THAT'S A LOTTA PATHS!!!

Many thanks to Square Enix for sponsoring this video! Octopath Traveler II is out now on Nintendo Switch, Playstation 4, Playstation 5, and Windows! Hit this link to learn more: bit.ly/Arlo_Oc...
If you like what I do, please consider supporting me on Patreon!
/ arlostuff
TWOOTER: @ArloStuff
This video was edited by the lovely Kane!
/ farfetchdreviews
"Reloaded Installer #11" by LHS.
/ @lhschiptunes
#OctopathTraveler2

[@ArloStuff]

PINNED COMMENT FOR YOU Many thanks to Square Enix for sponsoring this video! Octopath Traveler II is out now on Nintendo Switch, Playstation 4, Playstation 5, and Windows! Hit this link to learn more: bit.ly/Arlo_OctopathTravelerII

[@drawgam2946]

Gratz with the new sponser!

[@davidmuir405]

I liked live a live better

[@Antidepressiva1980]

Crunchy and punchy :D Love it .

[@matthewcienki8064]

Only one month?????

[@davetoms1]

Congrats on the sponsorship! Sadly the link won't let me purchase :( I'm in North America (Canada) and the link takes me to the Great Britain Square Enix website, (despite the "Select Region" menu saying "Canada"!) so its link to purchase for Nintendo Switch goes to the UK Nintendo Shop, which says "You cannot purchase this content" because I have a Canadian account. If I just surf to the Canada Nintendo shop, I'm concerned Arlo won't get credit for it :(

[@minecraftotalwar]

Arlo is like: "This character, oh I love this character." "This character, he is one of my favorites." "This character, this is my main."

[@scarlet7960]

Yeah lol, it's funny in the best possible way

[@jameslawrenson1208]

He sure loves characters.

[@buster5661]

He’s getting paid

[@CalvinVance]

​@@buster5661 yeah. but knowing Arlo he probably also actually likes all the characters. I like octopath traveler and plan on playing the sequel but it's definitely not for everyone.

[@buster5661]

@@CalvinVance true true, but not only was he actually getting paid, his tone was like he was reading an ad which can be distrustful. I’m sure the game is very fun, but a very sketchy video

[@guilhermefloresfeitosaguer4543]

This game really makes you FEEL like Dunkey is going to hate it. 10/10 IGN

[@somethingelse4282]

dunkey: "I hate turn based JRPG, they feel slow, tedious and childish" Viewers: "So you're not gonna play it and say the same thing again" Dunkey: " >:) "

[@thermalThrottled]

@@somethingelse4282 but if he didn’t how would he find the ones that he does like!

[@thelastwindwaker7948]

@@somethingelse4282 The same pain of being a Sonic fan watching Game Grumps.

[@darcidious99]

​@@somethingelse4282 for what its worth that's still important for reviewers to do, so long as their criticisms and praises are fair. Dunkey blends reviews with his comedy which unfortunately kinda backfires on him. Like I enjoy his xenoblade videos, and they do show some of those game's weaknesses... But he emphasizes them to a point where it isnt an actual reflection of the game. Arlo's reviews are much fairer. Look at his pomemon ones, there's praise on good elements and criticisms on elements he didn't like. That being said while they're informative, they aren't as entertaining as dunkey's. That's not a diss on arlo i prefer his reviews, they just have different styles of reviewing.

[@rickrogan2355]

To me, Dunkey just sounds like one of those guys who loves to complain. They do things that make them want to complain, just so they can complain because they love that.

[@crisiscoreffv2]

This game is INCREDIBLE! the demo itself was so good, but the real game? holy shit

[@scribsandskets1179]

The first game was some of my first experiences with good uses of haptic feedback in a game. The satisfying drop of coins in your hand when you went to the shops was a standout. I'll be playing the sequel on PS5 and I hope it does the same things with the controller.

[@13AxelRoxas]

I pre-ordered it, and I've been loving it so far. My first character was Osvald, and he gets a nice ability that increases the exp you earn in battle. After that, I grabbed Patito and Agnea, which was accidentally the best decision I could have made. Since Patito gets an ability for more money and Agnea gets an ability to increase the amount of JP you get and my most recent character is Temenos... I just wanted a healer character. He's ok, I just like my other 3 characters more. They work really well together.

[@tylerprince6371]

Yeah, temenos was my least favourite battle-wise

[@davidrich27]

I love HD-2D graphics. It’s like it’s those shadow box displays.

