A Love Letter to Octopath Traveler or: How I Learnt to Beat Burnout and Love JRPGs Again

#jrpg #burnout #octopath
A Love Letter to Octopath Traveler or: How I Learnt to Beat Burnout and Love JRPGs Again
It's no secret that I've been struggling with the magnitude and size of the insurmountable backlog of JRPGs that we enthusiasts build up over the years, but Octopath Traveler came along at just the right time, thanks to Square Enix releasing it on PS4/5, and it taught me a valuable lesson xx
• A Love Letter to Octop...
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[@cadearcher2258]

Octopath has spoiled almost all turn based combat for me. It’s just so satisfying

[@INhumanLAST]

The disconnected stories were great for me as a working adult as i only get an hour daily and it feels great to finish a chunk of story

[@-solidsnake-]

I basically don’t have time for games at this point. I have a list of like 50 forty hour games I wanna play 😅😅😅😅

[@TwigletSparkle]

I'm glad you found a light at the end of the JRPG tunnel; I didn't expect it to be a 6 year old game though! Looking forward to seeing how you like SMT5 Vengance once you've finished it.

[@Kejosruler]

I do enjoy/care about the stories in JRPGs but to me personally the thing I like most about them is unlocking new and interesting skills and discovering what they do. Bravely Default and Octopath Traveler did a great job in that regard! So many skills to discover and combine. And because that is so important to me in a JRPG I didn't enjoy Chained Echoes as much as most other people did. A whole lot of the skills you got weren't all that interesting. Great story and nice characters, but it really fell flat for me in the gameplay department (the overall battle system was good, but I expected more from all the praise it gets)

[@madkaiser4887]

Wow, what a VIDEO! That was beautiful, mate 🥲

[@studiodsr]

Thank you for saying this. Growing up I was obsessed with FF4 and 5, and the stories (while advanced for the time) weren’t the main draw. I loved them for the environments and the gameplay and the music. It was more about being immersed in a word than following the “drama”. Then FF6 came along and gave me everything I loved about 4 and 6 but also had an incredible story, which was a nice plus. Octopath just nailed that nostalgia and escapism. It’s what got me back into gaming after many years of not playing. The people complaining about the story or lack of character interaction are missing the point

[@jeffreydean5112]

I have felt the same way, not just about RPGs but all games. I am just not into gaming right now - it's been this way for about a year and a half and I'm not sure why. I get excited about games and start them and get bored really quick. Last year I picked up Octopath Traveler 2 and fell in love. The music, stories, combat - all so fun and refreshing. After I was done, I felt empty.....so I decided to go through it again and two more times (with different combos of jobs and parties). It's hard to find games I can really sit and play nowadays because I just get bored quick.

[@CubicleJ0ckey]

Great video, really encapsulates my feeling as well. I’ve been on this weird search to find what I really enjoy from gaming and this sounds like it aligns with my thoughts. This is first video that I’ve watched of yours, but I’d love to see a video talking more about games that align with this sentiment. Cheers!

[@Joesephyr]

Thank you! That's really very kind of you to say, I'd love to know what games you've found scratched that itch for you :D

[@CubicleJ0ckey]

@@Joesephyr I’ve been playing Honkai Star Rail a lot but Unicorn Overlord is my most recent pickup. I almost put it down after a few hours thinking it wasn’t what I was looking for, but I kept going and the gameplay, progression and team building has really hooked me. I like that the story isn’t too verbose, but the world building is still there. I’ve been wanting to play Eiyuden Chronicles, but I’m afraid that it might not have that x-factor that really keeps me engaged. I previously wrote off Octopath before, but this video makes me think that I might like it more than I initially thought, especially if I don’t prioritize the story too much like you said. I literally fell asleep when I played the demo haha

[@colineade6363]

Octopath Traveler, much like Journey, feels like a love letter to gamers themselves. The HD2D format in a general sense is gorgeous, and particularly in OT, it feels so inviting and comforting in a way that many games and JRPGs lack. A lot of it is the lighting in the environments, I feel. Shadows and light and the quality of how each can make you feel the heat of a desert or the chill of a mountain. Further, OT felt like a return to when a game was more balanced. I don't mean in a mechanical sense, but in a production sense. I would hold up OT to Chrono Trigger and Final Fantasy 6 in having all of their elements given proper care, attention, and significance. Sure, OT doesn't have the nuance of FF7R, but not every JRPG needs to be Evangelion. FF6 and CT told stories in 16 bits and limited dialog boxes that were every bit as engaging, while also having very fun gameplay and visuals. You really could just go through them for all the elements or just one, it was up to you.

