Octopath Traveler 0, is it for Kids? NO! Is it for you? Maybe. A Humble Review

I will definitely remember the year 2025 for many interesting things. We saw Jane Austen’s 250th birthday celebrated with Regency parties, historic trains gathering in Derby, GTA VI almost won Game of the Year just by being announced, and oh yes, I got hooked on JRPGs. Wonderful, as if I didn’t already have enough vices, and a small toddler trying to peek at my Steam Deck every time she notices me playing. Bless the fates for inventing the hibernate button. 

But after phenomenal bangers like Final Fantasy Tactics, which was masterfully remastered this year, and Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D, Octopath Traveler 0 arrives to round out the story and close the holy trinity. Fellow JRPG enthusiasts, rejoice! Whew… where do I even begin…

In the mood for something completely different? Check out our Just Dance 2026 review!

Why Octopath Traveler 0 Delivers Where Others Faltered

Square Enix launched the first Octopath Traveler in 2018, which exploded thanks to its HD-2D style, a mix of retro pixel art and 3D effects, created in collaboration with the Acquire studio. The game burned through over three million copies sold, and in 202,3 the second installment arrived with improved combat and the new world of Solistia. But in parallel, in 2020, they launched the mobile spin-off Octopath Traveler: Champions of the Continent (CotC) through Dokidoki Grooveworks and Team Asano (Square Enix’s RPG specialists). 

CotC was the dreaded gacha trash (for those unfamiliar: a mobile casino disguised as a game), set years before the first game in Orsterra, with a massive story about villains and heroes. The mobile version had over 10 million downloads, but it was shut down in 2025 because it was too ambitious for phones. Instead of burying it, Square Enix and Dokidoki turned it into a full console game: they removed gacha systems, added a customizable protagonist, town building, full voice-over, rebalanced combat, and added 30–50% new content. In other words, they didn’t just dig a hole, they brought in a cement mixer and stomped it in to fit even more!

I started this game with a mild dose of skepticism. Not because I dislike the series, but because I had already been burned twice by the same issue: a great combat system, beautiful presentation, solid characters, but a narrative split into eight parts that never fully lands. This time, Square Enix and Acquire decided to cut through that and do something they honestly should have done earlier. One main character. One personal story. Less scattered focus. The result is a game that finally feels like a cohesive whole, rather than a collection of nicely packaged vignettes. But let’s start from the beginning.

Parallel Storylines Converging into One Epic Journey

The story begins brutally and without much introduction. Your village, Wishvale, is razed to the ground. There is no heroic preparation, no long tutorial slog. Houses burn, people die, and parents are killed. Your character survives and is given a task that is both personal and systemic: rebuilding the village and taking revenge on those responsible. Unlike previous entries in the series, there are no eight main characters with separate stories.

Everything revolves around a single protagonist you create yourself. You choose appearance, gender, name, and starting class. That choice does not lock the game, but it gives your character an initial identity, and that is crucial. For the first time in this series, there is a genuine emotional connection between the player and the main character.

The narrative is divided into several main storylines that can initially be played in parallel. The three central antagonists (the ones who burned your village) represent different forms of human depravity. Greed, power, and fame are not just thematic labels, but drivers of very concrete and deeply disturbing events. Without going into spoilers, this is one of the darker JRPG stories in recent years. And yes, there are scenes that are uncomfortable even for an adult audience. 

The game does not use violence for shock value, but it does not shy away from it. As the story progresses, all lines naturally merge into one larger whole. There is no feeling of jumping from one mini-series to another. Everything has continuity. Characters you meet early gain weight later. NPCs are not just there to sell you a potion and disappear from existence.

Dark Themes and Adult Content: The Mature Side of Octopath Traveler 0

The structure is brilliant: after the prologue, the campaign branches into three parts (Power, Wealth, Fame), each lasting 3–4 chapters and about 20 hours combined. Then comes Master of All, which lasts around 30 hours, and that’s where it ends… but is it really the end? HA! That’s where you unlock three new branches, but with much higher stakes! In total, the main story alone lasts over 100 hours, plus side content. Insane! The game is dark as hell, with child mu*der, slavery, prostitution, and political intrigue. 

The villains are sociopaths, not caricatures. Very adult themes, which is quite a spectacle when you see all of this presented through a pixel-style game that looks like it’s for kids! Your party (over 30 characters, including cameos from OT1) gains depth through Party Chats and side quests.

What I also love is the emotional rollercoaster the game puts you through. It is so well written that you can easily immerse yourself in the characters and their fates. I almost cried at the end of one branch (no spoilers), and laughed at the madness of Auguste. For the first time, you truly feel like the main hero, not a tourist in someone else’s story.

