POST 1
- July 7 : "Those waiting for the spiritual successor of FFVI will clearly feel the whiplash. There's one chapter for me to finish (Olberic's) and I will know if the game gets going story-wise."
POST 2
- July 7 : "About my final impressions of Octopath Traveler, I should be able to give them tomorrow at the latest. I will not hide that it is mixed so far, though with a positive outlook."
POST 3
- July 7 : "So, here's my final impression. Even if I expected it a little, I was still hopping for a little [plot] twist or surprise once the eight stories are complete. Nothing [happens], unfortunately.The game offers eight independent stories that can be followed in the order they so wish.
Except that even though they are pleasant, they remain quite basic and are nothing to write home about. But above all, they are (too) short. 4 chapters per characters, with a length of one hour on average [per chapter] when you have the required level. It racks up to 32 hours of "story" in total. The rest is [grinding] for levels and exploration.
Furthermore, the chapters follows the same pattern: Come to town -> dialogue/cutscene -> dungeon -> boss -> dialogue/cutscene -> end of chapter. No quest that makes you travel through the four corners of the world (that is limited to one continent. No vehicles, nothing.).
The sidequests are really lame and uninspired (Fetch quests) and unintuitive. Clearly, there are moments where you do not know what to do nor where to go. So much that I quickly avoided them.
However the battle system is very enjoyable, the technical aspect/graphics/art is great and the soundtrack is sublime. But it ends there. It's a good JRPG, but it will not last in one's memory (at least not in mine). I come out of this game a bit disappointed, because I expected more than that.
I'm not fond of giving scores but if I had to give one, I'd give it a 14-15/20.
However it is subjective, the game will certainly be liked but we are veryyyyyyyyyyyyy far of the masterpieces of the genre."
POST 4
- July 7: "I forgot to mention: 60h of playtime on the lock. Grinding for levels is mandatory (especially at the beginning, then it gets better), it was a little bit tiring.
For the story, there is none. It's 8 mini-stories of 4 hours each (in a straight line), they're pleasant for the most part but not unforgettable. I loved Primrose and her story of revenge, but I would have not been agaisnt 5 or 6 more hours [of story]
I'l say it again, it's a good game, but not a futur masterpiece. There was so much potential to create an epic story once all of them are finished, like an end of the world or what not. But it doesn't happen.
POST 5
July 8 : "The interactions are limited to a few optional dialogues (a bit like FF9's QTE [note: he means the ATE system of FF9 where you can follow someone's point of view] but to a much less extent)"
POST 6
July 8 : "I want to say that the game remains good despite everything [I said]. Combat system, visuals, soundtrack...at their best. The second job system is enjoyable and lenient.
It's the story being formulaic/unoriginal, without taking any risk and only offers to follow eight personal stories (a bit short, admittedly). Uninspired sidequests and a system of unique skills [field skills] with mixed results.
It still remains a game to play, but with the knowledge of the facts, I'd say it's worth a 14 or 15 out of 20.
I think that when you have all of this in mind, you can play this game without being too disappointed. But then, to purchase the game at full price depends on anyone's appreciation [of the game's value]."
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A user's questions for new-sephiroth
1- Is it necessary to farm [note: reads grind, it's interchangeable] to finish the main stories ? Is it necessary to do the sidequests (that doesn't seem exciting) to complete the game ?
Answer : Yes and they were quite annoying. Non, and all the better for that
2- If the sidequests aren't exciting, what about the main stories ? Are thye well-written ? Not too repetitive (only for the main quests) ?
A: They're quite well-written, even very interesting for some of them. Some are less so and even yawn-inducing, so much that I was about to skip the dialogues. They are short, however.
3- Are we forced to finish a story before starting another one or can we start all of them at the same time and do the characters that are the most interesting first ?
A: You progress how you want to, in the order you want to. Feel free to progress through all the stories at the same time or do all the chapters of a character before going to the next one.
4- If there is really no story [note:probably reads overarching plot], are the 8 characters well developed and written ? What about the NPCs ?
A: I think it depends on one's feelings. I hardly liked H'aanit's story and gameplay for example. Others will find no doubt find it interesting. [As for] the NPCs, some breaks out of the mold, others don't.
5- In terms of story, is there truly nothing at all or at least a few twists ?
A: [There are] twists that you can see coming from a mile away. The stories are pretty conventional for the most part.
