The game never prompted me with “go here next.” It simply gave me objectives and let me decide how to complete them, along with general guidelines for how powerful I’d need to be. In the end, I worked my way in a huge circle around the map, recruiting every new party member as I went. I started exploring in the other direction, eventually running across Tressa the merchant, and starting her story. Deciding that I would need a healer to continue my quest, I set out in the general direction of Ophilia, the priestess - only to learn that she was located in a much more difficult area than I could tackle at the moment.

I consulted my map, and it almost totally empty, save for the immediate area I’d just explored.Īll I had to go on were eight distant markers on a piece of blank parchment: Cyrus’ second chapter, or the other seven party members’ introductions. After I left the town of Atlasdam, there were no instructions on where to go or what to do next. I started the game as Cyrus: a well-bred scholar who sets out on a mission to recover a powerful ancient tome. What grabbed me immediately about Octopath Traveler was just how open-ended it was. As you explore the world, you’ll meet the seven other party members, each of whom has their own personal story to pursue.

There are eight different characters, and you can start the game as any one of them.

Rather than taking control of a single hero, gathering a party and working your way through a predetermined narrative, Octopath Traveler lets you choose your own path. Octopath Traveler’s structure is decidedly modern, however. The game's action is decidedly old-school in some ways as well, with turn-based battles, character job systems and - if I’m being perfectly honest - a lot of grinding to tackle the difficult bosses.

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