Octopath Traveler is truly a charming and wonderful J-RPG that has reminded me that there's still a place for old classics. Some might call it dated, I'd call it ageless and even peerless when held up against a recent generation of watered down, Westernised role-playing games. Square Enix delivers a nuanced, tactical game and an endearing cast to boot. 8/10

Octopath Traveler is a special RPG, the kind of game that keeps an eye on the past while walking bravely into the future. Indeed, we'd even go so far as to say this is the best RPG you can find on the Switch to date, all elements of this game link together perfectly to make for a harmonious and immersing experience that you'll find difficult to put down. We'd recommend Octopath Traveler to both fans and newcomers of RPGs; the game does a fantastic job of straddling that line of accessibility and depth, satisfying both camps with its dizzying amount of content. Classic-inspired gameplay, an orchestrated soundtrack, and a unique approach to storytelling make this a game that you won't want to miss. This is an absolute must buy. 9/10

Octopath Traveler is an excellent game, but the elasticity of its structure proves to be the one unassailable hurdle between it and becoming a classic in its own right. 7/10

Octopath Traveler finds comfort in tradition but doesn't shy away from breaking the mold. 8/10

Octopath Traveler is a small triumph in that it mostly delivers on its promise to give us eight stories worth seeing through. None of them push the envelope in any way, and several drag, but that's not a huge issue when you have so many to choose from. Even if you skip one or several tales altogether you're still going to get a handful of RPG goodness. 7.5/10

Ocotpath Traveler is a strong entry to the old-school J-RPG genre, even though its classicism may forbid it to reach the greatest titles its taking inspiration from. As simple as solid, this retro adventure features enough mecanics to offer a deep fighting system, well-balanced and which brillantly avoids countless levelling sessions. Too bad Octopath Traveler's narrative simply serves us eight not-so-much-connected stories, otherwise it could have been an instant classic. 8/10

Too many developers have tried and failed to capture the nostalgic and often magical feelings that players have for the JRPG genre. Pared-down retro releases and fluffed-up remakes come and go, yet none of them seem to get things exactly right. Fortunately, Octopath Traveler succeeds where other classically-styled RPGs fail: the presentation is spot-on, the combat is addictive, and tThe potential for party customization is tremendous. Small stumbles with dialog and framerate can be forgiven simply because the rest of the game is an absolute delight. This is an experience that players can easily get lost in for dozens of hours, and it's sure to be counted among the best Nintendo Switch exclusives released to date. 8/10

Octopath Traveler is a beautiful game with one of the best soundtracks I’ve heard. The combat system rocks and will hopefully be used in more Square Enix games to come. There are plenty of good ideas in here. But the game is too grindy, too repetitive, too full of structural problems to be viewed as much more than another botched JRPG experiment.

Octopath Traveler feels like a much more personal collection of tales that might go against what you'd typically expect from a JRPG. More than anything else, the way the characters fall together feels like coincidence rather than providence, and the game is far more concerned with telling intimate stories about grief, friendship, adventure, and redemption. You might not get to save the world, but there's joy to be had from just helping out someone in a bind and learning more about the deep history of Orsterra as you go. For what it sets out to do, Octopath Traveler excels. 9/10

Another fine turn-based battle system and some charming dialogue and visuals make up for an occasionally dry ensemble campaign.

A fantastic balancing act between old and new, creating a Japanese role-player that's full of charm, innovative ideas, and clever nods to the past. 8/10

Octopath Traveler is a deep, diverse, interesting, sometimes risque and sometimes funny JRPG that you should play. 8/10

Octopath Traveler is an atmospheric game with unusual graphics, which suffers from a number of strange design and story solutions, as well as problems with interface and many minor flaws. There's also a lot of grinding, and that's may be a big dissapointment for many gamers. If you are not against grinding, try Octopath Traveler. 7/10

So that’s Octopath Traveler: a beautiful, challenging and often utterly brilliant throwback to the golden age of Japanese RPGs that somehow scuppers its chances of being a true classic through an ambitious but ultimately flawed narrative structure. That open-ended story design pushes the game to be grind-heavy and, worse, fails to do its world, characters or the rest of the game in general justice. Hardcore and lapsed Japanese RPG fans should absolutely look into this, as it’s a joyous experience for anybody who remembers that magical era for console RPGs in the mid to late 90s – but a true, perfect successor to those seminal games this is not.

Octopath Traveler is a beautiful game that somehow never gets tired. 10/10

Octopath Traveler feels like a gem from the golden age of JRPGs that is something I've been craving with stunning visuals, music that deserves a vinyl release, and so much more. 8.5/10