[@KINGJA92]

Ochoette is definitely my favorite character, the ex skills she learns is OP(no spoilers) along with Hikari and Partitio as a dancer 🔥

[@edcaous]

Really like what they've done with the towns in this one. Each one is extremely expansive. The day/night system really adds a lot to each of them.

[@gentrol1630]

Charging my pro controller and watching this video before i boot up the game. LOVED the first one...cant wait ...unsure who I wanna start with yet but this video def helped. Thank you arlo !

[@majinboo6377]

im 80+ hours in the 1st game and just reached 1st traveler chapter 4, this game is long af, though i do everything like side quests, optional dungeons, loot everything, explore everything, steal everyone, challenge everyone, buy limited equipments that cant be stolen from npcs, etc3. for inner ring i already done everything there, for middle ring only forest of no return level 48 with 263k hp boss that i havent done yet cause too dangerous. havent get advance jobs yet. its a really really long game. for normal people im not sure if they can finish both games.

[@spiritdancer36]

Please, oh please Square Enix give us an accessory(from the beginning) that allows us to backtrack or explore for chests without random encounters. Trust us as the players to know when we need to grind. People who love blind RE can have them and those of us that it’s a deal breaker can still love and appreciate your amazing game. I want to play all 8 paths and not just hope I can get through one without setting it down in frustration.

[@yanhuideng8263]

Surprised you didn’t play the previous Arlo.

[@GrizzyLatrizzy]

After playing the demo, I chose Agnea as my starter. I chose her because her story is the most neutral. No blood feuds, no mystery, no greater purpose. Just "I wanna dance!" I scooped up all the western continent players, and plan to do their quests first. I wish they made it so all 8 could be in your party at once.

[@Flareboxx]

I hope you enjoy it Arlo! Octopath Traveler 1 was one of my top 5 favorite games of all time, and the sequel seems like it's going to be even better! Hopefully you'll go back and play OT1 eventually too.

[@commonviewer2488]

A big complaint I had with the first was the complete lack of interaction between the characters. We shouldn't have to wait for the endgame to have this group talk to each other. Happy to hear _something_ is there now.

[@PostcardsAndBooks]

I adored the first, I'm playing Triangle Strategy now, but I can't wait to get to this one. I'm 100% sure that the guy at my local videogame store won't even let me talk and just FINALLY give me the game. Can't wait. Loved the peek to to the characters!

[@mjanime786]

I absolutely have fallen in love with all the characters but my favorite path is hikari...he's a beast

[@Hus0408]

Arlo got one thing wrong about Temenos, in that he's not just a cleric, but the church's inquisitor. But him being morally kinda gray and a bit unorthodox, 100% correct.

[@calvinmatthews1527]

I'm glad this game is getting so much attention and now that the series has gone multiplatform, it's guaranteed to sell better. Meaning a lot more people will know how good it is!

[@jacebeleren3]

The one thing I want is party dialog.

[@verity_amo]

This baby can fit so many paths

[@bibliofowl]

Really want Square to put a comment from Arlo on the physical copy of the game: "You get a boat now! Who doesn't like boats?!" -Arlo

[@lordrikudouzero9119]

Thanks Arlo and welcome!!! The first is one of my fav games all time and has maybe the best ost ever (top 5). I’m getting the special edition and am looking forward to diving in again. Special note: The ‘disconnected’ stories is one of the games characteristics so it bothers some people but it’s a lot like ‘Live Alive’ and really is a sub-genre that doesn’t gel w/everyone. If it changed that aspect it would be just like any other turned based jrpg. My understanding is that there is more connectivity for the separate stories this time. Enjoy!

[@maggiecelentano9927]

If you manage to finish the game or mostly finish it, I'd love a follow up video on your thoughts! I just started it (finished three first chapter) and I'm wondering if the stories will be engaging enough to keep me going

[@lastchance10123]

Super excited to check this out! I’m playing a lot of RPGs right now but I’m definitely checking it out this year

[@fonzy1259]

Gonna wait for the accolades trailer and comment "Crunchy and punchy" -Arlo

[@rickDirector]

Thank you Arlo, your opinion influenced me the most to buy this game. I've played the first chapter of this saga, and I loved it, but, because I'm obsessed on completing games (or, at least, most of them), I also hated myself for playing the very hard final boss of the game. That's why I was not really sure about playing the second chapter...until I watched your review. It reminded me of how good this kind of games was: gameplay, music, art style, but, most importantly, the story(*stories). So...I've picked Partitio, and I've already completed his first chapter... in less than an hour of gameplay. Thank you, Arlo

[@cosmogang]

I only hope it’s less repetitive than this first one. Otherwise I am pumped for this. Thanks Arlo.

