The Octopath Traveler games, along with the Bravely Default games, have a unique vibe that separates them from the Final Fantasy series. Octopath Traveler, as a series, has always offered the freedom of developing characters and parties that shift the gameplay into a position of player choice, rather than more rigid character builds. Octopath Traveler 0 builds upon that, while also creating a powerful set of narratives that really make it stand out from the rest.

Before we get too deep, Octopath Traveler 0 is actually a console adaptation of the mobile prequel to Octopath Traveler, Octopath Traveler: Champions of the Continent. While I haven’t played the mobile version, I can say that had I not been aware of this, I would never have known that this spawned from a mobile game.

In Octopath Traveler 0, you play a protagonist that you create, customizing their appearance, voice, initial class, and more. After your hometown is destroyed, you start on a quest to bring those responsible to justice. At the same time, you work with a close friend to rebuild your home.

This duality builds the gameplay of Octopath Traveler 0. One half of the game involves you doing quests, exploring, fighting enemies, taking on dungeons, etc. The other half involves managing your town, recruiting people from other towns to come live there, and more. Instead of playing as specific party members for their own personal storylines, you recruit them to your team and offer them a place in your town.

There are a total of around 30 characters you can recruit over time. Most of them are locked behind quests and can’t be completed until certain points in the game. Instead of 4 characters in your party, you have 8 at one time. This allows you to plan different strategies and put characters in the back row if they are injured, long enough to heal, and take emergency measures.

On the downside of this, there is less flexibility in each character’s “kit.” You can equip several mastery abilities to them as they level, but it isn’t as flexible as other games, where you could fully customize a character build. This does require you to be a bit more strategic with your character choices and your combat tactics.

The visuals of Octopath Traveler 0 are crisp and beautiful, in the standard HD-2D style. Additionally, there is a gorgeous soundtrack that really sells the emotional beats of the story and gives a solid tempo to climactic battles. The dialogue is voice-acted too, which adds a certain depth to the cutscenes.

The story is really where Octopath Traveler 0 shines. I cried several times during the first 30 hours, and I’m still not even close to finishing the game yet. The stories are sometimes tragic, sometimes impactful, and very beautiful throughout. I’m not going into spoilers here, but I really wish it had been released sooner in 2025; it would have had a more solid contention for best RPG or some other award.

The character variety is interesting, and I love the customization and town-building elements. Honestly, Octopath Traveler 0 doesn’t really have anything worth complaining about, other than the fact that sometimes character building feels a little limited. Regardless, as an RPG fan, I can say that Octopath Traveler 0 is one of the best RPGs of 2025.

If you like the previous games in the Octopath Traveler series, this is easily a no-brainer. Also, if you have someone in your life who loves RPGs, this is a great choice for gifting. I hope we see more great games like this, since Turn-based RPGs are still beloved and going strong in 2025.

A Nintendo Switch 2 review copy of Octopath Traveler 0 was provided by Square Enix for the purposes of this review.

Phenixx Gaming is everywhere you are. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Also, if you’d like to join the Phenixx Gaming team, check out our recruitment article for details on working with us.

Phenixx Gaming is proud to be a Humble Partner! Purchases made through our affiliate links support our writers and charity!

Octopath Traveler 0

$49.99 USD

9.5

Score

9.5/10

Pros

• Gorgeous Visuals
• Emotional and impactful stories
• Great Turn-based combat
• 30 playable characters

Cons

• Character builds are somewhat limited compared to other games
• Certain Battles Drag a bit