The most important thing I can say about Octopath Traveler is that it can restore a childhood-like imagination in you... if you let it. To get the most out of this game, you have to be willing to suspend your disbelief and fill in some blanks with your own thoughts. Don't rush to complete it mindlessly... take your time with it, and explore at your own pace. If you let yourself be immersed into its world, both inside and outside the game (more on that later), Octopath Traveler will take you on a truly memorable journey. One that will feel like your own.

~ ~ ~

At the start of this game, you choose one of 8 travelers. What makes this turn-based JRPG stand out though, is that after you leave your starting town, you're free to travel the whole world. You can visit all the other towns and areas in the game, venture into dangerous caves, find secrets, etc. There's a lot to uncover, so explore to your heart's content.

Of course, the road ahead is not without danger. Tougher enemies will make it quite difficult for you to explore too far too quickly. This is the most satisfying kind of road block, since you can overcome it by actually playing the game. Battle monsters, gain experience, get stronger, then come back later... and kick their butts.

As you probably know, this game has 8 stories. You can complete all of them in a single playthrough if you want. Each story is tied to a traveler, so they feel really personal. Also, not only are these stories great at building up the world and making each town feel alive and distinct, they also feel super down-to-earth and full of heart, for once. Like, the characters in this game are relatable and have believable ambitions. Basically, this game is not about some chosen hero who defeats an ancient evil or whatever.

Your current party members will also have conversations at various points, and it's genius because it shows you how your party members interact with each other, what's on their mind and what they think of recent events, while making the narrative feel like it changes based on who you bring along. All of that, without ruining the intimacy of the stories.

Something that is very crucial to the core of this roleplaying game is the fact that party members are never forced upon you. This allows you to roleplay your own scenarios, instead of everything being pre-established by the writers. Who would've thought that you could roleplay in a roleplaying game?

For example, I started with the cute and curious merchant Tressa, and to me, it made sense for her to meet with the knowledgeable scholar Cyrus, since I felt that they could learn from each other on their journey, and that they would get along well since they both had non-violent backgrounds. And so I made it happen. I have tons of examples like that, but you get the idea.

Let's continue with what I meant in the first paragraph by letting yourself be immersed "outside the game". Well, when this game originally came out on Switch, I used this[i.imgur.com] as my PC desktop wallpaper. Whenever I looked at it outside the game, I was immediately transported back into its world. I was not only reminded of the stories of each character, but also of the scenarios I came up with. The artwork they made for this game evokes such a great sense of adventure and discovery, it's like perfect imagination fuel. It might even give you dreams.

Even more important though, is the fact that the in-game art style suits this game perfectly. 2D sprites in a low-poly 3D environment. Gorgeous enough to be comfy and make you want to explore, flashy enough to be intense during battles, and yet simple enough that it lets your imagination run free. After all, simpler visuals fuel your imagination a lot more than hyper-realistic graphics do. Because how do you let your mind fill in the blanks, when there are no blanks left to fill?

The developers had a very clear vision with this project, and in my eyes, they executed it masterfully.

~ ~ ~

There's so much more I could praise in great detail, but it's better if you discover the rest yourself. I'll just add that the music is absolutely fantastic, and I found the battle system really fresh and fun to experiment with. Also, this PC version feels like a remaster of the Switch game, because it's running at full 1080p+ and 60fps, and has more settings to adjust.

Lastly, I just have one little tip: if you find that the random encounters are too frequent, then you have to equip the first support skill of the Scholar class. It's really useful for when you just want to explore. Oh, and turn off that radar and check your map for maximum immersion. Okay, I'm done.

Thanks for reading all this, and I hope you have fun on your travels. ❤

[Playtime on Switch: 150~ hours]

Bee warned: This game is everything I love about video games, so I will not hold back on my praise. Within minutes of starting this game, I knew it was going to be special to me.

Kabbu is a true heroic beetle and may have become my favorite video game protagonist. He's the embodiment of kindness; you can feel he really cares about protecting his friends and helping people for the sake of it. He's also always super thrilled about going on adventures and discovering things. That trait makes for such excellent video game protagonists, because their ambitions align with the player's goals perfectly. We play video games to explore worlds, go on adventures, uncover mysteries and meet unique characters, and these protagonists being so eager to do the same makes us never want to stop playing.

Vi is a cute bee full of energy and sass, and she keeps Kabbu in check about how being explorers is their job and they're not a charity. She often pokes fun at characters and situations, never holding back on what she really thinks. She brings a lot of humor to the group, and while she is a little greedy and blunt at times, she's ultimately a good soul and grows as a character throughout the game, thanks to her friends' guidance.

