Reviews Octopath Traveler II | Review Thread

[Vernal]

OpenCritic


We Got This Covered (4.5/5):

Octopath Traveler II sticks with what works, weaving the lives of eight unique characters -- each with their own story and motivations -- to create an epic narrative that old-school gamers will absolutely love.

Prima Games (9/10):

Octopath Traveler II has already cemented itself as my comfort game of 2023.

One More Game (Buy):

Octopath Traveler II is an improvement over its predecessor that keeps all of its familiar charms while elevating the experience at the same time. It adds just enough for old players to find joy with the new travelers introduced, but it also doesn’t alienate any newcomers who want to jump ahead with this new game. The music and gameplay conspire to create a timeless adventure for every JRPG fan to experience. While it still has some minor convention gripes, for the most part, it doesn’t take away from the overall enjoyment of the game. JRPG conventions abound, so know what you’re getting into.

Saudi Gamer (9/10, Review in Arabic):

Octopath Traveler 2 is made with love and care that can be felt by whoever decide to give this game a shot, from the breath taking 2D HD Pixel art to the legendary soundtrack and engaging combat mechanics. Square Enix gave us their first huge win this year with this legendary game

Press Start (8.5/10):

Octopath Traveler II does an earnest job of trying to right the wrongs of its predecessor, making more attempts than ever to integrate the stories of its eight characters. While the result falls slightly short of this promise, Octopath Traveler II offers everything the original did and more. It's a stellar RPG with a fantastic presentation and mechanically robust gameplay systems that any genre fan shouldn't miss.

God is a Geek (10/10):

Octopath Traveler II is a spectacular sequel, and the easiest recommendation I could ever give to RPG fans.

NintendoWorldReport (7.5/10):

However, if you really enjoyed Octopath Traveler and want a better, improved version of the combat and overall exploration, Octopath Traveler II will deliver that in spades. This is a strong RPG that I enjoyed my time with, but it's not a bold new step forward. Instead, it moderately iterates on an enjoyable formula to good success.

Nintendo Life (9/10):

Octopath Traveler II is a triumphant and confident follow-up to its predecessor, building on the established foundation with welcome new ideas and tweaks that make for an overall excellent experience. A strategic combat system, open-ended character progression, well-written stories, gorgeous visuals, and an incredible soundtrack all coalesce into one of the finest RPGs available on Switch to date. Though it may be more of the same, Team Asano demonstrates mastery of its craft at every turn here. We'd give Octopath Traveler II a high recommendation to anybody looking for a beautiful new RPG to add to their Switch collection.

Push Square (9/10):

Octopath Traveler II presents enough rich, turn-based action to forgive its minor combat system flaws. It's a breath-taking work of art, filled to the brim with story and adventure, bolstered by a cast of incredible characters who will leave you wanting more at every turn. A masterfully crafted RPG.

Hardcore Gamer (4/5):

When compared to the original, Octopath Traveler II is largely more of the same but better.

Siliconera (9/10):

Octopath Traveler 2 is one of those sequels that builds on the original in every way, remaining accessible even with eight stories to tell.

Shacknews (8/10):

I give Square Enix and ACQUIRE Corp props for ambition, but there's still a ways to go before the Octopath Traveler lives up to its potential and reaches its final form.

PSX Brasil (9/10, Review in Portuguese):

Octopath Traveler II is an excelent example of how to release a classic JRPG with a modern flair. Its engaging narrative and captivating characters by themselves already deliver a highly valuable title, but it is on the rich simplicity of its combat where it reaches an even higher bar. The small technical issues, excessive random encounters and simplistic character evolution system are the only complaints that can be made about a title that delights at every minute.

CGMagazine (7.5/10):

Octopath Traveler 2 makes a number of improvements to the original, yet it is still an extremely similar game — for better and for worse.

RPG Fan (91%):

Octopath Traveler II takes everything that works about the original, makes it better, and is a fantastic game steeped in appropriate nostalgia.

Spaziogames (8.8/10, Review in Italian):

While Octopath Traveler II is a better game than the first overall, thanks to improved writing, visuals and combat, we would have liked to see more courage from the people at Square Enix and Acquire, which both did a great job with this IP five years ago. Nonetheless, this is an absolute must buy for RPG fans all around the world.

