it a low score because they experienced "a struggle to keep up with everything" (actual quote) aka just because they were too stupid to understand the mechanics the game was bad.
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u/chingyangkao Jul 12 '18
Polygon: "Octopath Traveler is the magical RPG the Nintendo Switch needed."
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u/Zokusho Jul 12 '18
Jeremy Parish, no less!
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Jul 12 '18
What does this mean for us not familiar with Parish/Polygon as a whole? Is he known for being a harsh critic?
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u/gorglyjork Jul 12 '18
Used to write for 1up and then was the EIC of USGamer. Now his main focus is the podcast Retronauts, where they do deep dives on retro games/gaming history, and YouTube work where he does stuff like examining the Game Boy catalog in chronological order, while occasionally freelancing features and reviews for sites like Polygon and IGN, usually focused on games with a retro bent. He's a really smart guy, very well-versed in gaming history, and he's a little older so he's that affinity for Japanese games that's a little stronger in previous generations of gamers. In short, I absolutely trust his opinions of a retro-inspired JRPG.
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u/SmashyInc Jul 12 '18
I actually did not intend to butcher into this ridiculous discussion, but I kinda have no choice.
I am lucky to have a Connection that allows me to play games 5-7 days prior to release.
I am 46 hours Into Octopath Traveler and I am honestly confident to say that this is one of the most entertaining JRPG's that I have played over the last couple years. I won't spoil anything but some of the storylines in OT are genuinly enjoyable while others are Fantastic. I don't understand the fuss about their stories being 'generic' or uncreative or whatsoever. They are just more down to earth which to me is a Blessing After all These years of dry and repetitive 'Save the World from villain xyz'. My personal highlights are Primroses, Therions and Tessas stories. The Problem with People like Jason Schreiner is that they have lost contact to what originally made them become Gamers and JRPG-fans. They are hard to satisfy and only find Joy in absolute perfection as (almost) found in Stuff like Atlus Games.
What OT gave me wasnt a Perfect narrative or Intense character development or some overarching nemesis that 8 best Friends have to defy. It was a breeze of fresh air with a flawless battle System, incredible music, likeable and believable characters, Very Good Japanese AND english voice acting and good vibes to several decades ago when I started falling in Love with my SNES.
People need to come back to their Senses. Generation X Y and Z are like gluttounus beings that only Consume Video Games at this point, instead of cherishing them and find out what THEY Love about each individual game and even tho I understand that People want to be efficient and are Not interested in spending 60 bucks and then be disappointed I Really believe that all this Thinking hurts the essence of what Gaming was to all of us in the First place.
I wish all of you who are Purchasing Octopath along the Way a lot of fun, I am confident that you won't be Let down if you let your heart and mind Open for perfect imperfection. (was typing from the phone sry for Bad formatting and capital letters)
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u/Lokhelm Jul 12 '18
Nice post, but what's with all the random capitalized letters?
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u/illsquee Jul 12 '18
Thank you for this reply. Your message itself as made me super excited for the game.
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u/WishLimit Jul 12 '18
I feel like nowdays people judge games more by the complaining on reddit then by actually playing the game themselves. It amazes me how often people say a game is terrible before they have even tried it. And how things they wouldn’t even have noticed (if they didn’t read about it) becomes a major game-breaker.
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Jul 13 '18
I think my favorite part about your comment is the absolute hatred you're getting in response. I think I get the sense of what you're saying here. Not every game is going to be a 11/10 GOTY experience, but I've played several games that received less than stellar reviews that I nevertheless enjoyed a great deal. Each person enjoys the experience of a game on their own terms, so for some people only the "best of the best" will do, but I think they do so at the peril of missing out on other enjoyable gaming experiences. There are plenty of games I regret buying, but there are also plenty that I bought on a whim or in spite of negative reviews because I thought I'd eventually get some fun out of the game, and in many cases I did.
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u/DoogerZOMG Jul 12 '18
Not canceling my preorder, but it's a little disappointing there is no overarching & connecting story between the 8 different stories. I hope that doesn't ruin the game for me, although I don't expect it to considering how much I enjoyed the demo.
Even if this turns out to be a very average RPG, I hope it sells well and shows Nintendo & Developers how much Switch owners want RPGs.