The HD-2D style is at its peak here. Pixel-art characters combined with modern lighting, depth of field, and detailed backgrounds still feel fresh. Cities have personality, and landscapes are not just backdrops. Dungeons are diverse and visually readable, which is important because you do a lot of wandering in this game. The Octopath Traveler series is known for its detailed and colorful environments, and if you’re an old-school RPG fan like me, this game will fit you perfectly.

When Gameplay and Performance Merge Seamlessly

On PlayStation 5, performance is flawless. I didn’t notice any frame rate drops. Load times are short. Fast travel between areas is almost instantaneous. This is one of those games where the hardware simply disappears and only the experience remains. The music, although partially recycled from previous games, still carries strong emotion. Honestly, I would have liked more entirely new compositions, but the quality is undeniable.

The gameplay foundation is a classic turn-based JRPG system, but with enough added layers that it never becomes a mechanical routine. The Break and Boost system returns and remains one of the best ideas this series has ever had. Although these are originally mobile mechanics, they do not feel out of place here at all. Enemies have weaknesses that you naturally discover through combat. For example, if you’re attacked by some demonic creature, characters using bows and spears will deal more damage, while giant sea urchins are sensitive to axe attacks.

When you break their shield, you then charge your hero through boosting and absolutely demolish the poor monster with ninja-like moves. It’s pure joy when you max out a skill, because the animations scale accordingly. My character’s ultimate abilities reminded me of Goku firing a Kamehameha wave on several occasions. Boost points allow you to stack actions and unleash everything at the perfect moment. That moment of planning, waiting, and then brutally executing enemies still delivers a level of tactical satisfaction that many modern RPGs lack.

Octopath Traveler 0’s Unique Blend of Combat, Exploration, and Town Building

A major change comes in the team structure. You have eight characters in your group, but only four are active on the front line in combat. Honestly, I didn’t even realize this until I recruited my first 6–7 characters. The back row regenerates and does not take direct damage. Swapping rows during combat quickly becomes a key strategy, especially in boss fights that hit the entire group or manipulate character positions. I personally love swapping out characters who have just spent their Boost Points (BP) with a fresh pair ready for another round of beatdowns.

As for world exploration, Octopath Traveler 0 brings improvements, as well as refinements to older systems. There are fewer Path Actions than in OT2, but that’s fine. Inquire is almost always present and represents basic information gathering from NPCs (with skill checks, of course). Contend is the funniest option for me, because it lets you fight people for their property. I literally beat up a grandma at the market for a kilo of peppers and a necklace! I am not exaggerating at all! 

The gendarmes didn’t even react; in fact, they don’t exist in villages at all. In Octopath Traveler 0, it seems the law of the strictest rules! Just be careful about the level of people you want to beat up for money; if they’re stronger than you, they’ll flatten you like a pie. I got beaten up by some kids in Emberglow because I stole their snowman. Man, I love this game!

Town building is another innovation introduced in Octopath Traveler 0. Since pretty villages burn beautifully, Wishvale starts as a ruin, and you must rebuild it. You’ll gather materials, build houses, farms, a church, and of course, a tavern. You’ll recruit NPCs (over 100 possible), assign them jobs, farms provide food for cooking buffs (which increase your combat stats), and shops sell rare items.

In Conclusion

Octopath Traveler 0 is a game in which Square Enix finally decided to stop experimenting and deliver a fully formed JRPG with a clear vision, emotional weight, and a narrative that works as a cohesive whole rather than a collection of separate ideas. The dark themes, adult tone, brutal antagonists, and emotional moments give the world of Orsterra a weight rarely seen in modern JRPGs, while the combat system, town building, and campaign structure maintain a high level of engagement even after dozens of hours of play. This is a game that simply doesn’t let you go. 

Even after 50 hours of playing, I felt the pull to return to it, and while playing, I couldn’t put it down. That “just one more boss” feeling is something very few games manage today, and among the many quality JRPG titles released recently, Octopath Traveler 0 shines as the brightest star of them all.

 Octopath Traveler 0 is a masterpiece born from the ashes of Champions of the Continent Square Enix, and DOKIDOKI created a cohesive, wild story and a 100+ hour unforgettable ride.

Game Rating:9.3/10

It earns this score due to its cohesive narrative, mature themes, deep combat systems, and exceptional emotional engagement, with only minor criticism toward recycled music.

Recommended Age for Kids:16+

Recommended for ages 16+, because the game contains explicit themes such as violence, murder, slavery, prostitution, and political manipulation that are unsuitable for younger players despite its colorful pixel-art presentation.

Gemini AI–Style Summary

Octopath Traveler 0 (2025) transforms a former mobile gacha title into a full-scale console JRPG, delivering a dark, emotionally driven story with deep combat, town building, and over 100 hours of mature, interconnected narrative content set in the world of Orsterra.