Or Temenos’ investigation into the murder of a church official, or Castti’s search for her forgotten origin. I could have gone to Ku instead and started with Hikari’s tale of a usurping brother. It’s a good story, with lots of development for Throne as she explores what her life has meant so far and what freedom even means to someone who’s been told what to do for so long. She would remove the literal collar around her neck, and kill anyone, even the patriarch and matriarch of her clandestine organization, just to never be forced to spill blood again. In my case, this was Throne, the thief and assassin who decided she’d had enough of this life and wanted out. This one character becomes your focal point you actually can’t take them out of your party until you finish their entire storyline. Every one of them will eventually be a piece of your party, at least if you want to see the end. Octopath Traveler 2 has you select one of eight party members from the beginning. Let’s pull the lens back to hour one, though. But that’s the magic at work here in the latest HD-2D adventure. It’s not often an RPG coaxes this many hours out of me and manages to stay in my good graces. Well, sitting at a triple-digits’ worth of hours invested and credits rolled, I still dig Octopath Traveler 2. Cryptic side-quests were more enticing because they allowed for clever Path Action solutions, and these Path Actions felt engaging to use. Its world felt more vibrant and alive, offering permutations and evolutions of its locales through the day-night cycle. At roughly the halfway point of the story, I felt Acquire and Square Enix had found a spark in this set-up that didn’t ever ignite for me in the first game. When I wrote our review-in-progress a few weeks back, I was already much more invested in Octopath Traveler 2 than its predecessor. Octopath Traveler 2 ( PS5, PS4, PC, Switch) And where Octopath Traveler 2 doesn’t just succeed but makes a mark is in how it takes you there while making the long journey feel worthwhile. But sometimes, it’s as much about the journey as the destination. The road ahead was already laid out by its predecessor. And then, after everyone’s had their origin story, a final chapter will bring it all together, forming the party that will tackle the greatest threat lurking just behind the curtain. Each one will have their own paths to walk, secrets to uncover, and nemeses to vanquish in a heroic fashion. Eight adventurers, each with their own small-scale RPG quests, link up for one overarching journey. With Octopath Traveler 2, Square Enix goes back to the formula of the first.

The pathless puzzle solutions