[@-solidsnake-]

I agree but also, Calling ff7r nuanced is unhinged, sephiroth shows up in the first 30 minutes and then Jessie try’s to bang you. Lol.

[@graciaman]

Love this take. Glad to see you back with us jrpg enjoyers 🎉🎉

[@Switch-2501]

Azing work! Really good video!!!!

[@grw18]

What i like about the gameplay is the fantastic combat and the myriad of combos you can experiment with the job system. There are so many combos and straight up game breakers. Ppl argue about the story being too self contained, and the characters dont talk to each other. but personally that hyped me for the hidden and tavern banters. I straight up searched a guide on how to obtain them every main story. And they are so plentiful. Alot of them is the travelers speaking their opinions of the situation and a few actual banters at each other.

[@andresdeleon9697]

I'm currently playing Octopath Traveller 1 for the first time. I already went in knowing it was good, but it was after the first boss fight that I realized I missed boss fights that felt relevant and that made me think and, above all, that I felt I really was in some danger of losing. I also loved the freedom of doing whichever chapter I wanted whenever I wanted. I'm also playing SMT V Vengeance (I played SMT V before) and it's making me watch all the cutscenes again just to know what changed and lot changed 😅

[@GentlemanGamer94]

This was a fantastic video! ^_^ Prior to watching it, I would've probably that characters and story were my favorite parts of games in general and JRPGs specifically. When I reflect on it now though, I'm realizing that a lot of my favorite JRPGs these days are the ones where I'm having fun consistently all the way through. Octopath 1 and 2 are both examples of a consistently fun experience for me. I do like the story and characters quite a lot... but it's because of Octopath's excellent turn-based battle system that I've grown to love this series so much, and I know I'll be in for a good time whenever I go back to replay it :)

[@nixhex]

I'm currently playing Octopath Traveler II & am really enjoying it. Haven't finished the first one, but might find it difficult to go back to after playing the second, mainly because of the improvements in the battle system & jobs. I love how you can take it at your own pace & don't have to get into every character's story. I can skip the ones I find boring, like Agnea, & watch the ones I enjoy.

[@sehaltielazurite2969]

It's great to see you enjoying a game and finding joy while doing so. As for what you said, I can get it. I think I'm at the middle of people like you loving mechanisms more than story and vice-versa. I'm a huge fan of Etrian Odyssey in general, and that's because they are hard and story is... there. In the same way, I loved playing Granblue Fantasy Relink. It was just pure gameplay without a lot of story. But on the other hand, I can enjoy a nice story. My issue nowadays is that I think I played too many games, and I'm done with many tropes. And I often find myself like you, feeling the magic is gone. I can't have fun with games like I remember I did back in the days, 30+ years ago. I genuinely think that stories in this day and age get very repetitive (like sometimes, they were not even written by scenarists) and I can't get into any of them. So I switched my focus and realised that I love good characters more than a good story. But even then, it's hard to get this, cause tropes, like waifus and husbandos, are... sad ? I never was into then, so let's just say I've been over it for years now, to be polite. Well, this message is getting longer than I meant it to be, so I'm gonna stop here. But it was really nice to see you hyped about a game. I do hope you'll find things like that to stay passionnate about our favourite hobby :D Also, the idea of naming franchises in the back is great. I'm waiting to see what you're gonna write :D

[@Joesephyr]

I think I actually feel very much the same as you, I love good characters more than a good story too, but talking about characters to other fans does become exhausting when it devolves into husbado/waifu territory, it's just not who I am or have ever been really x

[@sehaltielazurite2969]

@@Joesephyr Yeah, exactly. Sorry I answer only right now, but I don't even question character's sexuality in most of the cases (the exceptions being characters like Kanji Tatsumi from P4, where one of his arc revolves around it), and I don't care. I just like vibing with characters. Magilou from Tales of Berseria, Boothill from HSR, Mitsuru from P3, and many more. People like it, so we're not getting out of this trope, so I guess it's fine, but I sure as hell hope we will one day.

