Hey guys. Justin here and welcome to the Otaku Mind. JRPGs have come a long way. What was once considered an overlooked and underrated genre of video games has become a hot commodity. With excellent writing, characters, stories, themes, and graphics that get your attention and make you walk away with a new perspective on life. Despite the evolution of JRPGs it is nice to pay respects to the past and one of the modern games that does this is Octopath Traveler. Released in 2018 and developed by Square Enix, Octopath Traveler took a big risk by rewinding the clock and making the graphics 2D but with high definition. This risk worked out as it became one of the most unique JRPGs to come out in recent years and even started the whole 2D-HD trend that some games are adapting. I quickly became a fan of this series. I loved the concept, the pixel art style, the characters, and the battling mechanics. With the second game releasing this year and getting positive reviews it’s clear that there’s an audience for these kinds of games and with the games each having eight stories and characters to choose from it makes you wonder which one had the best story. Well I’m here to give my opinion on this question. Before I begin, I would like to say that the personality or abilities of the characters will not factor into this list. I’m simply looking at their stories and nothing else. So let’s get started. I’m Justin and these are the Octopath Travelers ranked from Worst to Best.
#16. Terssa the Merchant from Octopath Traveler
While not a bad character, Terssa’s story is universally regarded as the weakest of the travelers from both games. There’s really not that much going on in her story. There’s no real goal or obstacle for her to overcome on her travels other than seeing the world. While not all stories need a big baddie, big stakes or goal per se, they at least need to show the growth and progression of the character. How they were when they first started and how their travel has changed them for better or worse. Terssa’s story unfortunately doesn’t have this giving us an unmemorable story all the way up to the end and when your game is centered around traveling and going on an adventure that’s disappointing.
#15. Ophilla the Cleric from Octopath Traveler
If I had to sum up Ophilla’s story in one word, it would be formulaic. Out of all the stories, Ophilla’s story is the one that feels the most basic of the bunch. Even the big twist in the story comes across as sensible more than shocking in my opinion. And the personal story involving her family is predictable and resolves itself in the end how you would expect it to go. You can tell this was one of the first stories they made for the game as they played it safe and didn’t try to add anything major that would take the story off the rails. A pleasant character overall, with a generic story.
#14. Agnea the Dancer from Octopath Traveler 2
Agnea’s story is pretty much the exact opposite of Primose’s story from the first game. More on that later. Similar to Terssa’s story, Agnea’s story doesn’t really have that much of a big baddie or high stakes involved. However, it manages to beat Terssa and Ophilla by having a good heartfelt story of a girl following in the footsteps of her mom, never giving up on her dreams, and presenting a good foil for her to overcome and become the star she was meant to be. The friends she meets and the trials she faces on her travels help her grow as a character and performer and in the end, she takes everything she’s learned and achieves her goal. Octopath Traveler 2 improved on a lot of things the first game started and if this tidy story was the weakest of the bunch, then we’re in good hands.
#13. Alfyn the Apothecary from Octopath Traveler
In terms of popularity, Alfyn is up there as a lot of people started off with him. There’s really not much to his story. He’s a good boy who wants to help others and that’s it. His story starts off flat but starts to pick up in the latter when he starts questioning his ideals and goes through a nice character arc that wraps up nicely and leaves him as a better character. Once again I can’t help but feel Alfyn’s story was one of the first stories they wrote as there’s no big payoff at the end or a big baddie for him to face. Still, I enjoyed his story and the character arc he went through was nice and makes him a better person.
#12. Partitio the Merchant from Octopath Traveler 2
If I was basing this list off of personality Partitio would easily rank in the top 3. Seriously, he’s one of my favorite characters in this series. It’s a shame his story falls short. Partitio suffers some of the shortcomings of the previous entries on this list. While his chapters are decent and his journey to see the world and help others flourish through commerce is nice, he doesn’t go through any major character arc, the stakes aren’t as high as you would hope, and while there’s a baddie he’s not as bad as some of the other antagonists in the other stories. Still, that final boss fight was pretty hilarious. A great character much like the other previous entries, but unfortunately his story doesn’t stack up to the others on this list.