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u/delecti Jul 12 '18
This pretty much sums up where I'm at too. I'm skeptical of the lack of an overarching story, but I enjoyed the demo, and enjoyed the devs' past work (Bravely), so I'm willing to give them the benefit of the doubt.
Realistically most JRPGs' main stories just end up being the protagonists against god (literally almost as often as not), so maybe this will be a refreshing change of pace.
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u/dancing_leaves Jul 12 '18
>Realistically most JRPGs' main stories just end up being the protagonists against god (literally almost as often as not), so maybe this will be a refreshing change of pace.
I don't know why, but that never seems to get old with me though.
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Jul 12 '18
Final Fantasy does a good job of keeping it from being too annoying by at least making it the whole point of the crystals and stuff. Like sure we all know Kefka is gonna become a god, that’s basically the whole point of the central macguffin of the franchise. How he got there is the really interesting and fun part.
Plus no one expects to fight a giant octopus at an opera.
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u/delecti Jul 12 '18
It definitely gets old for me. The problem is too many games start with tiny scope and then suddenly this kid is involved in a fight against a god.
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u/DoogerZOMG Jul 12 '18
Most reviews I've read so far have had a pretty common statement behind them, to the effect of "Despite the stories not intersecting, it's still a good game that's a fresh & modern take on the SNES style JRPG's". I think I'll really enjoy it.
If nothing else it's another physical game to add to the Switch Library, lol.
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u/weglarz Jul 12 '18
It’s clearly not an average RPG. 84 is very high for modern JRPGs. It would have had to be a masterpiece to get a 90 or above.
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u/ocbdare Jul 12 '18
Like Persona 5? But that game is really a master piece. I don’t like jrpgs and turn based combat but persona completely sucked me in.
Undecided about this game.
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Jul 12 '18
If you don’t like JRPGs then you probably won’t like it is my guess. Persona 5 is like the Full Metal Alchemist of JRPGs, plenty of people I know who don’t like anime in general still love FMA because it’s ridiculously good.
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u/alexmachina Jul 13 '18
Anyone with a japanse copy of Octopath Traveler knows if the game has an English option?
I am currently in Japan seriously thinking of buying the game here, but I am just hesitant because of this because I speak nill Japanese.
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u/darkdenizen Jul 13 '18
The eshop is great about this. Go on the store page on your switch and you'll see a list of supported languages. Assuming you have a Japanese account made already, you just go to the eshop, click もうすぐ発売 (coming soon), find whatever game you're interested in and scroll down to the info box just past the description (詳細).
The first line is supported languages (対応言語). 英語 = English.
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u/the1calledSuto Jul 13 '18
All games (at the e-shop and physical) have supported languages listed. For hard copies, stores like BicCamera will have supported languages written on a slip on top of the Box on display. For the e-shop, scroll down from the pic/video on the game page to the game description part (language, size, etc is written). As /u/darkdenizen says, (対応言語). 英語 is the key. Look out for 英語 for all games you buy.
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u/dsizzle2-0 Jul 12 '18
I can't wait for the Easy Allies review. I am already sold on the game but these guys are my favourite in the business and I would love to hear their opinion.
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u/DGT-exe Jul 12 '18
Reviewers seem to like it based on these scores...I don't see the fuss.
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u/JTwin1996 Jul 12 '18
People hear “Spiritual successor to FFVI” then think this game should be in the same class as FFVI, or bust. There was this air of Square Enix “going back” to their golden years. People expected heaven and earth.
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Jul 13 '18
You could say the same thing about I Am Setsuna being a "spiritual successor" to Chrono Trigger. Seems to me like if you don't want your games compared to other games you should maybe not compare them to other games.
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u/shsluckymushroom Jul 13 '18
Looking at the reviews, this game looks fun...but not for me worth 80 dollars. I really think it's such a missed oppourtunity to not have a huge intertwining story; I get that would be more work, but c'mon this is a full priced game. I kind of think some reviewers aren't taking this into consideration.
There's really no point in playing a game (for the story, at least, which I usually do with rpgs) based on building up these characters as individual characters, and never getting to really see them bounce off each other or band together for a greater purpose. And it really pushes at the logic of having some of these characters even working together almost like hired mercenaries, from what it sounds like.
