Octopath Traveler II reviews released
Ahead of this Friday’s release, the review embargo has been lifted for Octopath Traveler II- allowing reviewers to share their thoughts on the sequel to the 2018 classic JRPG. The first game was critically acclaimed for its innovative HD-2D artstyle that many other games have emulated since. Being a game in which you control eight distinct characters, the journey took you across an expansive world where you chip away at each story bit by bit. This made for some compelling narratives, but this also came with downfalls like the lack of interactivity between characters and some of the stories told feeling flat when compared to more modern JRPG epics. Despite this, the game reviewed very well- receiving an 83 Critic score and 8.4 User score:
Given how well the original Octopath Traveler laid the groundwork for a fantastic JRPG, fans are eagerly awaiting the sequel later this week. With critic reviews out now, just how did the second game stack up to the original. Well, as it turns out, about the same. With a current score of 84 from Critics, this sequel looks to be a success:
While Critic scores can be helpful in determining the overall sentiment for a game, it does serve well to look into individual reviews to see just what about Octopath Traveler II is good (and, of course, what could be better). Dexerto were very big fans of the game- giving it a perfect score of 100- praising its art style and ability to tell smaller scale stories while keeping players engaged throughout:
“…this sequel represents the very pinnacle of the genre and reminded us why games like this are so celebrated and timeless. Octopath Traveler 2 is all about losing yourself in mini stories that connect to a wider, more epic tale – a little bit like The Lord of the Rings or a Song of Ice and Fire/Game of Thrones in that regard.”
Nintenduo’s impressions were a little cooler but were still incredibly positive with a final score of 83 being awarded. Similar to other reviews, the game is said to improve on the first game- but not enough to blow anyone away:
“A huge and beautiful adventure full of good stories with an addictive gameplay that surpasses its predecessor in almost everything, but still falters when it comes to connecting its characters.”
Generally, it seems that Octopath Traveler II certainly succeeded in what it set out to do: more of the original. With all of the classic eight-character classes returning, this sequel seems to be more of a reimagining of the first game with new stories and a new world whilst not innovating too much with interconnecting narratives or combat styles. Depending on your viewpoint, this could be great or awful. If you hated Octopath’s slow storytelling and basic JRPG set dressing, this may be one to skip. However, if you were a fan of how the first game managed to integrate HD 2D aesthetics with simple but addictive combat, this may be one you’ll want to pick up when it releases this Friday- 24th February.