#11. H’aanit the Hunter from Octopath Traveler
Ye olde English language may have annoyed some people but it didn’t really bother me all that much and her story was pretty thrilling. After her master gets turned to stone, H’aanit goes on a journey to hunt down Redeye, the legendary monster responsible for this and kill it to save him. The stakes are just right and get you invested in H’aanit’s story, but the real selling point is how they build up Redeye the closer you get to it. We never see it until the final battle and it was worth the wait. Overall, a good story that hits all the right notes and doesn’t leave you disappointed.
#10. Therion the Thief from Octopath Traveler
Ah~ my starting traveler. I don’t care if people call him an angsty drama club student. He was alright in my book. Therion’s story is nothing groundbreaking and gives us an honor among thieves scenario which I don’t mind. After getting into a pickle, Therion has to go on a journey to recover missing treasures in order to restore his honor and reputation. As the story goes on we see Therion’s past and watch him come face to face with the ghost of said past. In the end, Therion’s story is all about redemption. He may not go through any major change but at the end of his story he does have a new perspective on life and has a weight lifted off his shoulders that allows him to stop looking at the past and look toward the future.
#9. Ochette the Hunter from Octopath Traveler 2
The shortest story amongst the travelers so far. Ochette’s story is pretty straightforward. A great evil is about to strike her home island and she’s given the task of finding the island’s ancient animals and bringing them back to fight the evil. One of the major factors in Ochette’s story is prejudice as her island is divided between the beastkin and humans who desire more space and the two races putting their differences aside to save the island. While the prejudice storyline doesn’t play a huge factor, Ochette’s story does have you emotionally invested in the finale as you the player fight through horde after horde of monsters and face the consequences of the decision you made at the beginning of the story. There’s not a lot of twists and turns in this story but it checks all the right boxes for me.
#8. Cyrus the Scholar from Octopath Traveler
Right from the get-go you can tell this story was going to be a comedic one. Cyrus’s whole story revolves around finding a missing book and that’s it. His journey sees him battle against others who would use their knowledge for evil which goes against his ideals as he believes knowledge should be used to help others. This is another character who doesn’t really grow from his adventure, which in a way is kind of amusing given who he is and he really didn’t need to change as his oblivious nature is a part of his charm. While the story has a number of funny antics it does set up the final boss in the game so bonus points for giving the most comedic character a serious plot point for the endgame. An engaging story with a comedic character that keeps you entertained.
#7. Primrose the Dancer from Octopath Traveler
The darkest story in my opinion from the first game. Unlike Agnea’s story which is about following your dreams and never giving up, Primrose’s story goes in the opposite direction. It’s a tale of revenge on the people who murdered her dad and using everything in her arsenal to get close to her targets and end them. She’s not a dancer because she loves to dance, but because it’s the best way to get info, get the attention of her targets, and have them drop their guard. She’s the perfect embodiment of the song Dress Down by Kaoru Akimoto. Everything she does is a calculated and planned move to accomplish her goal (even the scent of her hair). It’s a soap opera story that could have easily failed and become nonsensical but was handled well and gave us one of the best stories from the game.
#6. Throne the Thief from Octopath Traveler 2
Thief class for the win! I can’t help it, I love rogue characters and Throne’s story is one of the best. Trained to be a thief since the day she was born, Throne goes on a journey to break from her shackles and achieve the one thing she’s always wanted, freedom. Throne’s path has a number of dark and unsettling moments that make Primrose’s story look sweet by comparison and takes us on a journey into the unexpected. Seriously, how this story started and how it ended was not what I was expecting. While you may not have seen the ending coming and found it bizarre to some degree you can’t deny that this story had you intrigued from beginning to end.
