The Nintendo Switch has had a lot of big 1st party releases this year, including some big selling surprises like Mario Tennis Aces and Super Mario Party. But on the 3rd party side, they also had some big releases, and few were bigger than Octopath Traveler by Square Enix and Acquire. The RPG went back to the roots of the genre, all the while delivering a fun and engaging story that truly sold gamers on it. In fact, it sold over 1 million copies in its first three weeks.
With its success, the team are working on their next game, one they hope to release relatively soon. But, they’re still talking about Octopath Traveler, and in an issue of Nintendo Dream, they talked more about the design process for the game and its eight characters:
We worked on the game for approximately three years. It took a lot of trial and error during the early development stages before we wound up with the theme of eight main characters. We wanted to create a simple game concept that would make anyone think, “Oh, this looks cool!” But what is a concept that would make anyone think that? While brainstorming, we thought about the idea of choosing your main character and their story. And so the title of “Octopath Traveler” was conceived.
Another big thing for the game was its “2.5HD” visuals, which still used the pixel art that Square Enix RPGs were known for, but also, incorporated 3D models into the mix. This was at first not the plan, but it quickly became it:
At first, I started using some techniques to add dramatic lighting to the 2D art, but Asano told me that wasn’t enough. He wanted me to make something that a player would see and feel confident in spending full price on. So I thought, “How can I take this one step further?” Once I started incorporating some 3D elements, it really gave the visuals a sense of depth.
The results speak for itself, Octopath Traveler had major critical acclaim along with good sales. And fans are now wondering if a pure sequel is coming.
