OCTOPATH TRAVELER II: EIGHT ROADS, ONE SILVERBACK, NO WASTED STEPS
8.5 of 10 bananas. Square Enix's HD-2D sequel gives you eight travelers, a day and night switch that changes what each one can do, and one of the best turn based battle systems around. The stories still run side by side more than they braid together.
By the Alpha. Switch cartridge listing. Updated Oct 30 2026.
Honest note: This is not a fresh hands-on playtest. I built this verdict from launch reviews, critic consensus, update history, and what is known about the game today. If I put real hours in on stream, I will update the score and say so.
Platforms: Nintendo Switch, PS5, PS4, and PC (released February 24 2023, developed by Square Enix and Acquire). It also runs on Switch 2. The Amazon button is the Switch cartridge. At my Oct 30 2026 check it was sold and shipped by Amazon.com at 39.78 dollars, under the original 59.99. Sellers and prices change, so look at the seller before you pay.
Get Octopath Traveler II for Nintendo Switch on AmazonStore check, Oct 30 2026: new copies on offer, sold and shipped by Amazon.com. Prices and sellers change, so look before you pay.
Sit with me a moment. Some nights the troop wants noise. Other nights an old ape wants a campfire, a turn based fight, and a story that waits for him. This is a campfire game. Eight strangers, eight roads, and a battle system that rewards a calm head over fast thumbs.
What It Wants To Be
Octopath Traveler II is a classic style JRPG in Square Enix's HD-2D look: pixel sprites inside lit, layered 3D diorama worlds. You pick one of eight travelers, from the dancer Agnea to the thief Throné to the cleric Temenos, then recruit the others and play all eight stories in any order across the continent of Solistia. New this time, you can flip between day and night, and each traveler gets a different path action for each, so a merchant who buys by day can hire help by night.
What Works
Critics landed at 85 on Metacritic for Switch and 86 for PS5, and OpenCritic shows 93 percent of critics recommend it. The combat is the star: hit weaknesses to Break shields, bank Boost points, then spend them for a huge turn. Game Informer gave it 8.5 and called it an improvement on the original in nearly every way, and many reviewers say newcomers can skip the first game and start here. The HD-2D art and the soundtrack get praise across the board, and the cast is warmer and better written than the first game.
What Breaks
Listen well. The big complaint from the first game is still here. Each traveler mostly lives in their own story, so in cutscenes the rest of your party simply vanishes. GamesRadar says the eight plots lack coherence, and IGN gave it 7 for playing too safe. Dungeons and wilderness can feel empty next to the towns, random encounters are frequent, and the pace is slow by modern standards. Plan on 60 hours or more, with some grinding.
Who Should Play
Play it if you love turn based fights, old Final Fantasy, or a game you can chip at in handheld mode one chapter at a time. Skip it if you want one big tight story with a party that talks to each other the whole way.
STRENGTHS
- Break and Boost combat stays deep for 60 hours
- Day and night path actions add options
- Gorgeous HD-2D art and music
- No need to play the first game
HONEST COSTS
- Eight stories rarely braid together
- Party vanishes in story scenes
- Frequent random battles
- Slow pace, some grinding
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