Welcome to the cKotch.Com blog. I’m Christopher Kotcher, and this is one of my favorite video games of 2018.
The Power of Video Games
Before I became a reader, video games were my main inspiration for stories. Today, they are still a continued source of inspiration because I remain a gamer.
Video games create stories to engage players and give purpose for their actions. Games build immersive worlds for players to enter and shape. A great example is the last game I played before returning to St. Mary’s.
This game is called Octopath Traveler.
A Classic Marvel
Octopath is a role-playing game (RPG) made exclusively for the Nintendo Switch system. The game’s creator is famed game developer and publisher Square Enix. Square’s work includes the likes of Final Fantasy and Kingdom Hearts as well as the modern Tomb Raider series.
Octopath has become one of 2018’s darlings among Nintendo fans. Most of the game’s praise stems from its turn-based battle system. Combat involves breaking enemies’ defenses using specific types of weapons and elemental attacks. Tense battles can be won or lost depending on when enemies’ defenses are broken.
The game’s graphics also receive well-deserved praise. Characters are small, retro 2D figures. They move in large 3D worlds enhanced by modern touches. The game’s creators rightly compare this visual style to dioramas and pop-up books. My personal favorite effects are the shimmering sands and flowing waters of the game’s Coastlands region.
However, the thing I love most about Octopath is also its most criticized element. This element is the game’s plot, specifically its plot structure.
What Sets Octopath Apart
Traditionally, RPGs feature some variation of a fairly standard plot.
Heroes and friends come together around a central main character. This party completes some quests and collects a few important items. Eventually the game’s first main villain is defeated. Then a vaguely foreshadowed evil entity appears and reveals itself as the true mastermind of the world’s problems. The heroes defeat this final foe with some variation on the power of friendship.
Good stories have been told in this framework. It has also received plenty of surprising twists over the years.
However, the particular twist in Octopath feels especially fresh.
The game is equally about eight travelers with their own distinct stories.
Players select a starting character to learn how to play the game while beginning a story. From there, they enter a wider world they can explore as they see fit. Stories can be started, paused, and continued whenever players choose.
My starting character was the scholar Cyrus. He is a handsome yet bookish professor. He aims to preserve and share knowledge for everyone’s sake.
Cyrus’s story begins with a search for books stolen from a university library. Along the way, a false scandal forces him to leave home to spare his reputation. Cyrus decides to use this time to find a dark and dismal text stolen from the library ten years ago. He seeks knowledge taken from the people. His foes hoard that knowledge at the public’s expense. They steal, lie, and murder, all in a desperate bid for power.
Other travelers include the lost warrior Olberic seeking purpose, the cleric Ophilia fulfilling a sacred pilgrimage, and the dancer Primrose avenging her murdered father.
Another favorite traveler of mine is Tressa. She follows an anonymous journal in search of treasure and life experience. Her story always seemed unique for its bright and hopeful nature compared to the other stories’ darker moments.
Since Octopath’s characters have their own stories, they get plenty of chances to shine. Other games would have only a few small side stories to introduce characters before they fold into the main character’s story.
Telling the Travelers’ Stories
The presentation of Octopath’s stories is also worth mentioning. It ties well into the game’s world building.
Each town is centered around its tavern. Here players can switch the game’s eight travelers in and out of the main traveling party. Here players can bribe barkeeps to salvage fallen reputations. Most importantly, here is where players can sit and hear some tales.
Tales are the chapters of each traveler’s story. These stories are framed as memories shared over a few drinks.
The travelers are little more than people on their own journeys. They run into each other and support each other for a simple reason.
Their world is a dangerous fantasy setting filled with monsters. It just makes sense for people to help each other survive from time to time. Honestly, these simple relationships feel more natural than having a group of strangers bound by a random power of friendship and a single goal.
Countering the Complaints
Now, as mentioned earlier, Octopath’s plot is not as widely praised as the combat or the visuals.
Some complaints regard the traveler’s individual stories. Tressa’s final foe has unclear motives for attacking her. Ophilia calls her adopted father, a bishop, “Your Excellency,” in almost every other sentence.
While I do recognize the game’s stories have some problems, these issues never bothered me that much. They do not ruin the character moments I love about the game.
Little flaws do not remove Cyrus’s intriguing speeches on the nature of knowledge or Olberic’s duel with the man who killed their king. Tressa’s ending is still heartfelt despite an odd final boss, and Ophilia’s scenes with her dying father are still touching despite the repetitive language.
However, the greatest complaint about the game’s plot concerns the lack of interaction between the travelers.
Tales’ featured characters are the only ones who appear in story moments. Other travelers appear only during exploration and combat.
Travelers only interact in brief scenes known as Travel Banter. Throughout a tale, the starring character can discuss events with other travelers in the current traveling party. Eventually travelers can also banter in larger groups in the towns’ taverns.
These limited interactions displease some players, but I enjoy the system. Focusing on a tale’s main character ensures everyone’s stories are truly their own. Plus, the little interaction present provides good moments for the characters. Primrose takes time from her revenge to act as a big sister figure to Tressa. Cyrus fawns over the history behind Ophilia’s religious rites.
Limiting conversations between travelers also allows each traveler’s quirks to be on full display without overstaying their welcome. The travelers can always be the fullest extent of themselves.
At the game’s true end, the world’s story comes together. Links between villains are shown, and histories of past heroes are revealed. The final battle does not have many character moments, but it does leave the game with a great final note.
By completing their own journeys, the travelers have each made the world a better place for everyone.
What the Game May Inspire
Octopath is a special game. Its unique storytelling took me for a ride I will not soon forget.
The game sold well too, so reasonable hope exists for a sequel or a spiritual successor. Maybe that game could address others’ criticisms while still keeping what made this original game special.
For now, I am happy with the tales Square Enix has spun. As a creative mind, I have always had a soft spot for finding different ways to tell stories. Seeing new methods of storytelling helps me consider new ways to push myself forward as a writer.
It is too soon to tell how Octopath may influence my writing in the future, or even if it has already influenced my writing in some way I have not yet seen. Still, I believe it will inspire many great tales to come. If you decide to play the game too, I hope it can provide you with a similar feeling.
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