[@GeoOsaka]

according to jason schreier the chapters are no longer just explore town, dungeon, boss fight, repeat. there’s apparently much more variety thankfully

[@JackCross3]

​@@GeoOsakathat was my biggest gripe with the first game. It felt like every chapter was locked into that structure even when it didn't really make sense for the characters' stories (looking at some of the merchant stuff in particular)

[@christopherdornak3632]

I played the full 3 hours in the demo and grabbed 5 of the 8 characters. Osvald and Ochette are my favorites. I can't wait to pick up my copy tomorrow

[@VorpalBender]

Cait Battle song is best song in game.

[@nicholasburge9594]

Commenting because I'm scared to watch before I play but I'm so glad to see some hype around this game ❤️ I feel like the last game didn't get nearly enough retrospective love

[@DICE2626]

Arlo is the best

[@karmad.twelve6613]

I have Octo 2 in my Switch right now, but I also picked up the physical copy of Metroid Prime today and the new Kirby game! The hype is real! Thanks, Arlo!

[@noahsmith7573]

Throne from the Industrial city of clockbank 4:11

[@alexiosblake9804]

Thank you for the crossed path chspters. That's what the first game really missed.

[@michaelballack3051]

Arlo sure loves the characters tho! 😂

[@JNIKEL]

That’s a lotta NUTS!!!

[@tfannis]

Yes, this is all I need for the next month aswell

[@donovandunlap8560]

Great game: My hopes for Octopath is that one day they will make this type of game but it is set in the distant future with blasters, beam weapons, futuristic technology & navigating through the galaxy.

[@tehbeernerd]

Ah, but does Octopath Traveler II have a character with my last name, like the first one has with Olberic? I don’t think so!

[@KazuyaKujo-Kun]

Oh god it's the Malzahn of RPGs

[@CaptainNeckbeard]

If only Pokémon games could look like this. It'd be a great style for a spin-off.

[@AnthonyLikesCards]

I also missed out on Octopath 1, simply because I didn't get my Switch until a few years later. I also just kind of preferred Bravely Default's combat system (even though they're both incredibly similar). That being said, I was VERY excited for Octopath 2. I started the game as Throné and thought the game's presentation was immaculate, but the writing style was a bit cheesy/cliché. I was enjoying myself well enough but things didn't fully start clicking for me until I unlocked my 2nd character at around the 4 hour mark. Once you have multiple characters and start exploiting the weaknesses of enemies that's when the game truly begins imo. I'm about to unlock my 4th character now and the combat just keeps getting more and more fun, to the point where I don't even care about the random encounter system because combat is literally the best part of the game. I'm still not a fan of the style of writing, specifically how characters speak like shonen anime characters instead of like real people, but I'm enjoying everything else so much that it won't stop me from dumping 70+ hours into this game. Even if the style of writing isn't for me, I do think I'll still enjoy the story quite a bit if the overall narrative ends up being strong. We'll see what happens!

[@KanderUdon]

Pathless vs Octopath… ultimate opposites

[@spacepope8495]

This puppet likely has more money than me ..for playing video games.. life is funny like that

[@tylerstanley5377]

Gotta say, within the first few minutes of watching this, Arlo has actually made me interested in trying this game. I am a decent fan of jrpg’s. I will say I tried Bravely Default II, but I couldn’t get into it. Sometimes art presentation is important to me, and I think I also made the mistake of including voice acting. I’m one of those who doesn’t enjoy voice acting as much in these type of games. So when I try this out, I will hopefully be able to turn it off. No offense to the voice actors, but in these games, I like to imagine voices like you would a book. That was one of the charms of the older jrpgs, FF6 being a prime example for me.

[@litozzz6791]

Can’t wait, I still playing part one warmaster is hard!

[@florsch6781]

I'm really excited for Octo II. Loved the first one. At least 200 hours of playtime. But I still have to wait..... There is still Metroid Prime and Fatal Frame 4 to play first ^^

[@MrKittyhead]

I didn’t play the first Octopath, and I really want to try this one. I’m sort of confused though. If you have so many characters to control, does it kind of become overwhelming? Do they correlate at all, or is it kind of random? Looks fun, but kind of confusing.

