You’ve got to try Octopath Traveler on Xbox Game Pass

You've got to try Octopath Traveler on Xbox Game Laissez passer

(Image credit: Square Enix)

Xbox Game Pass subscribers got a big surprise earlier this month, when they learned that Octopath Traveler would soon be bachelor on Microsoft'southward subscription service.

The onetime Switch sectional had made its way to PC, but never to another game console — and certainly never equally part of a subscription package. Still, just as Microsoft promised, Octopath Traveler did indeed debut on Xbox on March 24. And if you lot have any analogousness at all for JRPGs, you should download and play it ASAP.

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When Octopath Traveler debuted on the Nintendo Switch dorsum in 2018, a 60-60 minutes Japanese RPG sounded exhausting, fifty-fifty one that I could accept with me everywhere. I had places to get and things to do — there was no time to follow the exploits of eight mannerly adventurers as they worked their way through a serial of personal quests. Just times have inverse, and gaming comfort food has kept a lot of us sane during an unprecedented public health crisis.

I wasn't quite willing to part with $60 to play Octopath Traveler, but I already have an Xbox Game Pass subscription. If I wanted to try the game, all I had to lose was a Sat afternoon. And then I downloaded the game and booted it upwardly — and a week after, information technology's still my go-to game equally presently as work is done for the twenty-four hours.

Octopath Traveler on Xbox Game Laissez passer

For gamers who haven't tried Octopath Traveler yet, information technology's an homage to the classic JRPGs of the belatedly SNES and early PS1 eras. You explore the gorgeously rendered world of Orsterra, which looks like a xvi-chip setting brought to life with semi-3D backgrounds.

The game's action is decidedly former-school in some ways likewise, with plow-based battles, character task systems and — if I'm being perfectly honest — a lot of grinding to tackle the difficult bosses. Octopath Traveler's construction is incomparably mod, withal.

Rather than taking control of a single hero, gathering a party and working your way through a predetermined narrative, Octopath Traveler lets you choose your ain path. There are eight different characters, and yous can starting time the game equally any one of them. Equally you explore the world, y'all'll come across the seven other party members, each of whom has their own personal story to pursue.

What grabbed me immediately about Octopath Traveler was merely how open-ended information technology was. I started the game equally Cyrus: a well-bred scholar who sets out on a mission to recover a powerful ancient tome. Later I left the town of Atlasdam, at that place were no instructions on where to go or what to do side by side. I consulted my map, and it almost totally empty, save for the firsthand area I'd just explored.

All I had to go along were eight distant markers on a slice of blank parchment: Cyrus' 2nd chapter, or the other seven political party members' introductions. Deciding that I would need a healer to continue my quest, I set up 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 direction, eventually running beyond Tressa the merchant, and starting her story.

In the stop, I worked my way in a huge circle around the map, recruiting every new political party member as I went. The game never prompted me with "go hither next." Information technology just gave me objectives and permit me decide how to complete them, along with full general guidelines for how powerful I'd need to be.

Octopath Traveler'south nonlinear pattern comes with a few tradeoffs, of grade. In the 12 hours or so it's taken me to gather all eight companions, I haven't advanced Cyrus' personal story at all. He's had no meaningful interaction with the rest of the party; anybody'due south just traveling together because information technology's user-friendly to do and then.

Part of what makes JRPGs so appealing is that the overarching story usually collides with your party'due south personal stories every bit the game progresses. But in Octopath Traveler, there'due south not much overarching story to speak of. While individual characters become a lot of evolution, the lack of a larger party dynamic limits how invested you'll feel in the story.

Octopath Traveller — (Image credit: Foursquare Enix)

Octopath Traveler gameplay

On the other hand, the gameplay is riveting, specially once you accept a full four-person party at your disposal. At get-go glance, Octopath Traveler has a fairly standard plow-based battle organisation. You lot wait your turn, you select your desired action (attacking, casting spells, healing, defending, etc.), the enemy takes its plough and the process begins again.

What sets Octopath Traveler apart is your power to "Boost" deportment and the enemies' "Vulnerabilities." Each enemy is susceptible to a different blazon of attack, whether information technology'southward fire magic or a dagger strike. Exploit a Vulnerability long plenty, and the enemy will "Break," leaving it unable to attack for a plow, and much more prone to damage.

At the same time, you can Boost your characters, which lets them set on multiple times in the same plough, or empower special abilities. Boosts build up slowly over the grade of battle, and y'all tin only stockpile a limited number of them at a time. Equally such, each boxing is a fine balance between making enemies vulnerable, then Boosting to deal as much harm every bit possible in a brusque time.

This is pretty uncomplicated during random encounters, just dominate battles force you to make some difficult choices. Will you save a Heave for a much-needed healing spell, or take a chance it all to bargain massive damage? Should you spend all your Boosts breaking an enemy's defense — particularly if that enemy is about to unleash a massive strike? And how much impairment can you withstand if your programme fails?

The one downside hither is that Octopath Traveler makes you lot work for your fun. You need to use all viii political party members for various quests, only they won't gain any XP unless they participate in boxing. Equally such, each new affiliate normally begins with a lot of level-grinding, particularly since the bosses tin and will obliterate under-leveled party members in i hitting. Random encounters get repetitive one time yous find the right attack pattern, and they don't give much XP, either.

Still, Octopath Traveler has turned out to be a pleasant surprise in two ways. First, it was a surprise to find it on a whole new console with no preamble whatsoever. 2nd, information technology was a surprise to learn that Xbox Game Pass players can experience the whole adventure at no additional cost.

As for what the future holds, I practice wonder whether Xbox Game Pass volition keep to exist the best bargain in console gaming — or whether Microsoft will jack the price, or impose some kind of restrictions, in one case the service hits critical mass.

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Marshall Honorof is a senior editor for Tom's Guide, overseeing the site's coverage of gaming hardware and software. He comes from a science writing background, having studied paleomammalogy, biological anthropology, and the history of science and technology. After hours, you can detect him practicing taekwondo or doing deep dives on archetype sci-fi.