JRPG goodness with a little sprinkle of nostalgia for those of us who have played SquareEnix games in the past that utilize 3D isometric environments. It did give me a fuzzy feeling for the first couple of hours because it's the closest thing visually I have played to Final Fantasy Tactics in a long time. After spending more time with it though, that wore off.

Visuals (8/10) - I have a problem, I can't figure out what it is, maybe it's the egregious use of particle effects or maybe the filters they use, the visual fidelity and the art style itself just feels like it is missing something though. Overall, I still can't complain, from my point of view the visuals get a solid 8/10 even though something feels awkward that I can't quite put my finger on it's still a beautiful game.

Game-play/Flow (8/10) - In my opinion, the game-play starts out a little slow for someone familiar with the genre. I only submit this as a complaint because this game seems to be made to service that specific niche. I found myself wishing I had more to do in combat 4-5 hrs in though, I was constantly repeating the same rotation and it started to become monotonous. It wasn't until I had unlocked the majority of the cast and some secondary classes that the synergy came into play and the combat system began to shine. Once it starts to pick up though, it is a very fun and engaging system. As for the overall flow of the game, I feel that the lull above was the only thing that really managed to throw me off. I was otherwise engaged throughout with the game and did not find myself too bored or frustrated with any of the other mechanics.

Narrative (7/10) - People are going to knock me for this one, don't get me wrong, it's cool how they decided to tell the story. However, this isn't something novel, it has been done before and I am far more concerned about what is in that packaging. As for my opinion on the contents, it's okay, bordering good even, most of the time, but I do have some issues. There are sections of dialog that are awkward, the writers were trying to add depth to the world with accents and colloquialisms that often fell flat for me. I am also not a fan of the design choice to place generic voice tracks that loosely apply to what you're reading in the unvoiced sections, I found that distracting and bordering on annoying sometimes. All-in-all though, the game seems to have passable writing and tells a reasonably good story.

Overall (7.5/10) - Octopath Traveler is a solid game overall, above average in most aspects but nothing outstanding. If you're a fan of JRPGs in general, as I am, I do recommend this one (though probably not for the full $60). If you were hoping for something that would be genre re-defining, or an experience you can't afford to pass on though, this one isn't it unfortunately. I will continue to have a lot of fun with this game though while we wait on the return of the 3D ISO JRPG messiah, and if you pick it up with what I have said in mind, I am sure you will as well, enjoy!