[@genmaicha.lapsang]

The order you acquire them is up to you. You start by picking one that one will become your main character locked into your party until you finish his/her campaign. Regardless of whom you pick you see everyone's single story. The interactions between the characters sometimes need to be unlocked in certain ways. The battles are strict turn based with the order shown on the top of the battle screen.

[@changedmylife07]

Started watching but had to stop because I realized I wanted to uncover all the characters myself first… 5 more to go then I’ll be back! Lol

[@timeismichael]

That's a lot of nuts

[@dmofOfficial]

Hear me out: FF6 in Octopath style! OMG! Would be more than amazing! 😍

[@TheMemesofDestruction]

Go on Brother Monster. ^.^

[@crimsonhawk52]

I'm stoked for this game, but not stoked enough to get it before it comes to xbox (a year later like the first game, I hope, or sooner)

[@Spinevoyager]

It's OARLO!

[@owlelfling5089]

Lmao they really just stole Caleb from Critical Role for Osvald didn’t they Not complaining I love Caleb I love seeing him in other mediums this is great

[@joenike55]

The first one was super grindy

[@worldcollapse]

Massive ad

[@rebeccaschneider5223]

Are you related to the Cookie Monster from Sesame Street? 🤣🤣🤣

[@sRtAoIrNm]

My only question about this game is… is it grindy? Do I have to grind. This is 100% the only thing keeping me from getting this game. It kept me from beating the first one but if grinding isn’t an issue here then I’m all for it.

[@NigelGrab]

This hd 2d thing is really exciting to me. Mainly, I would love to see a Pokémon game following this style. That would be the absolute dream, particularly as a way to sidestep the switch's hardware limitations.

[@friendbreakfast]

hd 2d would be like, the one look i would accept for a Pokémon Black and White remake. cuz already Pokémon B&W were the PEAK of 2D graphics for the series and already was a mix of 3d and 2d, so turning B&W 3D wouldnt sit well with me i think. hd-2d is basically just a more elaborate version of what B&W did so id LOVE to see B&W be remade on that style ^^

[@NigelGrab]

@@friendbreakfast agree big time, with following and overworld pokemon would be the dream

[@cameronjensen9397]

@@NigelGrab Perhaps in all honesty, it might be a decent idea for pokemon to go to hd 2d in general, given how some of the latest 3d games aren't that well designed.

[@sspectre8217]

@@cameronjensen9397 I enjoyed Scarlet and Violet, but yeah I agree. If they went back to 2D pixel art, even better if it's like the HD 2D style (Square copyrighted the style, I think). The game would run better, look better and they might even have more room to make a very interesting RPG.

[@cameronjensen9397]

@@sspectre8217 Nope, from what I've googled, they've copyrighted the name. Meaning that the style is absolutely open for anyone to use. But either way, 2d pixel art is a good way to try and recapture old pokemon fans, without just copying and pasting the old versions, and not making the game stupid easy or hand-holding for the 'kids'. Doing that is like one of those phone game ads that you see, where the 'player' playing the game is so brain dead, they can't solve a simple puzzle. That is just straight up annoying, and can drive away people.

[@ssj4922]

The presentation of Octopath was one of the most impressive things I've seen in the JRPG genre and I'm glad the sequel looks like it focuses on polishing it's already strong parts. Man seeing the visuals, presentation, storytelling and combat of this game compared to my month long playthrough of Pokemon is actually night and day.

[@slyceth]

But it's just press a

[@zeroescape]

@@slyceth yeah lemme know how well that works out for you

[@南方ボイ]

Pokemon is trash anyway

[@TheSnazzyBoi]

​​@@slyceth Nuh uh, if you play on PC it's press z or enter

[@blayedd_]

I’m not a fan of jrpgs but the visuals of the first game got me to try the demo… unfortunately I couldn’t get into it, but I’m glad to see more and more games with this style

[@sibby_547]

One thing Arlo did not mention is the music. I've not yet played Octopath 2 (it's downloaded and ready to go for this evening) but the music in the first Octopath is incredible. I've no doubt the sequel's OST will be fantastic as well.

[@gondalfthewizard]

The normal battle themes feel like boss music. Tis great

[@coastersplus]

So far the music's been great but what gets me is how _much_ of it there is... places have day _and_ night themes (even the map where you select your first character has a night version of the main theme!), character themes go wild - Partitio gets a whole electric guitar and sax jam for some reason - terrified how many discs the soundtrack will take up but I'm going to have to get it anyway :P

[@tmacandcheese1]

He mentioned a foresty hometown and my mind immediately went to H'aanit's home theme, "My Quiet Forest Home" which was easily one of my favorite songs in the last game. I want MORE 🤩

[@fe_fanby2278]

Has to be good because it's the same composer too!

