Octopath Traveler's beautiful style and outstanding take on traditional turn-based combat make it a game that pushes JRPGs forward rather than simply paying homage to the greats.

Octopath Traveler is unapologetically old-school, and would not have been out of place if it had released back in the golden age of JRPGs.

Incredible music and art; deep and strategic gameplay; strong cast of characters; character Path Actions make trips into town exciting

No real overarching story that involves all eight characters; can be grindy between chapters; chapter structure can get repetitive

Square Enix is known for their rich history of games in the JRPG genre. From beloved retro classics such as Final Fantasy VI to more modern experiences like Bravely Default, Square Enix has been at the forefront of the genre for decades.

Octopath Traveler is a gorgeous modern JRPG with a great combat system. Unfortunately, a messy and lackluster narrative progression slightly sours the experience.

One look at the carefully detailed munchkin-like sprites at the heart of Octopath Traveler is confirmation of this turn-based role-playing game's allegiance to the SNES-era RPG. But the polygonal environments of the game demonstrate that developer Square Enix, in collaboration with the Tokyo-based...

Solid and definitely has an audience. There could be some hard-to-ignore faults, but the experience is fun.

There's been considerable effort to pin down the inspiration(s) behind Square Enix's new Nintendo Switch RPG, Octopath Traveler, since the game was first revealed in January 2017. "Oh, it's inspired by Final Fantasy VI," we said when we noticed its gorgeous "2D-HD" sprites are a callback to the best...

Octopath Traveler lovingly embraces old-school RPG conventions while offering its own refreshingly modern take. Through placing sprites in 3D environments, incorporating a separate storyline for each party member, and spicing up battles with fist-pumping turn-based combat, Square Enix makes bold...

Golden Age

Gorgeous visuals and slick animations; Superlative soundtrack; Fantastic combat system; Tons of things to do and locations to explore

Side quests are far too vague; Some QOL and design issues

For a certain set of role-playing fans, the Super NES era represents the golden standard of RPG design. That's nostalgia speaking to a certain degree; after all, many people encountered menu-based battles with teams of magic-slinging warriors through the likes of Final Fantasy 6 and Chrono Trigger .