Rock, Paper, Shotgun (Unscored):

Square Enix's gorgeous JRPG returns for a second outing, but bar a couple of very minor evolutions, this is effectively the same Octopath Traveler as before.

Wccftech (8.5/10):

Octopath Traveler II plays it safe when it comes to its core gameplay, offering a handful of small positive tweaks that don’t entirely make up for returning problems like clumsy party management and battles that take too long to wrap up. Thankfully, the game also takes a big, confident step forward in terms of writing, offering a cast of well-wrought, interesting characters and a vividly-detailed world you won’t soon forget. Octopath Traveler II may have the same old engine under the hood, but the road trip it takes you on is well worth experiencing.

Atomix (92/100, Review in Spanish):

Thanks to a fantastic combat system, entertaining stories and a spectacular visual style, Octopath Traveler II is the sequel we have been waiting for so much. It is a JRPG for those of us who love JRPGs.

TheSixthAxis (9/10):

Octopath Traveler II manages to improve on almost every aspect of its predecessor, whether they needed it or not. The exploration is deeper with more nooks and crannies to nose your way through. The combat is far more intricate, giving greater options to build your party and skillset, and a large degree of player choice. The visuals are absolutely beautiful, and the sound design is phenomenal once again. Honestly, Octopath Traveler II has basically negated the need to play the first title, and I cannot think of higher praise.

Hobby Consolas (87/100, Review in Spanish):

Octopath Traveler II is a more and better manual: a game that may not get the detractors of the first to change their minds, but thanks to its novelties and improvements will dazzle lovers of turns and traditional JRPGs.

GamePro (86/100 Review in German):

Octopath Traveler 2 is a really successful successor that builds on the strengths of its predecessor and brings meaningful improvements.

GAMES.CH (88%, Review in German):

The first Octopath Traveler is still a great game. The sequel does not change anything beside story and characters, but simultaneously maintains the strengths and rises comfort and depth. If you like the predecessor or JRPGs in general, you will need to play it.

Digital Trends (4/5):

Octopath Traveler 2 builds on its predecessor's strengths to create another charming retro RPG.

Game Revolution (9/10):

Octopath Traveler 2 is another love letter to Square Enix’s golden years. It’s a greatest hits comprised of mechanics from across several franchises, even if it doesn’t build on the original’s formula too much.

More reviews provided below by other users!

 

[xghost777]

Game Informer was an 8.5

Octopath Traveler II Review - Two Is Better Than One - Game Informer

Octopath Traveler II does what an excellent sequel should. Instead of breaking new ground left and right, it improves on the original in nearly every way and feels more confident about the stories it tells.

www.gameinformer.com

Random collection of outlets so far at a random time. Wonder if someone jumped the gun.

 

[Yamanoi]

Game Informer was an 8.5

Octopath Traveler II Review - Two Is Better Than One - Game Informer

Octopath Traveler II does what an excellent sequel should. Instead of breaking new ground left and right, it improves on the original in nearly every way and feels more confident about the stories it tells.

www.gameinformer.com

Random collection of outlets so far at a random time. Wonder if someone jumped the gun.

This was the actual embargo time even though it is a weird one. I saw someone post about it yesterday, but they deleted it.

 

[Party Sklar]

Polygon review is out as well

Octopath Traveler 2 is eight good stories in search of a great one

Compelling mechanics and a gorgeous world can’t carry all of the weight

www.polygon.com

 

[Aostia82]

Game Informer was an 8.5

Octopath Traveler II Review - Two Is Better Than One - Game Informer

Octopath Traveler II does what an excellent sequel should. Instead of breaking new ground left and right, it improves on the original in nearly every way and feels more confident about the stories it tells.

www.gameinformer.com

Random collection of outlets so far at a random time. Wonder if someone jumped the gun.

No, embargo ended 11 minutes ago

 

[xghost777]

Yeah more popping up now.

Seems generally more well received than the first which I already liked. Looking forward to playing it!

 

[MisterSpo]

Sounds like there are some very smart and interesting mechanical changes, but that the issues the original game had - grind and lack of connection between the main cast - are still there.

I massively enjoyed the original despite those issues, but I'm a little more torn on this one due to how much stuff is available right now. I've got a preorder in at a good price, so I'll keep reading through reviews and have a think ahead of next week.

 

[Lelouch0612]

88 on OC currently !

And please reviewers, just know no grind is required in Octopath.

Gear > Level !



