Octopath Traveler 2 Review: Another Great Tactical JRPG

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, from Square Enix and Acquire, is a pixel-art JRPG sequel that carries the surprising weight of expectations on it. It's surprising because never felt like it was going to surpass niche status, but somehow managed to extend its reach just a little further than the niche genre of pixel-art tactical JRPGs. With clear foundational building blocks in place, it's not a stretch to imagine could be something truly special.

And, for the most part, it's something close to that — a great game with great systems that nevertheless begins to drag over its runtime, unable to avoid the same pitfalls its predecessor faced. The eight-person sprawling narrative is more closely tied together than before, but the game still feels like playing multiple different, short retro-inspired JRPGs than one deftly navigated one.

Related: Octopath Traveler 2: Every New Character & New Class

That said, to be great is no shame — and is truly great. As far as tactical JRPGs go, its combat system is one of the better ones in recent memory, marrying explosive burst turns with a kind of methodical, plodding pace that rewards players both for risk-taking and conservative measures at equal frequency. The characters feel a little more fleshed-out this time around, with standouts like Partitio in particular being a delight to follow.

Graphically, it feels like has made some progress in rendering some beautiful scenes, something that the previous title had no shortage of. The world of Solistia is absolutely gorgeous in spots, further bolstered by the way that scenes change from the day/night cycle the game has implemented. There are some views that, despite their simplicity, are so breathtaking they're worth pausing to take in. The world really is, in spite of