[@WateryStar]

@@coastersplus I believe it's 6 discs. Someone on Reddit posted photos.

[@benabaxter]

I know Octopath Traveler gets a lot of gripes about a lot of things. What I don't see a lot of people appreciating is how the game repurposes and recontextualizes very old JRPG tropes. The goal of Octopath Traveler, in my understanding, wasn't really to be an overlapping network of stories, like we saw with Final Fantasy 6, but to be eight different stories told in the manner of an anthology which connected very satisfyingly at the end. It's a book with eight characters and the story chapters only move ahead when you do, and when you finish all of the stories you see how it all ties together. The only difference is it slightly plays on the Live A Live structure. It's the story of eight protagonists, not eight friends. Their traveling companions just happen to be protagonists you've spent a lot of time with, and for the sake of simplicity your imagination fills in the gaps. At least, it did in my case. Meanwhile, it has eight very different kinds of stories, from a wide variety of subgenres of children's storytelling. It had the best tournament arc in one of its chapters, perfectly and thematically tied to what the character was going through. It had a very very dark place with the dancer story, Even though it messed that up as it goes towards the end. Still, it unwraps itself in very different ways depending on who you start with. I chose Cyrus and it was a hoot to play through his campaign first and see where the whole thing was going. It would have been a very different experience to start with Tressa, for example---It's really amazing to me to see how different the story feels depending on who you start with, just because of how the way stories are unlocked and told and recontextualized based on the player's choice. I understand that people are frustrated that there's no such thing as overlap and interaction in the usual way. Maybe for a bigger release that would be possible---or a much smaller one. I understand why it would be difficult to track the four or five different places each of eight different characters might be developed in at the various different points of the story. Their relationships wouldn't quite grow and it would come off a little hollow, like the battle text which varies depending who's in your party in an old Super Nintendo RPG. I see that as marginal gains compared to what the game is actually trying to do, and which it succeeds at doing in such a focused and elegant way.

[@pizzacrescent1080]

That's really interesting, maybe you or someone else can put their own interpretations into a fanfic or something and make it overlap their own way, because personal experience from playthroughs can help build a great story on top of a another one. Maybe I can try it one day

[@mooglerific]

thank you for saying what i basically would not be able to say so succinctly. i think people are going into this game with the wrong expectations. Nothing says that an RPG with different stories HAVE to intersect and come together, it’s fine as it is as a collection of stories. comparing it to an anthology has been the best analogy i've seen thus far in how to describe the octopath games.

[@ddgaming9717]

I don't have a problem with the connection I just wish your party members would comment on things doesn't even have to be all of them just random whoever is with you old rpgs did it like with the theif and hunter how they had the banter talk that fit so well with the scene that just happend if the hunter was there in the background of the theif story and she made that comment that would been perfect but I'm really enjoying 2 and the battle banter helps alot I love that and weapons changing I don't think they did in the first one but for 3 I just want them to comment not be adding into the others story like paper mario or something they just comment on what's happening with their personality but overall loving 2

[@obivandyke7483]

Yeah.. Totally agree on your points. Your imagination fills in the gap.. I love it.. Even though there are no real interactions, you can use "banter" if a prompt appear. Characters gives comments with each other stories depends on which chapter you are on. I just saw this "banter" half way in my game with Octopath 1. Now I'm playinh Octopath 2, I'll keep an eye on these just to read their "interactions"

[@ED-gw9rg]

So my first character was Osvald, and then I ran into Temenos first... ...And yeah I thought the guy would be that one laaaaame cleric/healer stereotype until he fearlessly sMITED A THIEF IN FRONT OF ME. From then on, the tone I got was "I really, REALLY can't wait to tear these bosses to shreds..." Actually, that's another nice thing about Octopath: You get to make a fun difference with 7 other characters when the main boss fights roll around!

[@rickrogan2355]

I started Octopath Traveler with Tressa, and I started Octopath Travler 2 with Partitio. No regrets I love them both.

[@darcidious99]

Octopath loves their OP merchant characters. Seriously partitio giving extra JP and having that broken latent power is just insane early game.

[@guusthomassen9945]

I started with alfyn, but tressa is still the goat

[@Mario-wp8ut]

Me too merchantism for the win!