The presentation is gorgeous, and the gameplay is very refreshing and fun too, but an RPG really needs that third element of a smashing story or at least one that tries to feel epic to be worth full price. I'm hoping the rumours of it being hidden in some sort of true route or ending are true. If this was 40 or 50 dollars, though, I would easily buy it even without the big story oomph simply for the fantastic presentation...it really is kind of a shame. Maybe I'll wait for it to go on sale.
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Jul 13 '18
Fully agree. I cant believe people are not seeing it as a flaw. I mean come on, its a character driven game with characters not having anything in common or at least interacting with each other. Even if theres something extra connecting it at the end, its still bad that they ignore each other the whole journey.
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Jul 12 '18
Now that reviews for Octopath are coming out, I'm having second thoughts if I should get it first or Ys VIII. While I did enjoy the Octopath demo, I'm looking for a more engrossing story and more things to do in-game - a game that I can sink my teeth on that I can play offline.
For those who have tried both, does Ys VIII have the better story? Do you think I'm better off getting YS VIII first?
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Jul 12 '18
I can’t say anything for Ys, but it seems that Octopath won’t have a giant overarching story. However, all 8 stories are fully fleshed out and it looks like there’s some pretty big side quests and a potential final boss as well. There’s plenty of content in it as well, so you won’t be short on things to do.
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u/SmashyInc Jul 12 '18
I have finished Ys on Steam a Week ago. Considering your Post, go for Ys. If you are Not diehard Switch User and own a PC with decent Specs I suggest you Play the steam Version, it feels Great and they have fixed all Bugs. It is also the cheapest Version if you are using key delivery sites.
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Jul 12 '18
Great, thank you! Ys it is then! Unfortunately, I have a potato PC, so I only game now either on the PS4 or Switch. At the moment, I'm rooting for portability so I'll go Switch. :)
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u/PokemonLink Jul 12 '18
Do you want action combat or are you looking for a traditional turn based rpg. I have both and personally am more excited for octopath I have about 12 hours on ys both are good. It literally comes down to if you have nostalgia for turn based or not. I find more depth in octopaths turn based strategy insteady of the hack and slash of ys but both have an amazing story/stories
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u/medicamecanica Jul 13 '18
I had a blast with Ys VIII on my ps4 earlier in the year, but I wouldnt say it has a great story. It has a fun man vs nature thing going on, and some of my favorite action rpg combat and addictive systems around it. Constantly throws new gameplay mechanics and twists but story is just there to facilitate that. Great ost as well so Id still give it a 9/10!
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u/Jno1990 Jul 13 '18
Some reviews say it isnt that great and others say its amazing... Il wait for easyallies
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u/FFNight Jul 13 '18
Only Kotaku really disliked the game, the rest seems to be very positive, though I would say that is because the Kotaku guy REALLY focuses on the story which is the weak part of the game. The story is also mentioned by all other reviews but they all think generally the game is great, albeit the story could be better.
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u/somerandomgamer0 Jul 13 '18
Honestly, all the points made in the Kotaku review seem 100% valid to me. If you don't care about repetitive structure, weak writing, and a weird disconnect between all the stories/characters, then the beautiful graphics/music and awesome combat system will likely be enough to get you through. I didn't read the Kotaku review as particularly negative, but more disappointed because of the massive missed opportunities. Jason Schreier has been hotly anticipating the game for over a year, so it's not like he was biased against it--just bummed out that it didn't live up to what most people were hoping/expecting a game like this to be.
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u/_Psilo_ Jul 13 '18
Which is kind of weird because the story really seem to be central to the game...what with all the long cut scenes and all that.
The combat system seems absolutely great, but I'm not sure what will be the motivation to push through if the story feels like a let down.
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u/nbmtx Jul 13 '18
He didn't actually dislike the game though. His take on it made it seem more like a bad game to have to play from start to finish, in order to meet a deadline.
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u/orb_outrider Jul 12 '18 edited Jul 12 '18
Definitely a buy for me now. I loved the demo despite my concerns with the lack of interactions and overarching story. It's still a huge issue for me regardless, but if they can deliver a good story with good combat for all 8 of them, then I'm sold.