[@freakermeaker3365]

You just popped up on my recommended tab and it’s so good to see you again! I used to watch all your DFFOO guides and I didn’t realize how much I missed your content until this video showed up in my feed. Will definitely be watching your granblue fantasy guides as I’ll be starting that game soon, so glad to see you’ve been doing well!

[@RwnEsper]

Remember folks, the reason gaming is the biggest entertainment industry on Earth is that there is something for everyone! If a game is not for you, that doesn't inherently make it bad. If you don't love the art, gameplay or story of a given game, there are 1,000s of other options out there, go explore a bit! I personally love the Bravely series, and consider it one of my favorites from the 2010s. I think the dollhouse/diorama presentation gives it a distinct personality, and seeing it try to present itself as something like FF16 would totally kill the vibe IMO. I'd LOVE to see a Bravely Third, personally (I miss Ringabel and Edea!), but realistically ports of the first two games and a Bravely Default 3 are high on my wishlist!

[@BRWednesday]

New Joesephyr video and it's about Octo Path? I AM SEATED

[@rgs1803]

I'm playing both Octopath and FFXIV atm. I don't know which one to prioritize as they are equally good!

[@cenbu]

I've been wanting to get into the Octopath series for a while now, tried to play it on Switch when it came out but I don't really care for playing games on the switch so I was so happy to just turn on my PS5 one day and see Octopath Traveler 1 available to purchase. In respect to the Trails series I was also intimidated but I decided to play the first one (Trails in the Sky) and I'm hooked. Forget about the big massive story, just play one and see if you like the game itself, because at least for the first one, it was a fantastic story that had an ending, along with foreshadowing for the next game.

[@nerdzone]

I love how you put it. You completely get it. I got it sometimes from jRPG fans: "Why would you say Octopath 2 (and 1) are the best games in the genre, they have such a loose story?" And to that I say: "It's precisely because of that and its gameplay focus that I think it is the best game in the genre."

[@GiantButterKnife]

Through a series of dumb decisions and stupid fights, I had it hammered into me that how we interact with the games we enjoy doesn't really matter. Whether you're here for the challenge, story, character relationships, spectacle of presentation, cheating/hacking to break the game wide open, or finding every exploitable glitch to breeze through hard games on a diy easy mode. Because what does it matter if I used the unbreakable lockpicks mod to get endgame loot in the first few hours? We're all enjoying these games in ways that speak to us on whichever level makes sense to us. It's always exciting when someone is able to figure out what engages them best in the things they enjoy, and anyone who says they're engaging with it "wrong" is a bozo.

[@Joesephyr]

One. Hundred. Percent. Couldn't agree more!

[@003SONE]

I enjoy the game but I got so burnt out with the grind of it. I still haven't even really got onto any of the chapter 2 for the characters. I want to go back to it but just the thought of endlessly grinding feels exhausting to beat the bosses. Great video! I really love watching and listening to you. I would love to hear more about you and your life with games (as much as you'd want to say of course😅).

[@Numnumyum]

I agree 100%. I wanted so bad to enjoy octopath traveler but it got to the point where I wasn’t enjoying it. Burn out sucks that’s why I switch genres every few games, just to get something different.

[@IottiPH]

Valkyrie Profile: Lenneth is my comfort JRPG cause of how I don't think the story is heavy to go through. It's mostly mechanics/gameplay and those are wonderful there. I rarely want to invest energy learning a big story. I want nice gameplay!

[@dawnaeaclaudiuscaesaraugus714]

I can relate to this - I couldn't have made it through Xenoblade 2 or 3 if I hadn't of enjoyed the gameplay and the music, because the narrative and cast for both were such a massive step down from the original that I was actively put off. I can happily sink hundreds of hours into Disgaea titles, but am very much one-and-done with story-focused titles. Story is nice, but it's definitely not everything.

[@MBulldog1979]

Was in the same situation. Massively burnout in jrpgs but this ignited the flame again.

