Octopath Traveler II Review (PS5) | Push Square

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Square Enix’s 2018 hit Octopath Traveler sold over 3 million copies worldwide, but never made it to PlayStation. Now, the series heads to PS5 and PS4 for the first time with Octopath Traveler II. Still with the striking HD-2D graphics of the first game, the sequel takes what its predecessor did and builds on it, creating a unique gaming experience which will leave you wanting more. It’s a completely standalone game as well, so there's no need to power through the first title.

Like the first game, Octopath Traveler II gives a choice of eight protagonists: Osvald, Castti, Throné, Ochette, Partitio, Agnea, Temenos, or Hikari (OCTOPATH, get it?). Picking a protagonist ties you in to having that character in your party permanently, but you'll unlock the rest of the characters and their stories on the journey through the new world of Solistia, so there’s no chance of missing anything and having to start a new playthrough.

Collecting party members as you journey on will allow you to play the first chapter of each character’s story. This can either be done by playing straight away when you’ve encountered the character, or by visiting the inn in any town and choosing ‘Hear a Tale’ from the menu. There are benefits and drawbacks to each way; playing immediately often feels like it inhibits progress and interrupts the flow of action, but it does mean that you gain EXP, items, and money for that chapter which then carry over. Skipping the chapter means that character joins the party (or the bench if you already have 4 party members) at level 1.

Introduced for this sequel, Octopath now has a day and night cycle. This can be triggered with a press of R2, or naturally by waiting it out. Characters have different skills at night and at