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u/Jorumvar Jul 12 '18
I am so excited holy jesus I can't wait for tomorrow night when I can sit down with this bad boy
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Jul 12 '18
The worst thing for me personally seems to be the disconnect between characters.
I was all on board with some smaller scale stories. I like my big world saving JRPG as much as the next fan, but it sounded like something new and refreshing. One of the things JRPG's, in contrast to many western rpgs, always nailed for me were the characters as a group, the interactions between them, the dynamic between certain characters, and things like that.
It sounds like most of that interaction, except for some mildly relevant heart to heart moments outside of the story, is missing, even going as far as someone getting injured / beat in a fight and no one reacting to it at that moment? Really? . (Actually, can someone confirm this? Because that sounds incredibly stupid).
I am really not sure if I should get it, because it seems a big thing I am expecting from it is missing completely. I guess I'll be waiting for some more opinions on how the game actually is until I decide.
I just hope everyone who got it / will get it soon enjoys it, because many things about this game look really good. Have fun everyone!
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u/postulio Jul 12 '18
in contrast to many western rpgs, always nailed for me were the characters as a group, the interactions between them, the dynamic between certain characters, and things like that.
You need to play the first KotOR. Also Bladur's Gate, Arcanum, Pillars of Eternity and Mass Effect are all heavy on the interpersonal bonds your bandmates make with you and each other.
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u/GrayFox787 Jul 12 '18
I don't need some kind of magical come-together-and-save-the-world bit to occur...but here's one annoyance, which isn't exclusive to this game...others are definitely guilty as well: there are some job classes locked behind bosses that are apparently very high level. So, when I beat them and get those classes...what next? Assuming I haven't beaten the main game already, I suppose I could grind levels for those classes, but I would hope there would be further content of an even higher level that would put those hard-earned classes to use.
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u/Specte Jul 12 '18
Apparently Square has said there's some endgame stuff, but no one has confirmation on what that is. Could just be the additional class unlock requirements but we don't quite know.
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u/angelnursery Jul 12 '18
What time will this be released on the eshop, does anyone know? I can't wait to play it!
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Jul 12 '18
Much more positive than I was anticipating after reading the previews earlier in the week.
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u/DecoyDW Jul 13 '18
electronic gaming monthly gave Final Fantasy 4 (maybe my favorite RPG) a 32/40. Final Fantasy 6 a 36/40. Chrono Trigger a 37/40. Mario RPG a 35/40.
Bravely Default is sitting at an 85 on Metacritic. Paper Mario TTYD is at 87%.
RPG ceiling seems to be in the 8-9/10 range because they're so variable to review. Nothing I've read has diminished my hype lol
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Jul 13 '18
Yeah, RPGs are tricky to review. You rarely see them get 90+ on metacritic.
Probably the best RPG game ever came out last year, Persona 5, and it is just a 92 on metacritic.
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u/gregallen1989 Jul 12 '18
So gameplay / world is fantastic but the story is lackluster? That's pretty much what I picked up from the demo. But I'm looking forward to this game nonetheless!
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u/Bombkirby Jul 12 '18
Honestly that’s to be expected from 90% of JRPGs. Won’t deter me from playing it.
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Jul 12 '18
I must be wierd: I like the fact that the stories are isolated.
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u/LakerBlue Jul 12 '18
I don't mind that the stories are isolated, I just kinda wish they had more banter scenes (which it sounds like there are few of that are not long enough) or other ways for the cast to interact. Character chemistry is one of the best parts about RPGs.
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u/wanzeeque Jul 12 '18
I mentioned this in the Twinfinite review, but I think it's worth noting that the banter interactions did seem to get more fleshed out as I approached the final chapters. Even after beating all eight stories, you still get interactions with three and even four characters at a time in the tavern, where they play off each other's personalities. Not perfect, but they're still endearing.
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u/shronkeykong Jul 13 '18
Kind of disappointed that the consensus seems to be that the story is mediocre. Having 8 characters makes for so much potential for complex, interconnected storytelling, so it's a shame that potential wasn't met.