Great review from Quinton.

 

[Maronic03]

Sounds like there are some very smart and interesting mechanical changes, but that the issues the original game had - grind and lack of connection between the main cast - are still there.

The grind can't still be there since it was never a thing in the first place.

The game getting an 88 metascore would be funny.

 

[Ozeiyo]

Sounds like there are some very smart and interesting mechanical changes, but that the issues the original game had - grind and lack of connection between the main cast - are still there.

I massively enjoyed the original despite those issues, but I'm a little more torn on this one due to how much stuff is available right now. I've got a preorder in at a good price, so I'll keep reading through reviews and have a think ahead of next week.

Polygon's header "eight good stories in search of a great one" is, sadly, all I needed to know about the sequel. Will wait for a sale.

 

[Lelouch0612]

Octopath Traveler 2 review: A masterclass in retro-RPG storytelling​

However, if you do, or fancy giving them a try, then this sequel represents the very pinnacle of the genre and reminded us why games like this are so celebrated and timeless. Octopath Traveler 2 is all about losing yourself in mini stories that connect to a wider, more epic tale – a little bit like The Lord of the Rings or a Song of Ice and Fire/Game of Thrones in that regard. It’s also a game that lets you flex your strategic muscles as it plays on your nostalgia, all while delivering something new.

Octopath Traveler 2 review: A masterclass in retro-RPG storytelling - Dexerto

Octopath Traveler 2 is the sequel to the 2018 original but does this new JRPG retro-throwback improve on the first outing?

www.dexerto.com

 

[Vernal]

Sounds like there are some very smart and interesting mechanical changes, but that the issues the original game had - grind and lack of connection between the main cast - are still there.

I massively enjoyed the original despite those issues, but I'm a little more torn on this one due to how much stuff is available right now. I've got a preorder in at a good price, so I'll keep reading through reviews and have a think ahead of next week.

But the original wasn't grindy?


What's most "interesting" about this franchise is that is constantly critiqued due to its unique nature more than anything else. Rather brave of Team Asano to stick to their guns and still do 8 separate stories. If peeps want Tales HD-2D it shouldn't be called Octopath Traveler, just make a new IP at that point.

It really puts a fun spin on the whole gaming press/consumer discourse.

Edit: forgive the salt but I find it rather absurd.

Anyways the game is looking absolutely fantastic. I have really high expectations for it and I can't wait for the 24th!

 

[Dark Cloud]

Another below 90 Switch game. No buy /s

 

[blue2425]

I spent the remaind of my Best Buy rewards on this so glad its reviewing well.

 

[Tailzo]

This is great, jrpg fans rejoice

 

[Maronic03]

This is great, jrpg fans rejoice

I can confirm being currently in a rejoiced state.

One question, did any review mentioned the travel banter? Are they less of a pain to see them all this time.

 

[Guaraná]

87 on Opencritic

 

[Comic Obsessed]

Solid reviews so far (aside from some outliers). Can't wait to get this next week.

 

[9-Volt]

Gear > Level !

Yeah, not falling for this again. They told me that the key to overcoming boss battles is the right equipment in the first game but I had to grind till my fingers get numb just to get the overpriced equipment...

 

[big lantern ghost]

Very nice reviews! Excited for Friday. Gonna play the demo this weekend and get that sweet sweet head start

 

[Maronic03]

Yeah, not falling for this again. They told me that the key to overcoming boss battles is the right equipment in the first game but I had to grind till my fingers get numb just to get the overpriced equipment...

You get plenty of Money and gear with the side quests. Many of those could be done super quickly by simply using path actions.

 

[Mbolibombo]

Happy to see it score well, never doubted. Asano never fails

Great week for Square, hope they have a year that's somewhat more consistant in how they turn out this year than last.

 

[9-Volt]

You get plenty of Money and gear with the side quests. Many of those could be done super quickly by simply using path actions.

Yes, I had to grind for money on top of those side quest rewards for the best equipment. Good thing the best equipment was available from the start so that made things easy for me.

And this is normal, some amount of grinding should be expected from such retro styled game. It's the essence of traditional turn based dungeon RPG's. It sure isn't a "grind-free" game.

 

[zumaddy]

I've loved every Asano game except Bravely Second, so very excited for this

 

[MisterSpo]

But the original wasn't grindy?