[@Joesephyr]

So glad to see I'm not the only one!

[@jonwhite81]

Playing bravely default with a dark Knight with rune fenced is great. Breaking the game is fun.

[@frederickwallace7808]

Yeah I need a good combination of battle and story to keep me fully invested. I would recommend Unicorn Overlord if you haven't played it. It's a very casual game eith an awesome battle system that isn't like crazy heavy eith the story either.

[@Joesephyr]

Unicorn Overlord is wonderful! And yes, it is a game where I started to gloss over the story as the game progressed, but that didn't make me enjoy it any less! Got the platinum and everything :3

[@moisescorral8297]

A really similar franchise to Octopath Traveler (I'm convinced this was the main inspiration actually) is the SaGa franchise. They're actually going to be remaking Romancing SaGa 2 soon.

[@RwnEsper]

I feel like Octopath is kind of the sane person's SaGa. Takes the good parts (multiple characters, overlapping stories) and leaves the random bullshit (ever lost a boss fight because your tank decided to Spark a new skill instead of doing tank things?) behind. Also, Octopath doesn't punish you for trying to get stronger.

[@victorsernache7337]

I'm of the same mind in this subject. A game with dense story is great, but too much of it just tires you out. It's good to alternate between a gameplay and a story focused game. That is the reason I was compelled to play the SaGa games. Oh! And if you want a recommendation: Crystal Project is just superb!

[@Joesephyr]

I have heard that's very good! I might have to give it a try!

[@IottiPH]

Also, I loved Chrono Trigger much before fully learning english! So yeah, I totally understand you.

[@Joesephyr]

That's wonderful! And what a great game to have that experience with!

[@IottiPH]

@@Joesephyr It's one of the advantages of being the little brother lol I actually started learning English at the age of 5~6 just to understand some stuff better in the game. But I only payed attention for real in the story when I was older.

[@embryonx]

Happy to hear that you’ve been finding a pathway to enjoy your game time more! Re: Trails, another creator named Brandon (Just the Gems) put out a nice video on why it’s OK to start wherever you want with Trails. Daybreak might be a nice way to see if the series is for you! kzbin.info/www/bejne/nn-2iHqljsl3Z6ssi=EJKUwnyQpBXkZMEG

[@ASalad]

I'm not sure if you're trying to avoid gacha entirely or not, but the Octopath CotC mobile game has a pretty great story and solid gameplay experience that feels pretty consistent with OT1 and 2. Towards the end game and late content it gets really grindy in kind of cumbersome ways, but there's a lot to enjoy prior to that.

[@Joesephyr]

I tried it, and honestly I didn't vibe with it, primarily because it was a gacha, I'm quite happy with the experiences I've had with 1 & 2, I'm not necessarily looking for more of the same (at least not from a mobile live service title), I just wanted to share the epiphany id had with this particular game :)

[@ASalad]

@@Joesephyr still appreciate you sharing! Thanks for the reply too. Definitely understand CotC not being for you!

[@nightspod5]

This game alone sold the steam deck to me.

[@onion_____]

Bravely default 2 on the switch killed it for me. It was terrible in terms of story snd art

[@cj_skywalker]

A Short Hike. Cat Quest. Final Fantasy I. Dark Cloud. These games have great stories and few unskippable cutscenes... but the stories are #2 to the gameplay. I think that people forgot that any game or narrative must add in interactivity. If I wanted to watch a story unfold, I'd go watch KZbin videos, not waste my game time. People completely forgot that before Pokemon Scarlet had us fight a legendary Pokemon to save our lives from a sadistic AI, or Pokemon Sun/Moon had an insane scientist who wanted to fuse with the Ultra Beasts, we had... Pokemon Red/Blue, where the only conflict was with the stupid inept Team Rocket and your arrogant rival who beat you in being a Pokemon Master... and still got crushed by a Level 100 Charizard. XD

[@Joesephyr]

Oh I can sit and talk about Dark Cloud for many, many hours, friggin LOVE that game and it's sequel!

[@thinking.online]

Nice Strangelove reference!

[@Joesephyr]

Yes! Thank you! Someone got it! :D