#5. Castti the Apothecary from Octopath Traveler 2
Amnesia stories much like isekai animes have been done to death and are overplayed. However, what matters to me is what’s done in those stories. In Castti’s case, we get a very thrilling story that sees our apothecary wash up in an unknown town and go on a journey to uncover the truth of her past and who she is. I loved her story and how whenever she would remember her past the game would just glitch on you. It surprised me every time. When she finally does remember her past and the danger that is to come, we get a final chapter that sets the stage for an amazing climax that gives us one of the most captivating antagonists in the history of this series with a location that suits this final battle perfectly. Not all overplayed stories are bad. When done and told correctly they can give us a great story.
#4. Hikari the Warrior from Octopath Traveler 2
The banished prince returns to reclaim the throne and save the people from tyranny. I’m a sucker for these kinds of stories. Not only does Hikari have to face his fellow countrymen, but also his most trusted friends who each have their own reasons for acting the way they’re acting. It’s sad to see people you once called friends turn their back on you and go down a path that ends with you never making up with them. There’s also Hikari battling his dark half determined to get him to embrace his dark desires. It honestly reminds me of Persona 4, where the key to beating them isn’t destroying or denying them but instead accepting them and not letting them control you. Hikari’s story also has some of the best visual pieces in the game. That opening war scene looked amazing. I might be a little biased but I can’t help but love Hikari and his story.
Footnote: Fuck Mugen and his cheap four moves a round play. Out of all the bosses I fought, he was the most infuriating and the first one I beat. Thank God, the other bosses were easier.
#3. Temenos the Cleric from Octopath Traveler 2
It may be because I’m a fan of cynical characters, but I instantly liked Temenos when we met. Caught in the middle of a conspiracy pertaining to his own church, Temenos goes off on a journey to solve the death of the church’s pontiff. While the mystery is by the books and you’ll be able to figure out who did it quickly, you’re still interested in seeing where the story is going, what Temenos will discover in his travels, and his complicated relationship with the church. He’s a man who believes in the faith but doesn’t believe the people teaching it can be trusted. The one major factor that sets this story above the others is the interaction between the characters. One of the major complaints with this series is the lack of character interaction among the travelers. While this story doesn’t give us that interaction, they instead give Temenos a strong supporting character who works off of him perfectly and gives us delightful interactions that honestly remind me of Sherlock Holmes and Watson and adds comedy to an otherwise obvious but serious mystery.
#2. Olberic the Warrior from Octopath Traveler
One of the most popular characters in the series with rich lore behind him. After defeating a group of bandits, Olberic sets off to find his former brother-in-arms who betrayed their lord and kill him. What starts off as a simple act of vengeance instead becomes a grand story filled with twists and turns that shift the story in a new and better direction. Olberic’s story is filled with great and interesting characters that bring his story to the next level. Unfortunately, they do their job too well as one of them overshadows Olberic and honestly has a story that makes me beg for DLC. An excellent story and hands down the best one from the first game. But if we’re talking about the best story.
And number one. . .
#1. Osvald the Scholar from Octopath Traveler 2
A tale of loss and retaliation. After being falsely accused of killing his family by his scholar partner, Oswald escapes prison and sets off to get revenge on the man who took everything from him. It was a tough call between Osvald and Olberic, but Osvald’s story delivered an overall better experience. The story immediately has you invested in his goal and it makes you feel good knowing you’re helping right a wrong and delivering justice to those who deserve it. The story does have its dark moments, especially in the latter chapters when you see what his partner has been doing, why he framed Osvald, and what he’s prepared to sacrifice to achieve his goals. The ending does leave a tear in your eye as you see the sacrifice Osvald makes for the one he cares for the most and the flashbacks of his family and his interactions with them are touching. This is a story that honestly could have worked out as a full game if I’m being honest and is Octopath Traveler at its best.
And that’s my list. Do you agree with it? Who was your favorite character/story? Let me know in the comments below. Thanks for reading and I’ll see you next time on Project Nitsuj.