Octopath Traveler 0, the Origins of the Most Exciting Journey
by Simon Larocca·November 19, 2025
What do Nolan’s films, Philip K. Dick’s novels, and the Octopath Traveler series have in common? If you don’t know, I’ll tell you: perspective. A story does not always reveal itself to those who experience it in its apparent linearity, not in its entirety at least: the need to observe everything that is narrated from different points of view, placed in different locations and often even at different moments in time, allows the viewer, reader, or video game player to understand the overall picture only if they step back a little and broaden their gaze.
Octopath Traveler 0, the next highly anticipated title in the series of the same name, coming out on December 4, 2025 for all next-gen platforms, will be based precisely on this principle, so simple yet highly effective, like its predecessors.
Made famous by the first beautiful chapter, initially exclusive to Nintendo Switch in 2018, the Octopath Traveler saga stood out right away for its HD-2D graphics with 16-bit sprites in Super Nintendo style, so to speak, and more elaborate polygonal environments, but above all for the particular narrative approach adopted by “mother” Square Enix: eight playable characters, each very different from the others, each with their own story line closely tied to their background, often dramatic, which they all share, and a journey, a path indeed, that will lead them to explore the colorful and majestic continent of Orsterra, until their paths intertwine with all the others.
Octopath Traveler 0 starts from this premise and expands its gameplay on several fronts: the presence of more than thirty recruitable characters in our party has now long been confirmed, even if in battle we will only be able to bring eight of them (thus maintaining the link to the series title and its most obvious feature).
Essendo un turn-based combat system, like the first six chapters of the legendary Final Fantasy, which it openly and explicitly takes inspiration from, paying tribute to them, we will find the tactical approach of the previous chapters, at least from what has been seen, with the possibility of choosing whether to bring all eight characters into battle or not. How much this will affect the difficulty of the fights and their significance and depth, this can only be understood when we get our hands on the game.
Se it is true that the main plot will be inextricably tied to the events narrated in the two titles previously released for console, it is necessary to take stock of the most important aspect in terms of narrative connections: Octopath Traveler 0, in fact, is nothing more than the ideal continuation of the storylines created for the 2020 mobile title, that Champions of the Continent that divided critics and the public alike, with its infamous (at least for this writer) gacha elements and a story progression strongly influenced by microtransactions and various uglinesses. With OT 0, then, Square Enix is effectively moving to remedy the situation with the awareness that it can no longer make mistakes and betray the expectations of the legion of fans that Octopath has managed to win over and entertain over the years: Champions of the Continent had on its side a series of innovations and plot twists of no small importance (I tried it at the time, I can assure you) that in 0 should return, expanded and defined so that they can tie in more harmoniously, and coherently, with the threat of the divine rings.
For collectors, we can already say that the planned Collector’s Edition is nothing short of incredible: in addition to the Ring of the Flamebringer ring, there will also be beautiful goodies such as the official deck of cards, a set of dice, the essential soundtrack, and a book with exclusive fan art.
Starting from scratch to rediscover, in the nostalgia of 16-bit, the glimpse of the future we dream of for our beloved role-playing games: that is all we ask of the next effort signed Square Enix.
Simon Larocca
Mi chiamo Simon Larocca, e sono un videogiocatore, collezionista e amante della cultura pop in tutte le sue forme. Vado al cinema ogni volta che posso, leggo da quando porto gli occhiali, quindi da sempre, e ho la passione per lo storytelling in tutte le sue forme, così dirompente da farla diventare una professione. Ma come direbbe Doc di Ritorno al Futuro, non ci sarebbe presente se non si guardasse al passato con rispetto e ammirazione, ed è il Simon bambino di più di trent’anni fa, anno più anno meno.
Simon Larocca
Mi chiamo Simon Larocca, e sono un videogiocatore, collezionista e amante della cultura pop in tutte le sue forme. Vado al cinema ogni volta che posso, leggo da quando porto gli occhiali, quindi da sempre, e ho la passione per lo storytelling in tutte le sue forme, così dirompente da farla diventare una professione. Ma come direbbe Doc di Ritorno al Futuro, non ci sarebbe presente se non si guardasse al passato con rispetto e ammirazione, ed è il Simon bambino di più di trent’anni fa, anno più anno meno.
TGMGrading
Grade your titles
Inspection, sub-grades, seal and display case: every grade comes with the method behind it, written down in full.
