Shower Thoughts with Octopath Traveler (Part 2)

I’ve long since thought of the perfect way to sum up my feelings about Octopath Traveler in terms of its gameplay (if you want story thoughts, go here instead).  The problem is that doing so means embedding a video that functions as a pretty heavy spoiler for Part 4 of JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure, and I have qualms about dropping that out of the blue.  Then again, the last episode for that aired, like, two years ago and it’s one of countless other memes, soooooooooooooooooo…yeah.

On the other hand?  If you’re anything like me, clicking on anything JoJo-related will flood your YouTube recommendations with spoilers for the now-airing Part 5 adaptation.  I guess it’ll be fine for now, given how early in the run we are (as of writing), but anyone who wants to go in raw is in for a rough time.  On the other, other hand, it’d be a travesty if I indirectly instigated spoiling. Sooooooooooooooooooo…let’s not.

This is a lot of JoJo talk for a post on Octopath Traveler. Let’s change that.

Shower Thoughts with Octopath Traveler (Part 1)

It’s been about three months since Octopath Traveler came out, and…I have mixed feelings.

I’m still playing the game, so that’s something.  I’ve logged more than 55 hours, not counting the time lost via total party wipes and the ensuing, dreaded Game Over.  Thus far, I’ve finished the paths of three characters -- Ophilia, H’aanit, and Primrose, in that order -- with Tressa not far behind.  The plan, such as it is, is to ride the game out to its conclusion.  Given that my main team has an average level of 52, I’d wager I can steamroll the chapters/bosses I’ve left undone for ages.  Everyone on Olberic’s path is gonna get bodied once I start it in earnest.

I’m looking forward to playing more Octopath.  But I’m also dreading playing more Octopath.

Like I said, I have mixed feelings.  And part of those mixed feelings include me waiting eagerly for the next Tales game.  (Besides that one.)

RE: Octopath Traveler

I’ll start this off by saying that I picked Ophilia as my main character in Octopath Traveler -- in the demo, which carried over to the full game.  I’m not regretting my choice.  The plan was to do a little revisionist history for Final Fantasy X, I.e. having Yuna and the pilgrimage be front and center instead of Tidus and…everything else.  For sure, the idea of playing as a cleric out on a sacred quest to perform a ritual in her family’s stead is an interesting one you don’t see very often in games, and I wanted to experience that for myself.

Imagine my surprise, then, when -- within a 10-hour span of real-world time -- my innocent, noble cleric has befriended a hunter who sics her giant snow leopard on feeble townsfolk, abetted a thief in his trespassing and attempt at grand larceny, and stood idly by while a merchant spiked a band of pirates’ wine with drugs -- which could have gone south real fast if she’d used poison instead of sleeping herbs.  Also, she’s friends with a not-quite-but-close-enough-to-it stripper, who went on to kill her boss.

This game is kind of amazing.