Octopath Traveler II Review - Eight Stories Done Right

Octopath Traveler II takes everything good about the first game and refines it. Eight unique characters with surprisingly dark, mature storylines that tackle revenge, slavery, corruption, and survivor's guilt. The HD-2D graphics are gorgeous, the turn-based combat is strategic, and there's tons to explore. Some stories don't land as hard as others and grinding is required, but this is a well-crafted JRPG that JRPG fans will love.

Summary

Look, I wasn't planning on getting into Octopath Traveler II. I'd heard the first game had great combat but the stories were disconnected and the characters barely interacted. Then I saw the trailers, the HD-2D art style looked really good, and I thought "bugger it, let's give it a crack and I first bought it on Switch cause i was travelling at that time"

70 hours later, I've experienced eight wildly different stories and genuinely enjoyed most of them.

Octopath Traveler II is a turn-based JRPG published by Square Enix and developed by Acquire. It launched in February 2023 for Switch, PlayStation, and PC. You choose one of eight characters to start with, then recruit the other seven as you explore the world of Solistia. Each character has their own multi-chapter storyline, unique abilities, and personal motivations.

What makes this work is that you can experience the stories in any order you want. Complete freedom. And unlike the first game, these characters actually interact with each other in meaningful ways through "Crossed Paths" chapters and travel banter.

Really unique design for some of those character like Ochette!

The HD-2D Graphics Are Proper Good

Let's start with what immediately grabs you - the visuals. Octopath Traveler II uses Square Enix's "HD-2D" art style, which blends 2D pixel art characters with 3D environments. It's like if classic SNES JRPGs got a modern makeover.

The pixel art here is really well done. Characters have detailed animations - Partitio holds his hat when running, Agnea's dress moves naturally, and every sprite has personality. The backgrounds are rendered in 3D with depth-of-field effects that make scenes look like miniature dioramas.

The day/night cycle adds atmosphere - towns feel cozy at night with lanterns glowing, and forests become genuinely eerie in darkness. The lighting is great too - sunlight filters through trees, fire casts shadows, and combat effects look good without being over-the-top.

Day/night is not only for visuals it plays a crucial part of the game mechanics!

If you love pixel art, this is a really solid example of what can be done with the style.

Eight Travelers, Eight Stories (Some Better Than Others)

Here's where Octopath Traveler II stands out - the stories. You've got eight completely different narratives:

• Hikari - A warrior prince trying to stop his warmongering brother and reclaim his kingdom
• Agnea - A dancer following her mother's footsteps to become a world-famous performer
• Partitio - A merchant trying to end poverty through capitalism (yeah, really)
• Osvald - A scholar imprisoned for a crime he didn't commit, seeking revenge for his murdered family
• Throné - An assassin trying to escape her slave collar and the organization that controls her
• Temenos - A cleric investigating corruption within the church
• Ochette - A hunter trying to save her island from a mysterious calamity
• Castti - An amnesiac apothecary piecing together her past

The good news? Most of these stories are solid. The tone is surprisingly mature and dark. We're talking slavery, corruption, revenge, survivor's guilt, political intrigue, and some genuinely heavy themes. This isn't a cutesy JRPG - characters die, bad things happen, and the writing doesn't muck about.

The Standouts:

Throné's story is really strong for the first three chapters - the Father route in particular has some great writing. Chapter 4 gets a bit silly the twists (not trying to spoil it too much ), but chapters 1-3 are excellent.

Osvald's tale has Fullmetal Alchemist vibes. It's a revenge story done well, with a nice character development moment at the end.

Hikari's storyline is your classic shonen protagonist arc, but it's executed well with good supporting characters.

Temenos investigates church corruption and has one of the cooler final boss fights.

The Less Engaging:

Agnea's story is sweet and wholesome but lacks dramatic weight. Nothing really goes wrong for her, which makes it feel a bit safe.

Partitio tries to solve poverty through capitalism, and while his optimism is endearing, his story doesn't have much conflict. Things just sort of... work out for him.

Castti and Ochette are fine, but their stories don't hit as hard as the top-tier ones.

