When games come out, they always have their hype. But over the decades, I can quickly tell when a game will stumble. If a developer says this new game will establish a ‘new franchise’, I know the game is doomed (customers buy games, not ‘franchises’). I knew Metroid: Other M was doomed when Sakamoto said what was memorable about Super Metroid was Samus’s ‘maternal instincts’ (What!?).
History is a powerful guide to seeing the future of video games. Use the crystal ball well.
Let’s look at Octopath in that regard.
First Trailer:
This is a very unusual trailer. There is no bombast (such as the final Breath of the Wild trailer), no screams, no explosions (except for that fire spell).
The game is really showcasing our eight protagonists sitting in a tavern showing off the camaraderie. It is extremely unusual. Aside from some 16-bit JRPGs, the Ultima party has that ‘protagonists sitting in a tavern’ that I know about.
It’s striking that this game is clearly going for that medieval FEELING. There is no strange sci-fi Star Wars stuff here… at least not yet. While this game may be a spiritual successor to Final Fantasy 6, FF6 was loaded with high technology. I don’t see it yet in Octopath. Octopath is very renaissance era style. I’m thinking more Ultima 4, 5, and 6ish.
Let’s look at another trailer:
This trailer tells us, clearly, that there are EIGHT stories going on here. So instead of everyone joining together to fight the BIG BAD MONSTER, this game looks like it will be breaking that mold. We’ll see how this goes.
Some interesting quotes from this trailer:
“Explore the world as you see fit” (Open World?)
“Eight lands… eight stories to be told” (Is this 8 RPGs stacked on top of each other? It may be.)
“So tell me friend, what path will you tread?” (This is a genius sales line. Narrator talks to the viewer like you are in a tavern, and his question ASSUMES THE SALE. The question is put to you not whether you will play the game but what character you will be. No, scrath that. Not character, but PATH. Apparently, you can do good and evil with these characters?)
“Embark on an adventure all your own.” (Sounds like you are in control.)
“Embark on your story through TRUE ROLEPLAYING.” (The last time I’ve heard of role playing defined this way was Ultima series.)
First Demo
I know a game means serious business when they put out a demo before the game is launched. They gain valuable feedback from the demo. PC games used to do this all the time. The demo not only did great marketing, it did great feedback to tune up the game.
Multiple ways to solve quests and problems
I don’t remember Final Fantasy 6 giving us multiple ways to solve quests and problems. This is a JRPG trying to be Open World. Are they trying to ‘evolve’ the JRPG by giving it a dose of Ultima Open World?
Mix and Match Skills
The Job system will give this game ridiculous replay value. “How you build your character is entirely in your hands…” Again, emphasis is on you being in control.
This one emphasis 8 stories that you are mixing and matching. So it really does seem to be 8 RPGs intertwined. It’s… different. But is there a climax? A final boss?
Second Demo
The second demo allows you to play the prologue of any of the characters but only from 3 hours and have your save carry over to the full game. I didn’t do this one, but this is shrewd marketing. You already become invested in the game.
Limited Edition
I got this as soon as it went online. I see that not only is it all sold out, it seems to be selling twice of the original price!?
The Limited Edition is telling us more about this game.
The included CD is there because, of course, the music is incredible. We know this game has great music.
It comes with a replica coin to mimic the currency of the game. Why? This is suspiciously like the trinket found in an Ultima game (such as the medallion in Ultima V).
There is a cloth map!!!!! (It says cloth map on the Nintendo site.) When was the last time a video game was released with a cloth map? Let me interrupt my post to find out. Excuse me, reader…
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OK, the list I see from Giant Bomb shows some games. I think it is hilarious how that list stops at Ultima VII. It should stop at Ultima II since that is where cloth maps began.
Some RPGs put them in like Wasteland 2 and Skyrim. They, of course, are replicating Ultima’s use of them.
Now, what is really interesting about Octopath Traveler’s cloth map is that it is DOUBLE SIDED. Why is that? Doesn’t that hint at a RUINED WORLD such as in Final Fantasy 6 (whose paper map was double sided to show the World of Balance and World of Ruin).
Here is what I think is going on here. Final Fantasy 6 was characters coming together to go fight big bad evil (Kefka). But a significant part of Final Fantasy 6 was the individual character stories. In the Ruined World, you even go on distinct adventures with those characters to complete their story.
While Final Fantasy 6 had the main plot as the main dish and the character plots as the side, I think Octopath is reversing this. The character plots are the main dish, and the main plot is on the side.
We’ll see if Octopath can pull this off.
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