Octopath Traveler 0 was unveiled at Nintendo’s July Partner Direct, and we don’t have to wait too long at all for its release. Ahead of its December launch, Producer Hirohito Suzuki discussed the game at length in an interview on the Square Enix Blog. We got plenty of new details about the game, including the content it’s adapting from Champions of the Continent, as well as some of the newer elements like the new town-building system.
Here are the highlights.
New Path Actions
Most of the Path Actions from the first two games should remain intact in Octopath Traveler 0, and there’s one new addition players can look forward to. The Invite Path Action will allow you to invite Villagers to settle in your town. I’m sure there will be limitations to this, but Suzuki suggested that if you meet a Villager in another town who wishes to relocate somewhere else, you could convince them to shack up with you.
How Octopath Traveler 0 Relates to Champions of the Continent
We already know that the basic story setup of Octopath Traveler 0 is based on the framework of Champions of the Continent, Square Enix’s Octopath Traveler mobile game. The good news is that you don’t need to have played that game to enjoy this one. Similarly, folks who have played Champions of the Continent can look forward to plenty of new content in 0 as well.
Octopath Traveler 0 reconstructs the Side Orsterra story arc from Champions so that the focus is on the player character as the protagonist. This is different from Champions (and the first two games too, for that matter), which spreads its focus across an ensemble cast. To emphasize that single protagonist focus, Octopath Traveler 0 also comes with a town-building system to give you a base that you can return to after each adventure.
According to Suzuki, things were done this way so that the town restoration elements are “deeply interconnected with the story.” Suzuki also requested that Illustrator Naoki Ikushima theme the game’s box art around the idea of returning home to reinforce that point.
Influence
Influence is a new system that’s getting introduced in Octopath Traveler 0, too. You’ll be able to accrue Wealth, Power, and Fame as you play, and this can affect how you interact with NPCs and use Path Actions with them.
Suzuki expounds on this by giving an example of an NPC who values Wealth. With enough accrued Wealth, you would then be able to buy items from them or even use money to hire them for their services. Depending on what an NPC favors, this will affect what sorts of Path Actions you can use with them.
Octopath Traveler 0 is set to be released for PlayStation, Xbox, Switch 1, Switch 2, and PC on Dec. 4.
