The Nintendo Switch 2 version of the first OCTOPATH TRAVELER is the game I'm legitimately struggling to recommend for today's Switch 2 owner. It's a notable JRPG in its own right for redefining storytelling amongst an 8-person cast along with a novel gameplay loop that has now spanned three entries. Most will probably be better off with the 2023 version of this game, unless you haven't yet played an OCTOPATH title and are opting to get the bundled package.
Eight years since its original release, OCTOPATH TRAVELER is now on the Nintendo Switch 2. During my tenure as DigitalChumps’ goose expert, I’ve had the opportunity to review OCTOPATH TRAVELER II and OCTOPATH TRAVELER 0 on the PlayStation 5. Beyond that, I’ve had my own off-record thoughts with OCTOPATH TRAVELER. It’s held up mostly well as a JRPG that can stand on its own two feet and offers players a slightly different JRPG experience outside of the turn-based norm.
That said, I’m not fully convinced that OCTOPATH TRAVELER is a game that can fully take advantage of the Nintendo Switch 2’s hardware…nor is one I typically recommend knowing that other OCTOPATH entries exist. Square Enix’s original vision of a choose-your-own-adventure-of-sorts with a cast of eight characters in a gloriously crisp HD-2D world feels constrained in this specific entry. Once six (of the eight) characters are unlocked, party composition is mostly guided by character-specific Path Actions (overworld actions that let the player interact with NPCs beyond simply talking to them) needed to progress in the current mission. The stories, while straightforward, lack the narrative depth that comes from OCTOPATH II’s method of pairing characters together for the purposes of highlighting interactions.
Despite the concept of needing to balance a party of eight characters, OCTOPATH TRAVELER is the most linear and perhaps the most simplistic of the series. There’s nothing wrong with a simple RPG (especially against other JRPGs that are needlessly complex), but sometimes our time is spent playing the better entries in a deep series rather than attempting to play all at once. Luckily, OCTOPATH TRAVELER is the first in the OCTOPATH anthology, meaning that you can freely pick-and-choose which OCTOPATH title to play without feeling like you’re missing out on critical story beats.
I realize now that the above paragraph reads as a warning against considering OCTOPATH TRAVELER. Don’t lean assume that I’m saying it’s not worth playing – it is worth playing, it’s just hard to recommend the Nintendo Switch 2 version.
The main issue I see with OCTOPATH TRAVELER on the Nintendo Switch 2 is that it’s virtually the same game as the Nintendo Switch 1 version released back in 2018. Square Enix has instead opted to focus on optimizing the already-lightweight game for Nintendo’s newest hardware. By that, I mean boosting the loading times and targeting a consistent 60fps. Compared to OCTOPATH TRAVELER II (that I also reviewed), the original has less to improve only because of its graphical simplicity. Sprites look more-or-less the same when compared to the Nintendo Switch 1 version. It’s hard to tell a serious difference between the Switch and Switch 2 difference on graphical quality of pixels alone.
My biggest issue with OCTOPATH TRAVELER on the Switch 2 is the lack of upgrade path and save transfers for existing Switch 1 version owners. I feel like I’ve been beating a dead horse as of late when it’s come to Switch 2 ports of recent Square Enix titles, but my anger persists. Denying existing owners the ability to transfer their save (at minimum) sucks when these JRPGs span 75+ hours to complete; paying a premium price to start over from scratch just doesn’t feel good by any stretch of the imagination. Given the lack of major differences between the Switch 1 and Switch 2 version, you’re better off saving a few dollars by getting the Switch 1 version and settling for that version. This is especially true if you’re debating which of the OCTOPATH games on Switch 2 to purchase as we near the holiday season.
The Nintendo Switch 2 version of the first OCTOPATH TRAVELER is the game I’m legitimately struggling to recommend for today’s Switch 2 owner. It’s a notable JRPG in its own right for redefining storytelling amongst an 8-person cast along with a novel gameplay loop that has now spanned three entries. Most will probably be better off with the 2023 version of this game, unless you haven’t yet played an OCTOPATH title and are opting to get the bundled package.
