2018’sOctopath Travelerwas a beautiful debut for Square Enix’s HD-2D graphics on theNintendo Switch. Following ports to other platforms and further HD-2D games such as remakes forLive-A-Liveand multipleDragon Quests,Octopath Traveler 2launched in 2023 to offer a grand new adventure that fans and critics adored.
Now, Square Enix has announced Octopath Traveler 0, set to arrive on December 4, and it might just be a new height for the evolving series. There are a few reasons to be particularly excited, especially if you love cozy games.
Octopath Traveler 0 is based on the 2022 mobile game, Octopath Traveler: Champions of the Covenant, reworking the tools and story, while leaving behind the gacha elements.
A Custom Character Is A Perfect Fit
The initial draw of Octopath Traveler, besides the HD-2D graphics, was the focus on eight unique main characters. You’d pick one to play as, and could recruit the others into your party, with a total of four active at one time. This meant you could experience the overall game’s story while also witnessing each party member’s personal chapters alongside the main narrative.
This idea was replicated in Octopath Traveler 2 with a whole new roster of characters to fall in love with. However, placing yourself into the shoes of a pre-written character will always offer a slightly different experience than getting to know that character, like choosing an Origin character over a Custom character in Baldur’s Gate 3.
Fun fact: The characters in both Octopath Traveler and its sequel have the initials to spell out ‘Octopath’.
With the announcement of Octopath Traveler 0, we learned that we’ll be able to play a custom character for the first time in the series. This is a great move for the upcoming game, as it gives us the room to insert ourselves into the world without having a predetermined story, able to fully explore those stories through the people we meet and the ways we involve ourselves in them.
I love all the characters we’ve met throughout the series so far, but I’m far more excited to explore their lives meaningfully as I travel alongside them for the duration of the game.
Rebuilding A Cozy Little Medieval Town
The reveal trailer for Octopath Traveler 0 also gave us a glimpse of what is seemingly the main plot point: your hometown of Wishvale is burned to the ground, and while you’ll want to enact revenge on those who were responsible, you’ll also be rebuilding the town over the course of the game. This features full customisation, with the trailer showcasing building placement, path tools, foliage and decoration placement, as well as assignment of villagers in different buildings.
It’s looking to be one of the core focuses of the game, with materials needing to be gathered from various regions to build structures. It’s a great way to draw in new fans to the series, with the opportunity to break away from dungeon-delving and boss battles with a quiet town life, and rendered with beautiful graphics. I’m eager to see more of this side of the experience, and how town life will actually be simulated, but needless to say, it’s looking like it’s going to be a pretty damn cozy December.
Fans of the series are surely excited, but if you’ve never played an Octopath Traveler title before, then this could be the perfect place to start from zero.