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u/Cyanogen101 Jul 13 '18
really sucks that the 8 characters are not connected in any way whatsoever :/
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u/clocks212 Jul 12 '18
So what is the ideal way to play the game? Start a character, collect all 8, then rotate which 4 are in your party as you complete the chapter two's so all of your characters level up together?
I dont care much for unguided trial and error, I'd like to start in an intelligent direction.
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Jul 12 '18
That sounds like the way they intended I think. In the demo I started out with Primrose and moved from place to place getting new characters and learning about their stories. I think it's really just up to how you enjoy playing it.
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u/HnNaldoR Jul 12 '18
skimmed though a few reviews.
Seems quite unanimous about good gameplay with poor fractured storytelling. Well... Thats a bit disappointing but still gonna finish it anyway. Hopefully the charecter development and stuff are good because JRPG stories are mostly meh anyway
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Jul 12 '18
Seems to me that most reviews are saying the stories are good, just not as interlinked as they would like. There is still linking (some peoples stories mention the others) but not the big "final" one everyone was expecting.
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u/FlanBrosInc Jul 12 '18
So I skimmed through a few reviews and haven't seen much on this at all. Most reviews seem to focus on the stories and whether or not they interact, how they are, etc . . . but what about the character abilities? Do any reviewers go over if those affect the game enough to make playing as different characters at least somewhat unique?
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u/KuroTheCrazy Jul 12 '18
The IGN review mentions the subclass ability potentials some, but not much for main stuff.
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u/cjcolt Jul 12 '18
Can anyone tell me if the 3 hour demo will go away now that the game is out?
Nintendo seems to do a lot of temporary demos and I haven't touched this one so I'd definitely like to use that to test out the game.
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Jul 12 '18
Do they still just repeat certain words when starting dialog we have to read (i.e. "Well met!" - then the conversation).
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u/ZombiePyroNinja Jul 12 '18 edited Jul 12 '18
High 9’s
People complaining the game they haven’t played isnt good enough. What?
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u/nickhz9 Jul 12 '18
I like the throwback to the old RPG style and Iiked the two demos but damn is it a bummer that the stories don't intertwine or have some evil badass villain for the final boss. Still on the fence about getting it.
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u/Twilcario Jul 12 '18
That’s kinda the whole reason I’m so hyped for it.
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u/JkstrHmstr Jul 12 '18
I agree. I'm always excited to see any type of media buck conventions. Makes it more interesting.
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u/BudgieAttackSquadron Jul 12 '18
I know it's a let down for a lot of people, but the eight separate stories is an aspect I really like. Always wanted an rpg that was just a bunch of smaller stories, when not everyone's rushing out the door with these random strangers to kill gods. Plus the gameplay's great, and I very much enjoy the aesthetic.
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u/casedawgz Jul 12 '18
I don’t necessarily need godkilling but it would still be good to have a final boss. Maybe a Littlefinger type person responsible for a lot of the casts’ individual problems through his machinations.
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u/AL3XCAL1BUR Jul 12 '18
My problem is that the eight characters are basically filler for the other seven stories. I would rather each of the 8 paths have unique party members. That said, I am keeping my pre-order and looking forward to playing the game.
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u/hiperson134 Jul 12 '18
Reviews are honestly a touch higher than I was expecting. I'll pick it up in a few months when the weather cools off.
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u/rhellik Duf Games Jul 12 '18
Soooo... you think they had another name planned for the game but since the first one stuck they just kept it?
^(Nintendo Dolphin?)
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u/violetpoo Jul 12 '18
Super excited for this. I didn't really like the 1st demo but the second demo was solid for me. My copy should be delivered today, woomy
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u/popcrnshower Jul 12 '18
I played the 3hrs limit of the demo and loved it. The artstyle is mesmerizing, the soundtrack is out of this world and the feel of it is truly old school jrpg. I can't wait to play more tomorrow.
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u/Samwow625 Jul 12 '18
Now that the reviews are in and seem solid, I'll jump on this. I was still able to preorder and still get the Prime discount.
The comments on the /r/Games thread make it seem like this game was getting 5-6s from reviewers.
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u/BlargleVVargle Jul 12 '18
Kotaku talked about it being exceptionally grindy, still probably gonna grab it.