Yeah, I don't remember it being grindy but I see the complaint crop up. My post was more of a summary of common feedback across reviews than my own personal opinion.

What's most "interesting" about this franchise is that is constantly critiqued due to its unique nature more than anything else. Rather brave of Team Asano to stick to their guns and still do 8 separate stories. If peeps want Tales HD-2D it shouldn't be called Octopath Traveler, just make a new IP at that point.

It's not that surprising that it doesn't gel with every critic given that it does its own thing. It's not as if there are especially negative reviews; some people just want a slightly different experience from it and that's OK.

 

[Deleted member 2258]

It's not that surprising that it doesn't gel with every critic given that it does its own thing. It's not as if there are especially negative reviews; some people just want a slightly different experience from it and that's OK.

True. On a quick glance, most of the reviews seem to describe the game the same way, with the score penalty varying for "it's like the first game but way better."

 

[Vernal]

Yeah, I don't remember it being grindy but I see the complaint crop up. My post was more of a summary of common feedback across reviews than my own personal opinion.

It's not that surprising that it doesn't gel with every critic given that it does its own thing. It's not as if there are especially negative reviews; some people just want a slightly different experience from it and that's OK.

My post wasn't direct at you per se either, but as I said, at the whole gaming sphere(?) I guess ahah.

Of course it's fine for people to not gel with a certain idea, it is more than OK. What is problematic is to say that said concept is flawed in and of itself, when that simply isn't the case.

A JRPG shouldn't be valued on a scale of how little to how much it makes you feel like you and your friends are going on an adventure.

 

[Maronic03]

Yes, I had to grind for money on top of those side quest rewards for the best equipment. Good thing the best equipment was available from the start so that made things easy for me.

And this is normal, some amount of grinding should be expected from such retro styled game. It's the essence of traditional turn based dungeon RPG's. It sure isn't a "grind-free" game.

It's just not true for octo 1. Grinding was never recquired for the 8 main stories. Even without the best equipment, there was always an optimal strategy to win against every boss (the post game super boss is another story).

 

[9-Volt]

It's just not true for octo 1. Grinding was never recquired for the 8 main stories. Even without the best equipment, there was always an optimal strategy to win against every boss (the post game super boss is another story).

Well, this is true for EVERY JRPG series. Even for Disgaea, the poster boy of the grind. There were walkthroughs out there showing how to beat the games without even replaying any stage.

Grind is the safest path, especially for those don't want to put their mind into game. Grind might not the optimal way to play Asano games but it sure is a way.

 

[Kartina]

Another below 90 Switch game. No buy /s

The 89 curse strikes again after the metroid prime tragedy.

 

[Dardan Sandiego]

Well, this is true for EVERY JRPG series. Even for Disgaea, the poster boy of the grind. There were walkthroughs out there showing how to beat the games without even replaying any stage.

Grind is the safest path, especially for those don't want to put their mind into game. Grind might not the optimal way to play Asano games but it sure is a way.

9-Volt stop playing JRPGs badly challenge (IMPOSSIBLE)

 

[mazi]

great reviews!

 

[RealUncleNintendo]

I wish I had my hands on a copy at this moment. Gotta wait…

 

[xghost777]

Octopath was all about giving you an absurd array of tools that could be mixed and matched to give you an enormous advantage to overcome challenges. No one should have had to grind for the main game.

 

[9-Volt]

Octopath was all about giving you an absurd array of tools that could be mixed and matched to give you an enormous advantage to overcome challenges. No one should have had to grind for the main game.

This post right here is one of the most common responses I've got about JRPG's. Just within last month, people told me to "mix and match" instead of grinding in Disgaea AND Etrian Odyssey (they literally used the term "mix-match" for Etrian Odyssey).

So... according to people there's not a single "grindy" JRPG franchise out there. Then why is grinding an option? Why would devs put a "wrong way to play a game" in it? And it's not particularly a "easy mode", sometimes grinding exhausting and frustrating (especially in Mystery Dungeon games).

 

[LoneRanger]

In summary: Octopath 2 is like 1 but improving everything.

Thats why it has a 86 in Metacritic while OT1 got 83

Need to hurry up with my backlog to start this game asap lol.

 

[Aether]

88 on OC currently !

And please reviewers, just know no grind is required in Octopath.

Gear > Level !



Great review from Quinton.

