Octopath Traveler
Goodness

Octopath Traveler was first announced on January 13, 2017, under the tile of Project Octopath Traveler. A playable demo was released on the Nintendo eShop on September 13, 2017. The game will be released worldwide on July 13, 2018, with a special edition that includes the games soundtrack, a replica of the game’s in-game currency, a pop-up book and a map.

The project was started by Masashi Takahashi and producer Tomoya Asano, who previously headed the Bravely series. Aquire was chosen as development partner for the game based on their previous work on the What did I do to deserve this, My Lord series, which showed off their pixel art prowess. During the development process, various graphics options such as the depth, resolution, saturation, as well as other features such as whether water should be pixel or photoreal are taken into consideration to perfect the “HD-2D” look. The eight main characters, four male and four female, are chosen to provide different party variations. All characters have different classes, and the character design, as well as the field commands, are based on different occupations in Medieval Europe. For the demo, Olberic and Primrose were chosen to be the protagonists as their stories started in a similar place, and the developers wanted people to be able to recruit the other character after beating the story.

Octopath Traveler is a role-playing game that sports an “HD-2D” aesthetic, defined by the developers as combining 16-bit Super Nintendo style character sprites and textures with polygonal environments and high-definition effects. The game puts players in the role of one of eight adventurers, who each begin their journey in different ways. Each character has a unique command that can be used when interacting with NPC’s. For example, Olberic can challenge characters to battle against him, while Primrose can allure characters to follow her, allowing her to summon them during battles.

The game features turn-based battles, in which the player can attack using different kinds of weapons or elemental attacks, as well as use abilities and items. Playable characters receive a Boost Point at the end of every turn, of which they can store up to five at a time. During their turn, a player can use up to three Boost Points to boost a command, allowing their character to attack multiple times, raise their defense, or increase the potency of an ability. Enemies have a shield counter that lowers whenever they are attacked with a weapon or element they are weak against. When the counter is depleted, they will enter a stunned state where they can receive more damage and lose a turn.

Eight travelers. Eight adventures. Eight roles to play in a new world brought to life by Square Enix. Explore each traveler’s story and use their abilities in and out of battle. Will you expand your horizons as the Merchant or track down a traitor as the Warrior? Where will you go? Who will join you? You alone can choose your path.

Step into the shoes of a traveler to inherit their struggles and strengths. Use each character’s special abilities to interact with the world and enhance your tactics in turn-based battles. The Dancer’s alluring charm leads followers into battle, whereas the Apothecary can mix items to heal allies or unleash explosive attacks. Discover enemy weaknesses and target them to break through their defenses. Store Boost Points with each turn and then spend them at strategic times to strengthen abilities, chain attacks, or provide aid. Choose the path you wish to walk and discover what lies beyond the horizon.

• Explore multiple, distinct RPG adventures in a world created by Square Enix
• Choose from eight characters, each with their own distinct story
• The path you choose to pursue will affect where your adventure ends
• Deep, strategic turn-based combat with a layered battle system
• Music and visuals inspired by retro RPGs, brought to life with modern touches

This special edition includes:

• Game cartridge
• 8-page pop-up book featuring characters and their origins
• Two-sided cloth map of the game world
• Octopath Traveler™: Sound Selections CD
• Replica coin of the in-game currency

Plus a new demo is coming this Thursday 6/14. You get to play the first chapter of every character and even better you progress carries over to the full release when it comes out in July!

Source