Product Info

Platform

Switch, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X, PC

Publisher

Square Enix

Developer

Square Enix

Series

Octopath Traveler

Genre

RPG, Strategy/Tactics

Players

1

File Size (Minimum)

5 GB

Release Date (NA)

Dec 4, 2025

Purchase From

eShop

PSN Store

Microsoft Store

Steam

Octopath Traveler 0 is a magnificent work of art, complete with a marvelous soundtrack, intriguing stories, and high-octane turn-based battles. It offers a deeply rich experience that players will easily sink plenty of hours into. Whether you are new to the series or familiar with it, there’s not a day when you are not thinking of continuing the adventure you started in Octopath Traveler 0. Producer Hirohito Suzuki has created something very special for role-playing fans to enjoy for a while.

Collect the Rings

The latest Octopath Traveler game is a remake of the mobile game, Octopath Traveler: Champions of the Continent, but with an improved experience and additional features. In terms of timeline, this game is set as a prequel in the realm of Orsterra, before the events of the first Octopath Traveler game. Players can recruit over thirty people to join them in battle, and also have the chance to meet familiar faces from the first game to aid them on their journey.

In the peaceful small town of Wishvale, the town is approached by three mysteriously powerful foes who possess a corrupted ring that grants them unique abilities. Unfortunately, the town is in their way and is burnt down, and many villagers have either fled or been killed. Fortunately, the protagonist and their childhood friend are rescued by a hermit and stay hidden for months. The hermit gives you the protagonist a special gift to aid in their adventure: the same ring the three mysterious foes were seeking. This special ring grants the protagonist a unique power to combat enemies, especially those who wield a ring that is drenched in darkness. Defeat the user and retrieve the corrupted rings to end the chaos in Orsterra.

The game allows players to choose which path to take. Will they try to retrieve the ring of power, wealth, or fame? Players decide, and whichever path they choose, they can still return to the other paths. It’s like choosing your own adventure at your own pace. The game also provides users with side quests to earn extra money, unique items, and new members to fight alongside them. Additionally, players can take on a side story of rebuilding Wishvale, completing missions to rebuild the village, add new buildings, crops, and search for villagers who fled from the catastrophe. Each mission displays a recommended level for the team, helping guide the paths players can take so they are not overwhelmed.

There is so much to do that players can spend over fifty hours playing, and there is still plenty left to explore. It truly feels like the money spent is worth it for the amount of content in the game.

Customizing Wishvale

When rebuilding Wishvale, it is a process that takes time and cannot be completed all at once. There is a story woven into the process, such as assisting old villagers or finding new ones to help populate new shops. It would be nice to have a bit more freedom, such as more buildings for potential villagers you’ll recruit in each town you visit, as the system is quite strict in the early stages of the game. 

When placing new buildings and objects, you will enter a grid system where you can position your new objects. If you are not satisfied with the placement, you can easily move or remove them. There is a limit to how many you can place, but more slots will become available as you progress through the game’s story.

In order to construct new buildings, you will need specific items which are found in areas in between villages. Players can upgrade these buildings to accommodate more residents or add features like additional crops to plant or more fighters to train. To obtain these upgrades, you must collect a unique item called Radiant Cornerstone that’s dropped by powerful foes lurking in the wild areas you travel through. These foes are not encountered randomly, but rather are visible as you explore. As long as you are at the recommended level, defeating these foes should not be a challenge. Once defeated, they do not respawn, but there are plenty of foes scattered throughout your travels to obtain the necessary items. 

Players can recruit villagers to stay in the new Wishvale. To do so, you can initiate a different dialogue with the non-playable character (NPC) if they have a magnifying glass over their head. There’s a percentage chance they will agree to tell you about themselves. Once they do, you will have the option to invite them to live in your village, symbolized by a house icon. You must meet specific requirements, such as having an item on hand or another percentage chance that they accept the invite. 

Most of the interactions you make won’t have the invite option but are still worth asking. For example, some NPCs will offer you items you can buy or haggle for at a cheaper price than you can find in stores, offer a service in battle, similar to summoning for help during a battle, or initiate a battle with them to earn items. Most of these options are based on percentages of agreeing with you. If not, your reputation in town will go down. The lower it gets, the option to initiate contact becomes unavailable. To build your reputation back up, players will have to go to the nearest pub building to improve it.

Customizing the Protagonist

You play as a customized protagonist, where players have the choice to alter the design of hair, eyes, skin, and voice. You’ll also have the option to choose one of eight classes: Warrior, Hunter, Apothecary, Merchant, Cleric, Scholar, Dancer, and Thief. Each one uses two different styles of weapons and a unique set of skills. Other gear such as headgear, armor, and accessories can be used for every class, players just need to be concerned about weapons for the most part. Additionally you can choose different job classes as you progress through the game once you unlock enough skills in the current class selected. The flexibility to choose and set up your party is quite customizable to benefit the player.

Players will have the option to change their character appearances, voice, and stance. To unlock this feature, you’ll need to progress far enough in rebuilding Wishvale to set up a salon shop and upgrade it to level three to have the option to change everything.