I really don't think many outlets that did not get it in the first one will get it here. If it didn't click by the end of the first one, then the mentality of the reviewers did not fathom that an JRPG could work without being overpowered by just leveling, and the same will happen here with some reviews.

 

[Aether]

This post right here is one of the most common responses I've got about JRPG's. Just within last month, people told me to "mix and match" instead of grinding in Disgaea AND Etrian Odyssey (they literally used the term "mix-match" for Etrian Odyssey).

So... according to people there's not a single "grindy" JRPG franchise out there. Then why is grinding an option? Why would devs put a "wrong way to play a game" in it? And it's not particularly a "easy mode", sometimes grinding exhausting and frustrating (especially in Mystery Dungeon games).

Youre right that many are overextending this argument (like, there are level 1 strategies for FF8 with a strict skillset needed to do that run, without knowing the ins and outs of the game thats not possible).
And saying SMT5 is possible without grinding is fine on normal (i presume), but on hard, even having an idea for the strategies possible because of prior series experience, you still have to grind to get the right essences so that you can build the loadout.

With all that sad... there are jrpgs that have mechanics that scale differently. Attack up in early pokemon was pointless, stat boossts in FF where pointless to. Octopath? timing buffs, debuffs to be active during a break and having enough boosts (that dont scale linearly, so more bosst -> way better) means you can by not attacking constantly but setting up do massively more damage.
And then we have the factor: if your attacks say scales from 1-100 with level increase, but the weapons scale way above that (say from 5-500), then having an under leveled character with a strong 400attack weapon will deal way more damage then a character with level 100 but an 200 attack weapon.

Good JRPG systems work slightly like deck building in TCGs or say something like Slay the spire.

Essentially: has the game mechanics that multiply instead off add?
does a game insentience those? how do levels scale, how does the rest scale? (skill attributes, gear, maybe story locked stat boosts?)

And an important factor: how obvious is that during a first run? do i need in depth knowledge of later game machanics, hiddens mechanics, etc to figure that out?
a) If i can simply find it out by observing the game and engaging with it, i would say, usually its a miss on the playere to not engage with mechanics and instead falls back to grinding.
b) Is it obscured enough that without a guide or "post game clarity" it would not be possible to use them proberly? then its on the game designer, and its arguable that the game is "a grindfest".
c) Does a game simply lack those (outside of exploits and stuff), and its still hard to win? then its a grindfest by design.

Many JRPG fans over defend badly explained systems or games that fall int the b) category.

Octopath did fall between a and b, during the beginning its not that obvious, and only in the second half of the game the value of some of the skills gets clear, and it becomes clearer that gear is more important when you get enough new characters that you need to distribute your gear around. but then it should be obvious how 2 characters with the same level and similar base strength can do such different damage numbers. Yet it definitely is possible without grinding, my second run was waaay shortere and i flew through it with way lower levels since i had "post game clarity" how gear is more important, and what skills would be more usefull.

 

[RochHoch]

The only grinding I did in the first Octopath was a bit of preparation for the secret boss. Some people seem to hate it because they just don't understand how to play it. Or they just suck at it.

But anyway, these are good reviews. I absolutely adored the first game, and this is just more Octopath but even better. I am beyond hyped.

 

[Thunder84]

Final boss was my only beef with grinding in the first game, and it sounds like that might be improved a bit here (hopefully). Wish I had more time, I’d be playing this on launch if I could.

 

[9-Volt]

Youre right that many are overextending this argument (like, there are level 1 strategies for FF8 with a strict skillset needed to do that run, without knowing the ins and outs of the game thats not possible).
And saying SMT5 is possible without grinding is fine on normal (i presume), but on hard, even having an idea for the strategies possible because of prior series experience, you still have to grind to get the right essences so that you can build the loadout.

With all that sad... there are jrpgs that have mechanics that scale differently. Attack up in early pokemon was pointless, stat boossts in FF where pointless to. Octopath? timing buffs, debuffs to be active during a break and having enough boosts (that dont scale linearly, so more bosst -> way better) means you can by not attacking constantly but setting up do massively more damage.
And then we have the factor: if your attacks say scales from 1-100 with level increase, but the weapons scale way above that (say from 5-500), then having an under leveled character with a strong 400attack weapon will deal way more damage then a character with level 100 but an 200 attack weapon.

Good JRPG systems work slightly like deck building in TCGs or say something like Slay the spire.

