they finally added the ost on spotify! this game means a lot to me. no game has made me feel more like an adventurer than this game. a lot of jrpgs are immersive for the plots, environments, et cetera; however, there's something else about this game.

octopath traveler 2's setting honestly isn't anything new or too crazy. a large, sprawling fantasy world with magic, melee, the whole nine. the only real twist to the standard fantasy world this game adds is the start of an industrial revolution, solistia on the cusp of developing the steam engine, trains, and firepower. however, this is by no means to the game's downfall. octopath traveler 2 takes what is an already familiar setting to most players and perfectly polishes it. this is one of the most immersive games i've ever played; the formula of starting off with one traveler in an open world, running around wherever your heart desires and your stubbornness to ignore level caps takes you. journeying around and collecting each protagonist across the map one by one is a truly adventurous experience which leads no two players to have the same experience with this game.

the story structure of the game allows all kinds of players to enjoy the large time commitment that is playing a jrpg. not everyone is able to sit and play an 8 hour long session, and octopath acknowledges that. on days when i had work, i would come home late at night and tired. however, when i still had the urge to play, i was able to fit in one chapter of the story for whichever character i felt seeing. this easily digestible format allows any sort of player to enjoy the game at their own pace, and that's wonderful.

as i sit here writing this while listening to the game's amazing ost on spotify, i can't help but reminisce on all of the good times i had with this game. this reminiscence is what brought me on to pour out my feelings about this game to an empty echo chamber in the first place. i just needed to express my love for this game out loud, even if nobody can hear.

as i was playing this game, i went through a breakup with my then-partner of 3 and a half years. this game provided a nice escapism of that time and truly lets me look back on that month with fondness instead of sadness. the game's final messages taught me to look to the dawn of the next day, even if it seems dark. octopath traveler 2 is truly a personal journey i'll never forget. playing a video game has never felt so personalized and adventurous before. to you, who i feel like i wronged those many months ago, i hope you're doing okay out there.

as this game displayed its final cutscenes, messages, and ending art, i couldn't express my feelings with anything but tears. i think i sat on that ending screen for at least 5-10 minutes and cried nonstop. there's just something special about this game that i can't describe. i do not think this game has the most amazing story i've ever consumed, nor the best characters ever written or insanely amazing gameplay. however, it truly is something special. i can't help but feel a deep love for this journey that i was allowed to be taken on. i've never missed playing a video game so much for the first time as i do for this one. i'm almost glad i didn't play octopath 1 before this. experiencing the format of this series for the first time with this game which, as far as i know, improved upon the first game in every single way, was truly unforgettable. to the entire team behind this game, thank you for giving me an experience i'll never forget. this game's story, characters, music, and full journey is something i will always hold on to.

thank you, octopath 2, for letting me journey with you. whether or not this series ever gets more installments, i'll always consider myself a traveler.

thank you.