High-Paced Turns

For the first time in the series, players can have eight party members tagging along with them. It creates quite a spectacle when traveling around town, resembling a line of children walking together to school. In battle, four of these players are active in the front row, while the other four are set in the back row. The back row remains inactive until they are swapped into battle. If you need to switch out due to low health or status ailments like poison, you can do so with a simple button command on the controller. However, if a player is poisoned, the status remains until enough turns pass or the battle ends. If a fighter in the front row is knocked out, the fighter behind them in the back row will automatically swap in. If all players perish, it’s game over.

Throughout the game, battles are random encounters when traveling between towns. At the start of battle, each fighter begins with two Boost Points. Each turn, every fighter in both rows gains a Boost Point to use to increase the number of basic attacks or enhance the effect of a skill. To gain an advantage against your foe, you’ll want to use basic attacks to discover their weaknesses, such as sword attacks or lightning damage, to deplete their Shield Points. Shield Points protect the enemy from many attacks, reducing damage from attacks unless they are weak against. 

Once you’ve initiated enough attacks that the enemy is weak against, reducing their Shield Points to zero, they enter a Break stage. These stages are indicated on the enemy interface, but players must discover them when encountering a specific foe for the first time. When the enemy is in Break, they will lose a turn, and any buffs and debuffs they have will be erased. Additionally, they become vulnerable, so any attack you make will deal significant damage, especially if you use attacks they are weak against for a greater impact. Take advantage of this opportunity.

Players can equip extra skills for each character to give more flexibility and build on parts that you lack. For example, equipping ice spells when no one on your team has any to begin with. Early in the game, your customized fighter can initiate an ultimate technique to benefit you and your team in the heat of battle. As you progress in the game, your other fighters will be able to learn one ultimate technique to use in battle. Using these can help turn the tide of battle and if you don’t use them, it can carry over to the next battle, unlike Battle Points.

This mechanic of putting enemies into Break adds a layer of strategic thinking, especially when you encounter battles that are additional rounds. Once you understand how to deplete their Shield Points and enter the Break stage, battles become addictive, fast-paced, and visually appealing. It enhances the engagement and enjoyment of turn-based battles. Fans of previous Octopath Traveler games will appreciate the new setup and the dynamic flow of these energetic turn-based battles.

When the battle ends, fighters in both rows will earn experience points, job points, and money. Job Points will help unlock new skills, new slots to add additional skills, or duplicate skills so other fighters can equip. Those who are sitting outside the eight spots won’t earn anything unless they are in Wishvale’s training building which will earn a piece of the gathered points.

The battle system’s user interface is simple and straightforward. Turns are indicated at the top to showcase who on both sides of the battlefield are going, helping you strategize. The special effects initiating on the battlefield are beautifully done with its effects. However, the results screen could use some tuning up as it’s difficult to read when you have white letters with a slight shadow underneath on top of a bright backdrop. Adding some shade behind these areas will help to see who earned those level ups and the progress they earned.

2D in HD Beauty

Like its predecessor titles, Octopath Traveler 0 is an HD-2D designed game with 2D pixel art in a 3D environment. It utilizes modern special effects such as depth of field, lighting, and particle effects like dust, snow, or embers floating through the air. This unique design opens the door to recreating traditional pixel art in a new form. Other titles, such as the recent remakes of Dragon Quest, share a similar style. However, the Octopath Traveler series distinguishes itself by using more pixel art from adventuring through town to battles, a flair that Octopath Traveler has perfected. Each area is uniquely designed, from the sands to the snow. Adventuring through Orsterra feels like exploring a world of wonders.

Breathtaking Scores

Composed by Yasunori Nishiki, the soundtrack of Octopath Traveler 0 hits all the right notes. Its set of battle themes gets the player’s blood pumping, making each battle engaging and adding depth to the strategies involved. The symphonic scores that play during the game’s story progression add emotion to tragic events, such as the burning of your town or the sudden turn of events leading to despair. It is an overall wonderful piece of music that should be included in your playlist even when not playing the game.

The sound effects are also impressive. For example, the impact of each weapon strike on an enemy or the shattering effect when an enemy shield breaks adds a satisfying feeling when defeating a tough boss. The voice acting adds additional emotion and personality to the game, making it feel like you are playing through a movie script.

The Final Ring

Octopath Traveler 0 is a fantastic RPG that features stunning HD-2D visuals, rich storylines, a mesmerizing soundtrack, and fast strategic turn-based combat. Combining all of these elements into a fantastic package that is rewarding and fulfilling, it reminds players why they fell in love with RPGs in the first place.

Whether you are new to the series or have barely touched it, Octopath Traveler 0 is a solid entry to start. If you enjoy your adventure, it serves as a good segue to the first title since it is a prequel to the series. For those familiar with the series, players will have a good idea of what to expect and will enjoy this prequel adventure.

A PlayStation 5 review code was provided by the publisher for this review. Octopath Traveler 0 wil be released on the Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC on December 4, 2025.