Essentially: has the game mechanics that multiply instead off add?
does a game insentience those? how do levels scale, how does the rest scale? (skill attributes, gear, maybe story locked stat boosts?)

And an important factor: how obvious is that during a first run? do i need in depth knowledge of later game machanics, hiddens mechanics, etc to figure that out?
a) If i can simply find it out by observing the game and engaging with it, i would say, usually its a miss on the playere to not engage with mechanics and instead falls back to grinding.
b) Is it obscured enough that without a guide or "post game clarity" it would not be possible to use them proberly? then its on the game designer, and its arguable that the game is "a grindfest".
c) Does a game simply lack those (outside of exploits and stuff), and its still hard to win? then its a grindfest by design.

Many JRPG fans over defend badly explained systems or games that fall int the b) category.

Octopath did fall between a and b, during the beginning its not that obvious, and only in the second half of the game the value of some of the skills gets clear, and it becomes clearer that gear is more important when you get enough new characters that you need to distribute your gear around. but then it should be obvious how 2 characters with the same level and similar base strength can do such different damage numbers. Yet it definitely is possible without grinding, my second run was waaay shortere and i flew through it with way lower levels since i had "post game clarity" how gear is more important, and what skills would be more usefull.

Exactly. There could be a path that requires almost no grinding in this kind of games but that's not always the most obvious one.

Even in the demo of Octopath 2, stores have 2 stages of powerful weapons. For a first timer, first thing to come up to mind is grind money for that weapon to defeat the boss. That's the most obvious thing to do, that weapon is right there for them to buy.

Some games actively discourage you from grinding despite the grinding still looks like the best way to go (in many games, like SMT5, monsters flee when you're overleved or in others, you'll get less and less exp points from same monsters as you level up) and others say and show nothing about it, yet make you feel underpowered and you're not doing the best you could. In all cases games are still grindy unless the game literally shows them a way that's not.

One example in Etrian odyssey. Number one advice I got to get better is to mix and match the jobs to create perfect party. But the game doesn't say anything about the bosses that are immune to physical attacks later on. Without knowing this forming a party without a mage is a huge mistake and the game will make you go back to recruit one and grind like hell to bring him/her to your party's level.

And apparently the category C doesn't exist. There doesn't seem to be a JRPG series that don't feature a grindless path to the ending. It sounds like the whole "grindy" thing is a myth.

 

[NabiscoFelt]

Reviews are about what I expected, it's the first game but better. Which I'm more than down for, especially after the demo reminded me how fun the formula is. I really shouldn't be getting this at launch though with the amount of stuff I have unfinished but man it'll be tempting

My post wasn't direct at you per se either, but as I said, at the whole gaming sphere(?) I guess ahah.

Of course it's fine for people to not gel with a certain idea, it is more than OK. What is problematic is to say that said concept is flawed in and of itself, when that simply isn't the case.

A JRPG shouldn't be valued on a scale of how little to how much it makes you feel like you and your friends are going on an adventure.

Yeah it's always been slightly weird to me too how one of the major slights against this series has essentially been "it's not like other JRPGs". I get that parties are one of the major components of the genre but I don't really see why not having a traditional one is immediately a bad thing. It's just different, like you said

There are valid complaints to be made against the stories themselves, of course, but as someone who was a JRPG newbie at the time of the first Octopath the lack of interaction never bothered me in the slightest. Each story is a personal journey type thing and I'd argue it would be borderline weird if the other characters were involved story-wisr

 

[ermitron2]

This post right here is one of the most common responses I've got about JRPG's. Just within last month, people told me to "mix and match" instead of grinding in Disgaea AND Etrian Odyssey (they literally used the term "mix-match" for Etrian Odyssey).

So... according to people there's not a single "grindy" JRPG franchise out there. Then why is grinding an option? Why would devs put a "wrong way to play a game" in it? And it's not particularly a "easy mode", sometimes grinding exhausting and frustrating (especially in Mystery Dungeon games).

One example in Etrian odyssey. Number one advice I got to get better is to mix and match the jobs to create perfect party. But the game doesn't say anything about the bosses that are immune to physical attacks later on. Without knowing this forming a party without a mage is a huge mistake and the game will make you go back to recruit one and grind like hell to bring him/her to your party's level.