Leif is a mysterious moth with a much more toned down personality, but not in a bad way. He brings balance and reason to what would otherwise be an ecstatic duo of adventurers, and he tends to be observant and level-headed. Despite his nonchalance, he has a soft spot for cute pets, making him rather endearing. It may take you longer to warm up to him, but he's just as likeable once you get to know him.

Something I always appreciate about a story is when the protagonists start as nobodies. In this game, you're really just a ragtag group of explorers, and you have to earn the respect of your peers. You're not a chosen one, you're not special. But what you are, is determined to help. And your reputation and skills grow because of it. That's how you write a story that feels engaging.

Alongside the main trio are many other well-written supportive characters. No character in this game ever felt poorly written or like an afterthought. There's a rivalry between Team Snakemouth and another team of explorers that leads to some of the most awesome moments in the game. The amount of quality dialogue in the story is impressive on its own, but with the push of a button, the group will even talk about the current location or NPC you're facing, and it's always charming.

The side-quests enrich this game so much that they're honestly all worth doing, if only for the interactions you get from it. It really is all about the journey and not the destination, so none of it ever feels like a chore. It's wonderful.

First I should say, I highly recommend playing this game on Hard Mode. It gets you to think about the combat system and the role you want each party member to have in battle. Don't worry, Hard Mode is an optional medal you're given at the very start of the game that you can equip or unequip at will. But you get rewards at the Explorer Association for defeating tough enemies on Hard Mode and it's really satisfying; give it a try!

This game is careful in the abilities and items it gives you access to at a time. It makes sure not to overwhelm you and is balanced in its progression. You're free to equip medals based on what you'd like for your party, so it's fun to mix and match and see what you prefer.

This journey never stops surprising you in some way. I don't want to risk spoiling these surprises for someone, so you'll have to take my word on this, but every time I thought I had seen everything, it immediately threw a curve ball at me and put a smile on my face.

The way the characters learn new abilities on the spot after various story moments feels amazingly natural, in a way that I don't recall ever seeing in a game before. I really loved that.

The game also never wastes your time. You can fight or avoid enemies as you please, and sometimes it's actually wiser to run, if you're trying to save resources for the next boss. To drive the point home, EXP in this game stands for "Exploration Points". Bug Fables was crafted to be a good time every step of the way, and that effort did not go unnoticed.

Ah, sometimes you'll venture down secret paths and may encounter incredibly mighty foes. If you come prepared, you may vanquish them right there after giving it your all. Or perhaps you shall take a beating and come back for sweet revenge later. Don't give up! Knowing when to engage an enemy and when to make a run for it is all part of the thrill of adventure.

Whenever I wished that a mechanic would introduce itself, it actually did. A good example of that is fast travel. I didn't wish for it at first, but there eventually came a point when I wished there was a way to go back to the Ant Mines without walking all the way back there. Well, that's when I got the Ant Compass, which allows Kabbu to do exactly that. It's like the game read my mind.

Another example is the ability to fight back previous bosses. There's a lab in the Hive where can have your Explorer Permit scanned, and it registers the data of all the bosses you've fought before, and you can fight digital versions of them. How cool is that?

All these things are built into the game's story in a way that makes sense and never takes you out of it. One of this game's biggest strengths is its ability to give context to every feature and have the characters react to it. It's so lovingly made, it's nuts.

Many of the side-quests will lead you to previously inaccessible areas after you acquire new abilities, which is genius because it means you don't have to worry about remembering every single obstacle. They're like small hints on where you can find secrets, with story attached to them. They didn't just solve a problem; they turned it into meaningful content. Clever.

Speaking of hints, there are no quest markers in this game, and thank goodness for that. You have a map in your key items, remember to use it. Eventually you won't even need the map because you'll have memorized it. The quests also aren't dumb; if you need to go to Defiant Root, they won't be cryptic about it.

If a great soundtrack makes a great game excellent, then Bug Fables is a masterpiece.

When you first enter the Ant Mines and that enigmatic yet epic melody kicks in, and you realize that many more tunnels will be dug up by the ant colony and that you'll be coming back there often throughout your journey.. that's when you know you're in for a real treat.

The combat music is SO tight. It's funky, insanely catchy and memorable, and it sounds like video game music; the melodies are clear, and not buried under layers of orchestral noise. What's more, each type of enemy encounter has its own track. This is a flawless video game soundtrack in my book.

There is so much more to this game. Mini-games I never expected to see. Little quips during dialogue, letting characters speak out of turn in a realistic way. An incredibly well designed economy, with lots of things to spend berries on. Backdoor shady deals. Lots of simple cooking recipes. Oh, speaking of, there's a guy on Metal Island later on who can sell you all the recipes, so you don't need to look them up online. They thought about everything.

In conclusion, I'm just so thankful that the people who worked on this game put such an incredible amount of passion and thought into it. It gives me hope for video games.