The nice touch? These stories interconnect more than the first game. Characters have "Crossed Paths" chapters where pairs go on side adventures together. There's also a final chapter that ties everyone together. Watching all eight characters finally interact on screen is satisfying after 60+ hours.

Gather around for some cool stories!

Turn-Based Combat That Actually Works

The combat system is the classic "break and boost" mechanic from the first game, but refined. Enemies have weaknesses and shield points. Hit them with the right attacks enough times, you break their shield, stunning them for a full turn.

The "boost" system lets you save up BP points each turn to power up your attacks - up to 4 levels of boost for massive damage. The strategy comes from deciding when to break enemies, when to boost, and how to manage your party's resources.

What's New:

Latent Powers - Each character has a limit break-style ability that charges during battle. These can turn fights around - Hikari can perform multiple attacks in one turn, Throné can act twice, Osvald gets massive magic damage.

Job Classes - Every character can switch between different job classes (Warrior, Mage, Thief, etc.), each with unique abilities. You can mix and match to create different combinations. Want a dancing cleric who chucks fireballs? Go for it.

Path Actions - During the day, characters can recruit NPCs, buy items, or gather information. At night, these actions become more aggressive - you can mug people, knock them out for info, or steal better items. It's oddly dark but adds strategic depth.

The combat stays engaging because you're constantly unlocking new abilities and trying different party combinations. Some of the late-game boss fights are genuinely challenging and require proper planning.

The Good Stuff

Freedom of Exploration: You can tackle stories in any order and explore at your own pace. The world is massive with two continents. Finding hidden areas is proper satisfying.

Character Interactions: Unlike the first game, these characters actually have a chinwag with each other. Travel banter, Crossed Paths chapters, and the final chapter make them feel like an actual party.

Soundtrack: Yasunori Nishiki did great work here. Every character has their own theme, battle themes are solid, and town music is lovely. One of the better JRPG soundtracks.

Voice Acting: Expanded from the first game, with more voiced lines. The performances are good across the board - special shoutout to Osvald and Throné's voice actors.

Side Content: Towns have NPCs with actual backstories if you bother talking to them. The world feels more alive than most JRPGs.

Replayability: With eight different starting characters and freedom to experience stories in any order, every playthrough can feel different.

Where It Gets a Bit Dodgy

Encounter Rate is Cooked: Random encounters happen way too often. Walk three steps, fight. Turn around, fight again. You can reduce this with Scholar job skills, but early game it's annoying as hell.

Grinding Required: The recommended levels for story chapters jump quite high later in the game. If you've been focusing on favorite characters, you'll need grinding sessions to catch everyone up. Not game-breaking, but it does drag the pacing.

Some Stories Don't Land: While most stories are good, Agnea and Partitio's feel lightweight compared to the heavier themes in other storylines. They're not bad, just less engaging.

Characters Still Don't Fully Integrate: Despite improvements, your party members don't appear in each other's main story chapters. Throné is dealing with her traumatic past and the rest of your party is just... standing outside. It's better than the first game, but still feels like missed opportunities.

Side Quest UI is Rough: The side quest menu is bloody useless. It doesn't tell you where to go or give clear objectives. You'll spend time wandering around trying to figure out what the game wants.

Final Thoughts

Octopath Traveler II is a well-made JRPG that takes what worked in the original and improves it. The HD-2D graphics are gorgeous, the stories are mature and engaging (mostly), the combat is solid, and there's heaps to explore.

Yeah, the encounter rate is cooked. Yeah, some stories are weaker than others. And yeah, you'll need to do some grinding. But these are minor gripes in what's otherwise a really good JRPG.

If you love turn-based combat, pixel art, character-driven stories, and don't mind investing 60-70 hours, this is worth checking out. It's one of the better JRPGs of the past few years, and it's a shame more people didn't give it a crack.

Square Enix and Acquire made something memorable here. It's not perfect, but it's a solid, well-crafted experience that JRPG fans will appreciate.

If you would like to buy the game and support us here is the links for switch and PS5