Whoever told you that about EO is lying, at least in the original 3. The game expected you to grind for levels and materials to unlock skills and weapons, and to know how much to level up those skills as they can actually backfire if you level them too much. And it expects you to do it constantly specially if you don't have especific party members (this was changed fortunately from 3 on). It was designed that way as they were trying to emulate the original "wyzardry experience"

 

[9-Volt]

Whoever told you that about EO is lying, at least in the original 3. The game expected you to grind for levels and materials to unlock skills and weapons, and to know how much to level up those skills as they can actually backfire if you level them too much. And it expects you to do it constantly specially if you don't have especific party members (this was changed fortunately from 3 on). It was designed that way as they were trying to emulate the original "wyzardry experience"

I know they're lying, but the fandom of EO is something else. That Era thread didn't go they way I hoped. No idea why they're taking "grindy" as an insult to the game they love, some games are meant to be grindy and there's nothing wrong with that. Sometimes it's actually fun.

EO series improved itself with every new entry, there have been a lot of QoL improvements while keeping the core of the series same. It's a hardcore grindy title, where battles are not rewarded with money and the inn cost increases every time you level up. Octopath has neither of these things and quests are rewarded handsomely there. But it also doesn't force player take specific path to beat the boss, if I could grind money to buy that sword, I certainly would.

 

[Leica]

Polygon's header "eight good stories in search of a great one" is, sadly, all I needed to know about the sequel. Will wait for a sale.

Kind of where I'm at. Everything I've seen and read about sounds really good but this is making me hold back from jumping in day one, will wait and see a bit.

 

[Aether]

Exactly. There could be a path that requires almost no grinding in this kind of games but that's not always the most obvious one.

Even in the demo of Octopath 2, stores have 2 stages of powerful weapons. For a first timer, first thing to come up to mind is grind money for that weapon to defeat the boss. That's the most obvious thing to do, that weapon is right there for them to buy.

wait, grinding was needed for the strong weapon? i only tried osvald, but by simply fighting (and sometimes running) on my way i had more then enough money for the strong weapon. Maybe it was different route.

Some games actively discourage you from grinding despite the grinding still looks like the best way to go (in many games, like SMT5, monsters flee when you're overleved or in others, you'll get less and less exp points from same monsters as you level up) and others say and show nothing about it, yet make you feel underpowered and you're not doing the best you could. In all cases games are still grindy unless the game literally shows them a way that's not.

Oh, and since you mention reduce exp if you are higher...SMT5 does that to. You get way more EXP than when you are lower then the enemie, it becomes a chore to grind after that (thats why i gave up on fighting shiva on hard, no chance for me without grinding at least somewhat, im just not good enough for that and don't want to invest a whole day for a superboss)

One example in Etrian odyssey. Number one advice I got to get better is to mix and match the jobs to create perfect party. But the game doesn't say anything about the bosses that are immune to physical attacks later on. Without knowing this forming a party without a mage is a huge mistake and the game will make you go back to recruit one and grind like hell to bring him/her to your party's level.

yeah, thats what i was arguing with SMT5 back then, i did not need to grind for levels... but for the right demons and skills to get a setup that works. But i still needed to grind for that (getting to the level to fuse that demon, having the right demons, grinding for a specific essence for a specific set of resistances...), its not as if i can just chose those in the menue. And if i did miss assemble my team 2-3 hours before that and say used up the essences i would need later on or fused the wrong demons...yeah, then i was back at the start, needing to reassemble my team and take some hours to get there. (With SMT5 it was partially my own fault, the hard difficulty was right for regular battles, boss battles where just bullshit on hard, especially for my first SMT)

And apparently the category C doesn't exist. There doesn't seem to be a JRPG series that don't feature a grindless path to the ending. It sounds like the whole "grindy" thing is a myth.

i would argue the PS FFs where pretty much grindless... as where a lot of pokemon games or Golden Sun. I at least don't remember really needing to grind in any of those, but i would also call all of those easy beginner friendly JRPGs.
The moment it gets harder, you reach the point where either a good understanding of the systems or grinding is needed, and as mentioned, the former can be a done well or bad. For story driven JRPGs i would say lore and story segments could prepare you what to expect?
FF3s job system was fine, changing jobs did not take to long.