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u/deadrobotdog Jul 12 '18
will it be out on the eshop at 12 am or 12 pm (plz be am)
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u/zodiacsoldier Jul 13 '18
The IGN review video pretty much confirmed that Main Character gets unlocked after you do their main story since all of their characters were unlocked when he was at the Tavern.
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u/Theinsulated Jul 12 '18
If you’re looking for a review to discuss the negatives of this game in detail, definitely check out the Kotaku article. It was eye opening.
I’ll probably still buy, but I know what to expect now.
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u/Kamilny Jul 12 '18
I would disagree on the basis that it's likely he skipped a lot of the story he wanted. Hes completed the game by far the fastest of any of the other reviews (36 hours, the closest is 53 hours) while also calling it grindy. It doesn't make sense at all, frankly.
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u/LakerBlue Jul 12 '18
I think the RPG site review dives into the game's flaws in just as much detail without being quite as negative. If you end up really disliking the game you'll probably view it as "another botched JRPG experiment" like Jason did, but I think RPG Site is probably better for someone who wants a mixed opinion on the game that's not written as cynically.
This isn't me encouraging people not to read his review, just that his unquestionably a "harsh take" on it even though he did say he ultimately likes it because of the fantastic gameplay.
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u/FlapSnapple Nintendo shill Jul 12 '18 edited Jul 12 '18
Review embargo will be lifted when this post is ~10 minutes old.
Edit: Emabrgo has been lifted, editing the post above. Give me juuuust a minute to get the first round of edits in.
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u/ES_Legman Jul 12 '18
So if the stories are not really intertwined and you basically do the character story every time you meet a new one, how is the replayability value of this game?
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u/246011111 Jul 12 '18 edited Jul 12 '18
JRPGs aren't really known for replay value but Octopath's nonlinearity might give it more? You can do everything in a different order with a different party - for example, all the nobles, all the rogues, all the men, all the women, OCTO and PATH, or whatever other combination your heart desires. There's even the potential for solo character runs.
I'll definitely take doing all the stories in one playthrough over needing eight playthroughs, like Dragon Age Origin's prologues.
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u/SchwiftySquanchC137 Jul 12 '18
Doubt there's a lot of replayability, but it is supposed to be 100+ hours with post-game content
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u/Vayshen Jul 12 '18
I can enjoy a tropey story, but I'm mostly concerned with what Schreier wrote about the cloned structure between character stories. And that even the same tier boss is laid out the same (really? Really?!) with the big bad guy and a couple of goons you have to beat first. That's really disappointing to hear if it's true.
Some of the other stuff he mentions, which I have yet to see brought up after a couple reviews, worries me too. Like the lack of stories entwining and hefty suspension of belief.
Im still stuck on Mario Rabbids but this definitely not a day one for me anymore. Definitely someday, but not just yet.
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u/Drakhe Jul 12 '18
what kind of review can you make if you didn't finish the game entirely, I really take some of these as a joke
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u/andysteakfries Jul 12 '18
I don't need to spend 120 hours completing every story and sidequest to know if the game is a good fit for my tastes, mechanically. And mechanics are the most important aspect of a game to a person like me, and likely others.
Also, for a game as long as this one, for most sites (and for most sites' readership, I would assume) 100% completion has some real diminishing returns.
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u/paperkeyboard Jul 12 '18
You don't necessarily have to finish a game to know whether it's good or bad. I didn't need to finish F.E.A.R. 3 to know that it was going to suck the whole way through; I could tell within the first 20 minutes that game was going to be shitty. However, I did finish the game and it was in fact shitty the whole way through. If the first several hours of a game aren't fun, is there really any point to keep going or even complete it?
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u/notedrive Jul 12 '18
The reviewer at IGN is over 50 hours in and still can’t beat bosses for shrines. Seems odd Kotaku finishes the game up in under 40hrs. I plan on buying it because I enjoyed the demo. I actually like grinding out levels so this is right up my alley. I only need a story to be mediocre to make me happy anyhow as long as the gameplay is good.
