You’ve got to try Octopath Traveler on Xbox Game Pass
You've got to try Octopath Traveler on Xbox Game Pass
Xbox Game Pass subscribers got a large surprise earlier this month, when they learned that Octopath Traveler would soon exist available on Microsoft'south subscription service.
The onetime Switch exclusive had made its style to PC, but never to another game console — and certainly never as part of a subscription package. However, just as Microsoft promised, Octopath Traveler did indeed debut on Xbox on March 24. And if you have whatever affinity at all for JRPGs, yous should download and play it ASAP.
- Play the best Xbox Game Pass games
- Also try the best Nintendo Switch games
- Plus: Where to buy the Nintendo Switch Mario Cerise & Blueish Edition
When Octopath Traveler debuted on the Nintendo Switch back in 2018, a 60-hour Japanese RPG sounded exhausting, fifty-fifty ane that I could take with me everywhere. I had places to go and things to exercise — there was no fourth dimension to follow the exploits of viii charming adventurers as they worked their way through a serial of personal quests. Merely times have changed, and gaming comfort food has kept a lot of us sane during an unprecedented public health crisis.
I wasn't quite willing to function with $threescore to play Octopath Traveler, but I already take an Xbox Game Laissez passer subscription. If I wanted to try the game, all I had to lose was a Saturday afternoon. So I downloaded the game and booted information technology upwards — and a calendar week later, it's notwithstanding my go-to game as soon equally piece of work is done for the solar day.
Octopath Traveler on Xbox Game Laissez passer
For gamers who haven't tried Octopath Traveler yet, it'southward an homage to the classic JRPGs of the late SNES and early PS1 eras. You explore the gorgeously rendered earth of Orsterra, which looks similar a 16-chip setting brought to life with semi-3D backgrounds.
The game'southward activeness is decidedly former-school in some ways also, with turn-based battles, character job systems and — if I'yard being perfectly honest — a lot of grinding to tackle the difficult bosses. Octopath Traveler's structure is decidedly modern, however.
Rather than taking control of a unmarried hero, gathering a party and working your manner through a predetermined narrative, Octopath Traveler lets you cull your own path. There are eight different characters, and you can starting time the game as any one of them. As you explore the world, you'll meet the 7 other political party members, each of whom has their own personal story to pursue.
What grabbed me immediately most Octopath Traveler was merely how open-ended it was. I started the game as Cyrus: a well-bred scholar who sets out on a mission to recover a powerful ancient tome. After I left the town of Atlasdam, at that place were no instructions on where to go or what to practice next. I consulted my map, and information technology near totally empty, save for the firsthand area I'd just explored.
All I had to go along were eight distant markers on a piece of blank parchment: Cyrus' second chapter, or the other seven party members' introductions. Deciding that I would need a healer to continue my quest, I set out in the general direction of Ophilia, the priestess — only to learn that she was located in a much more difficult area than I could tackle at the moment. I started exploring in the other management, somewhen running across Tressa the merchant, and starting her story.
In the end, I worked my way in a huge circle around the map, recruiting every new party member as I went. The game never prompted me with "get here next." Information technology simply gave me objectives and let me decide how to complete them, forth with general guidelines for how powerful I'd need to be.
Octopath Traveler'south nonlinear design comes with a few tradeoffs, of course. In the 12 hours or so information technology'south taken me to get together all eight companions, I haven't avant-garde Cyrus' personal story at all. He'due south had no meaningful interaction with the residue of the party; anybody'southward just traveling together because it's convenient to practise and so.
Part of what makes JRPGs and then appealing is that the overarching story usually collides with your party'southward personal stories as the game progresses. But in Octopath Traveler, at that place'south not much overarching story to speak of. While private characters go a lot of development, the lack of a larger party dynamic limits how invested you'll feel in the story.
Octopath Traveler gameplay
On the other mitt, the gameplay is riveting, particularly once you have a full four-person party at your disposal. At first glance, Octopath Traveler has a fairly standard plow-based battle system. You lot wait your turn, yous select your desired action (attacking, casting spells, healing, defending, etc.), the enemy takes its turn and the process begins once more.
What sets Octopath Traveler apart is your ability to "Boost" actions and the enemies' "Vulnerabilities." Each enemy is susceptible to a dissimilar type of attack, whether information technology's fire magic or a dagger strike. Exploit a Vulnerability long enough, and the enemy will "Pause," leaving it unable to attack for a turn, and much more prone to impairment.
At the aforementioned time, you tin Heave your characters, which lets them attack multiple times in the same turn, or empower special abilities. Boosts build upwards slowly over the course of battle, and you can only stockpile a limited number of them at a fourth dimension. As such, each battle is a fine balance between making enemies vulnerable, so Boosting to deal equally much damage as possible in a brusque time.
This is pretty unproblematic during random encounters, but boss battles force you to brand some difficult choices. Will you save a Boost for a much-needed healing spell, or risk information technology all to bargain massive damage? Should you lot spend all your Boosts breaking an enemy's defense — especially if that enemy is most to unleash a massive strike? And how much damage can you withstand if your plan fails?
The one downside here is that Octopath Traveler makes you work for your fun. Y'all need to utilize all eight party members for various quests, just they won't proceeds any XP unless they participate in battle. As such, each new chapter usually begins with a lot of level-grinding, especially since the bosses can and volition obliterate under-leveled party members in one hit. Random encounters get repetitive once you notice the right assault pattern, and they don't give much XP, either.
Still, Octopath Traveler has turned out to be a pleasant surprise in two ways. First, information technology was a surprise to find it on a whole new console with no preamble whatsoever. Second, it was a surprise to larn that Xbox Game Pass players can feel the whole adventure at no additional toll.
As for what the future holds, I practice wonder whether Xbox Game Pass will continue to exist the all-time deal in console gaming — or whether Microsoft will jack the cost, or impose some kind of restrictions, once the service hits critical mass.
- More: These are the all-time Xbox Game Pass games yous can play right now
Marshall Honorof is a senior editor for Tom's Guide, overseeing the site's coverage of gaming hardware and software. He comes from a scientific discipline writing background, having studied paleomammalogy, biological anthropology, and the history of scientific discipline and technology. After hours, you can observe him practicing taekwondo or doing deep dives on classic sci-fi.
Source: https://www.tomsguide.com/news/xbox-game-pass-octopath-traveler
Posted by: morrislosenaloo.blogspot.com
0 Response to "You’ve got to try Octopath Traveler on Xbox Game Pass"
Post a Comment