[@veemporer5592]

Shalom

[@Kaiwalski]

@@darcidious99 sounding like a rise of kingdoms ad

[@islaamN]

I feel like I haven’t played a fun RPG since Bugfables, and just like Bugfables…you convinced me to give Octopath Traveler 2 a shot. Thanks Arlo! :D Probably going to go with Agnea first. I’m all for the happy cozy vibes and she really reminds me of Lunar Legend :].

[@TheMetalGaia]

Bug Fables is great!

[@jessicashaw4086]

Bug fables was one of my all time favorites ❤

[@Chiller31916]

I'm really curious to know what kind of games Arlo declines to review

[@Antasma1]

Shady companies or shovelware I guess

[@specialsomeones]

Mobile games I’m guessing

[@lauriebarton9836]

Only nintendo-ee stuff or mario kid type games or stuff like this nothibg adult like or too big boy for the switch. G rated content for us adult viewers and type games. Nothing too violent

[@Chiller31916]

@@lauriebarton9836 Didn't he review Resident Evil 7 & 8, Revelations 1+2, Doom, a few horror games & a World War Z game?

[@Hanoua2]

My big issue with the first game was the fact that you had those 8 character with their own story... But those 8 story never really mix with each other and the group feel like 8 people playing their own little single player story. At least this new one seems to have double character chapter where they actually interact

[@MrTherandomguy42]

Yeah, and remember how much the finale sucked in the first game? The finale to the sequel is like 100x better.

[@DolusVulpes]

There's also a *lot* more travel banter scenes, to the point that you'll probably get a few per chapter no matter what your party composition is, unlike the first game, where you'd maybe get one at the end of a chapter if you had the exact right other characters in your party, and those scenes also show a lot more camaraderie then the first game's did.

[@FrozenDarkVoid]

Dude the entire jrpg genre is the rag tag bunch go fight the big bad. Play that game instead.

[@ilan8468]

I’ve played the game for seven hours now, and didn’t even know that there are chapters where two characters team up; just makes me want to play it more. What I like most is that the game feels so much more alive than the first one: the day / night funcion makes npc’s move and gives you different paths to explore, the npc’s gather around taverns and drink together etc.. The only thing I’m worried about is the difficulty, as the first game seemed quite easy when you knew what you were doing.

[@epiclight858]

Either way either enough leveling you can be OP. Just make sure you know your own formula for success. There's a lot to make RPGs easy if you find the formula. I just hope there's not a RIGHT formula, or a lot of people will just exploit it instead of making their own.

[@leasting]

Congrats to Arlo on the Square Enix sponsor! And for a game I've been so wildly excited for as well! The original Octopath is my absolute favorite game mechanically, I'm thrilled that it seems to have been fleshed out even further here!

[@MasterPig11]

I really like the apothecary this time around. The changes they made to concoct make it so much more usable, and it feels good to go all out with it without using up the ingredients thanks to their latent power.

[@anthonylooyen4855]

Agreed. I started with Castti because her design and story stuck out the most to me, and I'm so happy Concoct isn't a thing that's too expensive to invest in until endgame anymore. It's still somewhat limited since I need to abuse her Latent Power to not waste the multi-target goods, but that's still contributing immensely towards me actually using Concoct.

[@leargamma4912]

Castti doesn't seem like anything special, and I am having regrets of starting with her. Not seen chapter 2 yet. Does she get better, because she seems like alphyn with amnesia ​@anthonylooyen4855

[@cheddarbub6324]

I had major doubts about Castti going in… boi hold onto your butt. every chapter of hers gets better and better, and she became my favorite character

[@Laurmachi]

After quite a few disappointing games in the past year or so, I'm so glad that Octopath 2 came out as good as it did. It could've just been a cashgrab, but instead they took what worked in the original and added onto it. It also reminded me that you can still have good characters and story in a video game. Thank you Octopath 2 for filling this nagging void in my heart.

[@handsoaphandsoap]

The absolute best addition I’m finding is the ability to put battles at 2x speed. The first Octopath was never sluggish by any means and I wasn’t bothered by how long things took but it’s one of those things where once you experience it, the game just feels so much nicer and smoother. I’m never going back to 1x speed, the 2x life is far too sweet.

[@monsieurliquorice]

Arlo reviewing something is why I exist. It’s the best thing to happen in my day when it pops up. Edit: This was an exaggeration and a joke.

[@streygaq6988]

Gosh I hope youre joking

[@bens5859]

@@streygaq6988 lol agreed. I mean obviously I'm an arlo fan but get a grip

[@davidmuir405]

Most of his reviews are just him rambling a lot.