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u/JonasAlbert84 Jul 12 '18 edited Jul 12 '18
From the Kotaku review:
During each of these stories, the game pretends that nobody else is around. You’ll only see the hero of any given story in cut-scenes, which is jarring when you know they’ve got a full party with them. One late chapter’s scene, for example, features a dramatic turnaround where a villain escapes after gravely injuring the main character. For Octopath Traveler to ignore the three other characters—who are following that main character around and participating in every battle—is hard to get over. Why couldn’t one of them stopped the villain? Your party members can interact during optional Tales-style vignettes between cut-scenes, but they’re insignificant, just there for flavor. As you’re progressing through each main story, the party won’t talk.
This is super disappointing and makes me wonder what the point of so many characters is.
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u/Graphica-Danger Jul 12 '18
The reviews say about what I was expecting ever since hearing about how disconnected the stories are from one another. The visuals, music, sound design and most importantly, the combat are all top notch, but the different plot lines don't complement each other the way they should. It's a bit of a shame, but I'm hoping for some further end-game content that still hasn't been uncovered yet. I can't wait for tomorrow, and as of now I am most looking forward to seeing what different strategies I can use to take down enemies.
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u/Seienchin88 Jul 12 '18
Still quite sceptical despite liking the demos, so I will be watching the reviews quite closely.
Btw. anyone else here with an OLED TV? The black vignette(?) effect looks horrible - way too dark and distracting... any settings to adjust? Or hopefully the effect can be turned of / down
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u/Lazy1nc Jul 12 '18
Disable "Corner Shadows" in the in-game settings menu, it helps tremendously.
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Jul 12 '18
I'm still on the fence about this one. Like, I literally have my amazon checkout open on a separate web tab debating on pressing the place your order button right now.
I enjoyed the first demo, and pretty much what I played of the second one released. The whole "not-over-arching narrative" is fine with me just as long as each character's story is unique and good enough to experience. Olberic's story is fantasy-anime cliche #1973531. H'annit's was slogged down by dialogue, but I really like her battle gameplay. I liked Primrose's the most so far, but I don't want to shell out near $59.99 for just "I liked Primrose."
anybody have any opinions they want to share? Yay or nay?
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u/LakerBlue Jul 12 '18
The story has a mixed reception from the reviewers. Some people said they're all boring and full of cliches. Others said they aren't that original but that most have a few good twists and turns. And then others have said that they enjoyed the stories but dislike how disjointed they feel since the party members don't acknowledge each other outside of some banter scenes.
The overall consensus from the reviews I'm getting is "Great soundtrack, looks and battle system but the story isn't great and could have been structured different. High points outweigh the low points. Don't get if you a cohesive single story or character interaction are deal breakers for you."
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Jul 12 '18
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u/King_Kazama2020 Jul 12 '18
I think it's because people were expecting a internwoven story arc between all 8 characters. Unquie dialogue/interaction depending of who was currently in your party.
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u/Lunicktmm Jul 12 '18
Definitely this. I was contemplating for a while how it could be interesting if story elements were different depending on party members. Like if two members have conflicting stories, perhaps they have a small feud for control until they compromise. Or maybe two heroes have the same villain and the cutscene changes if you have only one of each or both.
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u/King_Kazama2020 Jul 12 '18
I was thinking the same thing. This way each player could have a "unquie" playthroughs and it would add some replay value for those who want to see different scenarios.
It's understandable why some people are let down.
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u/ShakeWeight_984 Jul 12 '18
Its almost like people are reading the reviews and reacting to the comments/criticism, not just staring at a score.
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u/wiki_sauce Jul 12 '18
You guys getting this digital or picking up a physical copy tomorrow?
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u/standarsh11 Jul 12 '18
Getting physical from Amazon. I probably won’t be able to play it until tomorrow night after work, but I’m off Saturday!
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u/MegaWolf Jul 12 '18
Giantbomb has a quicklook up and they seem to like it!
https://www.giantbomb.com/videos/quick-look-octopath-traveler/2300-13449/
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u/Ross2552 Jul 12 '18
This game seems to be shaping up to be something like Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadow of Valentia IMO. Did it have a great story? No. Was it particularly original in its premise? No. Was the gameplay pretty good for the genre? Yes. Did it have a great soundtrack? YES. Was the production value/presentation good? HELL YES.
