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Nintendo Switch: Octopath Traveller

Hello hello my little nuggets!!! 

I got the Switch last month and I am loving it. I got mine off Lazada, and honestly if you want to get one too, it's pretty affordable during holiday season! Apparently 11.11 has the best sales so if you can wait till then to get one (which is practically a whole year away ;;), or if not, just aim for the next upcoming one! Also, 11.11 seems to have the best sales of the year, even surpassing Black Friday, so start saving bit by bit now~



I wanted to get Let's Go Pikachu, but I also wanted to save a little and get it secondhand instead, which means I'm still waiting for a suitable listing to pop up. There are plenty online, but the sellers are all so far away.. )': In the meantime, I got my mitts on Octopath Traveler instead!



The art reminds me particularly of Bravely Default (and I still have to get End Layer), so I went and looked it up a little. Honestly, I was a little put-off the with the pixel pop-up style, but after getting past that, the game is pretty spectacular. The graphics are sharp, the visuals are great, and the soundtrack is engaging. 


As the name implies, there are 8 characters, 8 storylines, but the annoying thing here is that you have a party of only 4. The other 4 sits in storage, and don't receive any exp. That means that it gets pretty grindy, and while I am generally ok with grinding, I don't quite like having to switch parties often, especially if I've found a set that I work with best. Also considering the fact that there are secondary jobs like Bravely Default, I don't really need the other 4 that I keep in storage, except when I want to continue their chapters. You also can't switch out the character you chose as your main, which means actually only swapping 3 of a team instead of doing a 4:4 grind. 


I'm currently only at chapter 2/4 of each character, and there are recommended levels for each chapter, which makes grinding super grating. I usually go with the Scholar (mage), the Apothecary. the Thief, and the Warrior. The other 4 that usually sit in storage are the Dancer, the Cleric, the Merchant, and the Hunter. Each comes with their own special skill- for example, the Merchant can pick up money while entering maps. I would rather use her than the Thief, but therein comes the frustrating part: there are special treasure boxes that can only be opened by the Thief.

there's usually only two

Story-wise, it's pretty cute when you're midway through a chapter and you get a chat interaction with someone else in your party. Other than that, I really don't see what the 8 characters have in common? Sure, you pick a main character and then start recruiting the others, but what made the others follow you? You merely lent them some muscle on their starting chapter, that's it. Because of the level limit per chapter, it's also pretty hard to do a single one all the way through, which means jumping between characters, and while the game does give you a 'previously on chapter' it gets a bit annoying. Especially if I kind of don't want to play a certain character's chapters. 



On to the combat system: they're actually pretty great. It's turn based, though the character's speed stat still determines which character will attack first. There is a box hovering below the enemy that shows their weakness types, but only if you've managed to unlock it. You can use the Scholar's Analyze to unlock one (and show their HP), but I generally just whack them with one of everything until it unlocks. I also just cheat and google the Bosses' weaknesses. There is also the BP system (as with Bravely Default), but instead of defaulting to the attain one BP level, Octopath gives you one per turn, allowing you to attack and accumulate instead of only defending. Now I'm doing this Bravely Default mini comparison thing based on memory, so I might be wrong.. 


All things aside, I'm enjoying myself a fair bit once I've passed the level grind. I tend to grind them all to the highest recommended level, then proceed with all the stories at once. There was an auto battle option for Bravely Default, but not for Octopath so that was a little irritating. But then again, grinding can be made less painful when you're playing another game on another system at the same time. 

Ultimately, I don't regret getting Octopath Traveler, but I don't see myself being able to play too long at a time without getting bored, especially in between chapters. 

Alright, that's all from me for now, nerd out!

Have a great 2019 my little nuggets! I'm super looking forward to Fire Emblem and hopefully Pokemon as well~


Written by: ninetylives


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