[@chain3519]

I'm glad you get so much enjoyment out of his reviews. He definitely has a unique format in this space

[@OhsoWoobie]

I agree

[@RaspberryWoof]

One of the biggest problems I had with the original Octopath Traveler was that everyone had this really cool and fun backstory, but for the most part nothing really interconnected and everyone just felt like you were going through the paces of doing their own story rather than building a story from all of them together. Very curious to know if this game actually has the characters interacting with each others stories more and has them build a narrative together?

[@Chozo_hybrid]

Yeah, thats what stopped me from loving the first game too.

[@juliofigueroa5567]

Everyone in the party is too much like a background character to each-others stories

[@anthonycousineau5205]

Seem they add a coop chapter or something but in the end I think it will be the same, character in the background of story stuff... Wish they do a story where they are all connected somehow. Arlo did an amazing job at reviewing it but sadly he did not play the 1st one to do the comparaison.

[@Antasma1]

Granted, they still interacted in travel banter and the lore of all 8 stories merged for the final boss

[@pizzacrescent1080]

@@Antasma1 That’s nice, but I wanted more than that because the banter was optional and can be easily missed. I just wish they actually talked to each other more during the story. And they never had anything to say during Galdera, which was a missed opportunity because Graham and The person trying to revive the fell god was the reason they went on their journey to begin with, at least they could have talked to each other about that. Hopefully Vidal brings a better payoff.

[@logandevitt7017]

OCTOPATH is a 10/10. They also have a pretty good mobile game (it is gacha but they give out loads of free currency that it’s not too bad). The story is really in depth and fully voice acted, which is amazing for a free mobile game

[@TheLonelyGoomba]

I liked the first game. I felt like it got way too easy though around halfway through and it made the game boring. Every chapter also followed the exact same formula to an absolute tee, painfully so. So it quickly devolved into feeling like a zombie just going through the motions with no surprises or challenge. (Outside of the final boss which was awesome imo) Not in a rush to get this but, I'll probably check it out eventually after I see what more people have to say after the honeymoon period dies off.

[@dycu]

I wish they stopped calling game with numbers, especially when it's not a continuation of the first or if it just an alternative story with the same gameplay mechanic. "Octopath Traveler : The land of Solistia" would be a better fit. However many Octopath Traveler there will be, you know you're paying for playing with it's mechanic in different universe. "Octopath Traveler : Space Odyssey", "Octopath Traveler : The world of Nintendo" or "Sega", "Octopath Traveler : Console War Parody", "Octopath Traveler : The Wild West", "Octopath Traveler : The Family Trip in modern Japan à la Eartbound" to name a few idea.

[@disneyvillainsfan1666]

I haven't bought Octopath II yet, but I already love this new cast of characters more than the previous game. Everyone feels like they have their own identities from who we've had before. Comparing Agena to Primrose and Osvald to Cyrus, respectively, is like comparing a horror movie to an episode of Sesame Street.

[@allieherba]

Absolutely! I love that each job has a completely different character with different motivations accompanying them. And, I've only finished the first chapter for half of the gang so far, but already this game feels much fleshed out than the original Octo and the characters and their stories are far more compelling. The stakes for all of these characters feel much more realized in Octo II than in I, and I'm more invested in their stories than I was for the first Octopath

[@tribble608]

Ok ok we don't need to diss my boy Cyrus like that :P

[@gondalfthewizard]

For those who don't mind some mechanics SPOILERS: The secondary jobs are available at a higher level than before, so you actually get to spend more time with the base kit which is really nice. In the 1st one you get most jobs right away really easily and get really powerful kits really early such as two clerics for elemental reflect

[@friendbreakfast]

SPOILERS AS WELL, MAYBE?? really?? cuz i got the Artificer second job during the DEMO. unless thats there only on the demo in order to show you the game mechanic but in the game proper it would take way more time or something

[@zsDUGGZ]

My favortie job combo so far is scholar + cleric. I love how advanced magic also affects the heals and the radiant aoe spell.

[@MedusaLegend]

I so love those characters. I am so invested in their stories. The three I look the most forward to are the stories of Oswald, Temenos and Hikari. But the best things about the game are the musics. Absolutely gorgeous. This is the best OST of a video game I ever heard (yeah, even better than the Zelda ones).

