Best JRPG 2023: Octopath Traveler 2
2023 wasn’t a huge year for JRPGs, with only a few key releases. Sure, we got rereleases of Persona 3 Portable and Persona 4 Golden on modern platforms, and that was great, and the lovely – but expensive – pixel remakes of the first six Final Fantasy games, but new releases were few and far between.
One game, though, was released back in February on the Nintendo Switch and PS4/PS5 and quickly became one of the best JRPGs in recent years, and possibly one of the best JRPGs of all time. That game was Octopath Traveler 2, and it’s far and away the best JRPG of 2023.
But before we get into that, let’s throw out some honorable mentions. Cassette Beasts was an incredible twist on the Pokemon format, with an incredible amount of interactions between its different beasts, types, and moves. Sea of Stars was a very close second to Octopath Traveler 2, and in any other year, would have been the subject of this article. It’s a wonderful little homage to classic games like Golden Sun and Chrono Trigger, and it perfectly captures the feeling of these games.
There’s also Final Fantasy 16, the latest in the most well-known JRPG series of all time, and despite its hard turn towards action adventure gameplay, it was nonetheless a fantastic game. Square Enix’s other cash cow, Dragon Quest, also got two new games, with the release of Dragon Quest Treasures (technically in December last year but who’s counting?) and Dragon Quest Monsters: The Dark Prince — both wonderful games in their own right.
But none of these games are Octopath Traveler 2. The first Octopath game was a masterclass in combat design, perfecting the modern Brave and Default system Square’s been cooking up since 2012’s Bravely Default. It was a little bit lacking in the story department though, with each of the eight characters’ stories being largely self-contained, save for a short epilogue that was a little lackluster.
Octopath Traveler 2 perfected the turn-based combat system
Square Enix
Octopath Traveler 2 does everything the first game did but much better, with the same great combat system alongside a few tweaks and additions to make it feel fresh. Its HD-2D art style has been refined too, and it’s the best showing of the signature style we’ve seen to date.
Where it really shines, though, is in its character work and storytelling. Octopath 2’s characters are night and day better than the first game’s, with much more tightly defined stories and personalities. Octopath already had good characters, but the sequel really ramps it up.
And it gets even better with Crossed Path chapters, which lets two characters team up for a little adventure away from the rest of the group. This kind of interaction was completely absent in the first game, but they’re utterly fantastic here, showing these very well-realized characters interacting in ways that feel natural and exciting. And there’s a proper final chapter that somehow ties all eight characters’ stories together and concludes them all without skipping a beat.
If you’re a fan of JRPGs, and haven’t checked out Octopath Traveler 2 yet, you owe it to yourself to play it ASAP. It’s available now on Nintendo Switch, PS4, PS5, PC, and soon, Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S.