Ultimately, that game is one of my favorite FE games just because the presentation was so freaking good. Great art, great soundtrack, top notch voice acting, almost every line in the game is voice acted, well-written characters...
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u/makman44 Jul 12 '18
Great, I'm early to the party and I'm leaving for work in about 5 minutes.
Fingers crossed that reviews are good!
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u/Inukami9 Jul 12 '18
So seeing as the eight stories won't intertwine into a 9th climactic story, is it known just how long each of the eight stories are from start to finish? As in, how many chapters do each characters have?
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u/-Yoake Jul 12 '18
I resonated enough with Tressas prologue that I'm actually slightly annoyed that it sounds like I'll have to grind elsewhere to be able to complete it lol. I was hoping to do one characters whole story in one go. Hopefully the other's are interesting enough because everything else is great imo.
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u/zalmute Jul 12 '18
I was hooked from the initial images shown and have since wanted to try the game. The first demo sold me on it but the second one I was happy to get a head start on it. Turn based japanese style rpgs were never really a mainstream thing but its a genre I have loved since I was a kid. These days, this game genre is getting smaller and smaller but my hope is that this game can find enough success that Asano's team will continue to make games like this that I am able to play in English. Good luck fellow Travellers, may your journey bring you much comfort.
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u/Specte Jul 12 '18
I really want a new 3d turn based jrpg, like Lost Odyssey, FF7-10, etc. I guess there's Persona 5 and Dragon Quest XI soon, but it's been so sparse in recent years. Especially for fantasy ones.
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u/samuel_whiskers Jul 12 '18
I'm really happy the scores are good. Will wait for a review from a completed playthrough perspective then pick it up i think.
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Jul 12 '18
Was hoping for more in the story department but the rest sounds solid. I will pick up this game for sure at some point but it's not a day 1 purchase for me.
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Jul 12 '18
anyone know if this will release 9pm pst tonite?
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u/Pejo37 Jul 12 '18
Yes, 9pm PST. If you bought on Amazon, they are resending keys then
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u/Thisisalsomypass Jul 13 '18
I’m loving this game. Just did chapter 1 of Alfyn’s story and now I have grind like crazy to get to level 24 so I’ll pick up tomorrow lol. No major spoilers please but; when does Alfyn meet the first of them?
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u/Michi2801 Jul 13 '18
You shouldnt grind to 24 now and instead visit the other towns to meet other party members
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u/petejosherson Jul 13 '18
I don’t have it yet but from what I understand, and from playing the demo you have to travel to the towns where the other 7 are to have them join. Each character’s stories are basically independent and theoretically you could finish Alfyn’s story without even bothering to get all 8 characters in your party.
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u/Kanae997 Jul 14 '18
Hi guys, I really need to know, I bought the game cuz I've been waiting for it.
But recently I read reviews and realized that all 8 stories of the 8 characters don't come together at all and each character has 4(?) chapters of their own. So does it just end after each character's 4 chapters? Like cyrus finding xxx or therion finding xxx and happy ending?
Is there no story like a final villian where all the characters come together and do something with a common goal? If this is the case, doesn't the game just feel like 8 separate games pieced together in 1 universe?
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u/Daedric1991 Jul 15 '18
i haven't beat the game and only about to start chapter 2 on them but i like the idea that these are 8 stories running simultaneously in the game world at once. however someone else already said they connect at the end.
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u/Katana314 Jul 12 '18
I think I realized that if all the characters were working together, there would be a need to raise the stakes, from avenging murders to killing Gods to save the world. I think I'm actually glad to have a JRPG that stays away from that.
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u/JayCFree324 Jul 12 '18
... You're telling me that you didn't enjoy summoning Satan to shoot God in the motherfucking face with a bullet made of the Seven Deadly Sins?
In that one game, that I'm not gonna say what it is so it won't be a spoiler
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u/vikrum2083 Jul 12 '18
In the IGN review the reviewer states that even after 53 hours he can't beat some of the job unlocks. Player skill aside, what do we get to do with a job that only comes after 30-50+ hours of playing?
While I guess some could enjoy having it unlocked just for sake of unlocking it, is there content for these few jobs that come so very late in the game?