Octopath (i would argue) is also really lenient, restructuring your party and their skills is fast (for getting the first 2-4 skills of a class later on you really did not need to grind much). The bigger problem was that so many of the good weapons where either hidden in optional dungeons, so people that where not exploring had a hard time, and the other half of great gear was hidden behind thief and merchant, so if you chose the wrong characters there was a high chance that it was way harder to get good gear. If you had some bad luck, grinding was needed.
But knowing what to do meant in 1-2 hours you could restructure your whole group and rectify all "damage" you had done with your build in the worst case.

 

[Vernal]

Yeah it's always been slightly weird to me too how one of the major slights against this series has essentially been "it's not like other JRPGs". I get that parties are one of the major components of the genre but I don't really see why not having a traditional one is immediately a bad thing. It's just different, like you said

There are valid complaints to be made against the stories themselves, of course, but as someone who was a JRPG newbie at the time of the first Octopath the lack of interaction never bothered me in the slightest. Each story is a personal journey type thing and I'd argue it would be borderline weird if the other characters were involved story-wisr

Completely agreed; though honestly I should stop even bothering with this discussion here and elsewhere. It is what it is for a myriad of reasons.

On another note, if these highly positive reviews keep up we might have the best received Team Asano game yet on our hands! Bodes well for that older post of mine in the pre-release thread.

 

[xghost777]

This post right here is one of the most common responses I've got about JRPG's. Just within last month, people told me to "mix and match" instead of grinding in Disgaea AND Etrian Odyssey (they literally used the term "mix-match" for Etrian Odyssey).

So... according to people there's not a single "grindy" JRPG franchise out there. Then why is grinding an option? Why would devs put a "wrong way to play a game" in it? And it's not particularly a "easy mode", sometimes grinding exhausting and frustrating (especially in Mystery Dungeon games).

Grinding is exhausting and frustrating because it is rarely ever intended! That miserableness is the game trying to tell you don’t do this! A lot of good JRPGs in particular try to point this out to players by limiting XP / money you get for repeated battles and even skipping worthless fights entirely.

Difficult fights can often be won by finding the right combos (like setting up proper buff/debuffs and establishing a healing rhythm so your party can tear into the toughest foes), money can often be gained quickly by selling worthless stuff, and if you do want a quick boost to your exp and money usually that’s what side quests are for.

Can’t speak to Mystery Dungeon, but for Disgaea in particular if you want to clear the main campaigns efficiently, don’t roll with a full party! More members means more soaking up XP unevenly. You also can dip into the item world once or twice and at least get a good item for your efforts if the main story gives you grief.

 

[Lelouch0612]

Feels like the game could be one of the all-time greats.

Friday can't come soon enough.

 

[SammyJ9]

Grinding is exhausting and frustrating because it is rarely ever intended! That miserableness is the game trying to tell you don’t do this! A lot of good JRPGs in particular try to point this out to players by limiting XP / money you get for repeated battles and even skipping worthless fights entirely.

Difficult fights can often be won by finding the right combos (like setting up proper buff/debuffs and establishing a healing rhythm so your party can tear into the toughest foes), money can often be gained quickly by selling worthless stuff, and if you do want a quick boost to your exp and money usually that’s what side quests are for.

Can’t speak to Mystery Dungeon, but for Disgaea in particular if you want to clear the main campaigns efficiently, don’t roll with a full party! More members means more soaking up XP unevenly. You also can dip into the item world once or twice and at least get a good item for your efforts if the main story gives you grief.

This is another thing that's great about Chained Echoes: There is no XP, only skill points. Level ups are gained by beating story bosses and advancing the story, and a few side bosses, that's it. So while you can sort of grind to get skill points and items/money or something, the impact that will have on you is VERY small compared to a level up and not worth it at all. So essentially, grinding is pointless, and since you can avoid most fights if you want to you don't really miss out on anything by doing so, either. It's a great system.

I will say, though, that while I dislike grinding most of the time, I think that it does have its place in specific games, mostly in the dungeon crawler genre: Labyrinth of Refrain/Galleria, for example, are practically designed so that you will grind, at least to some extent, because they give you mechanics for that purpose. Your runs through the dungeon are limited by your "RF" points, and there's a mechanic where you can choose to bank your XP from battles by spending one RF point per battle and it will put all of your XP into a pool and give you a multiplier for each successive battle; it's a risk-reward thing since if you die or escape a battle you lose it all. But if you can make it up to like a 3X multiplier and do a long dungeon run, your final XP total will be crazy good compared to what you'd get normally.