What I came out of from this game was, I really want an Octopath game with a serious, real writer. More than any other recent rpg I can think of, this game really encourages you to play with its systems and worlds in creative ways and it rewards you for it. There is always something over that hill, past that door, and that's what carries the game through the early and mid sections.

The stories of the travelers themselves range from dull to deranged. Partitio's in particular is this absolutely bonkers random events plot about building shopping malls to abolish the concept of intellectual property(I'm not joking) and its so good just because you never know what the fuck is happening next. The one narrative thing the game does well is the "hype moments", all the travelers get their moment to shine, their cool little boss battle moments(Agnea, who has the least interesting story, has the best one). And it all wraps together in a way that is executed well for as well-played the tropes are.

Which I guess is the problem and why I can't put more heart into the game. Its the perfect example of a game where the game is just missing that ambition, that bit of magical quality to elevate from "pretty good" to "greatest of all time". I think if they hired a more ambitious writer, or went harder in the ludonarrative aspects of the gameplay, they could get there--the team has the talent, clearly.

Still, its a massive step up from Octopath 1 and that is worth applauding. Fun game.