[@dshjfsd]

I played the first game fully, beating everyones story as well as the final boss and had abt 100 hours on the game, and since the 2nd one has come out, I've already got 40 hours on the game and just.. Compared to 1, Octopath 2 makes 1 look like a DEMO I am NOT kidding, they improve on SO much it's stupid, almost everything everyone complained that was wrong with the 1st game, was insanely improved on the second PLEASE get this game you WILL NOT regret it, and if you can afford it, I'd definitely even recommend the collectors edition box

[@psbrown711]

Glad to see that Square is supporting you! Love your content!

[@YourAverageLoser763]

Ive only played the sequel for about 3 hours (have about 200 on the og) and omg its such a big improvement, especially the story, also the combat improvements make me so happy they rlly out did themselves (also you've convinced me to make a team around Castti my one problem with the apothecary in the old game was the materials it took and now i can make big boy bombs for free)

[@mekadragon86]

this game is amazing on 78 hours finished all stories and counting

[@Sponsie1000]

l liked the first Octopath, but listening to the quick summaries of these characters it sounds like there's quite a bit of overlap, especially in their skills both inside and outside of combat. Thats a pity, especially since they made sure to switch up all the in-battle classes in their BravelyDefault games, which really helped them feel fresh from installment to installment.

[@friendbreakfast]

in this game they do separate a lot the characters from their counterparts in the past game, but in terms of mechanics, its mostly just in their night and latent abilities. otherwise, most of the difference comes from the characterization, which is arguably the game's most important factor. just to name one, the scholar in this game is no longer an esteemed professor who is looking for knowledge, but rather a convicted assumed criminal who is looking for revenge, whose ability IS to examine people for information like the other scholar in the first game, but also his night ability is MUGGING PEOPLE. HE STEALS. THE SCHOLAR IN THIS GAME STEALS FROM PEOPLE and his first chapter is an elaborate PRISON ESCAPE. like thats a BIG contrast and i love his character a lot for it

[@twilighthero426]

I'm so excited for this! As soon as I finish the first Octopath Traveler, I'm 30 hours in and not even halfway through haha. I've had an on-and-off relationship with it for years now due to notable flaws such as the lack of interaction between characters. The sequel looks like it improves on those flaws in every way, which is awesome. Arlo's enthusiasm only makes it better.

[@gioarevadze2703]

Don't go it's scam

[@willmcdono]

the game is amazing looking. I'm gonna watch this after I play more to avoid seeing areas I haven't yet been. thanks Arlo.

[@wesnohathas1993]

I can't hype up Octopath Traveler 2 enough. This is my game of the year right here. If you are a fan of any turn-based RPG, do yourself a favor and play it. I'll leave it at that.

[@gangstersamurott2511]

I just want to mention one of my favorite parts of this game and the first one. You don't need to use the joystick. This should not be a positive, but with joycon drift the way it is I can play these games in hand held without ever having to wory about joycon drift.

[@BlingBlingDubuLove]

It’s so hard settling on a main party of 4 bc all the characters are so great. Even some I did not have expectations for, I ended up really invested and engaged (e.g. partitio). Gah it’s a happy struggle.

[@PokeccinoCards]

Man, I wanna play this SO badly but I’m currently working my way through Hollow Knight for the first time and I gotta see it through. With how difficult it is, if I ever put it down, I won’t pick it back up lol.

[@starsartbar]

I just wish square didnt scam their fans with NFTs

[@littletimmythefifth29]

Here at 22,907 views. Dunkey is going to hate this, haha.

[@kidthegeek]

Me seeing so many paths thinking is Arlo into ttrpgs now and making a joke about pathfinder?

[@Tini-Stic]

Absolutely loving this game! I started with Osvald cause his story was the most interesting to me, and I wanted to start with someone other than a Warrior like I did in the first one.

[@nerdzone]

I am happy you like Octopath II. Octopath Traveler is my favourite jRPG of all time and one of my favourite games. 31 hours in the second one, I feel it starts significantly better than the first one. If it ramps as well, I am going to cry tears of joy for the next month.

[@lewis9s]

You know a game is good when you sit and play it for 10 hours on launch day

[@allieherba]

I played the original Octopath and absolutely got SUCKED into it. It skyrocketed to the top of my list of all-time RPG's. Needless to say I was hyped when Octopath II was announced and I preordered it so I could play it today on launch. Just like the original I'm feeling myself fall in love all over again with this series. For anyone who's just now hearing about this series from Arlo's video, I cannot recommend this game enough and it is ABSOLUTELY worth picking up the demo and giving it a shot