Shouta
Member
at
Bewildering Grace or whatever Dancer has really helps with XP and JP if you're lucky. So the grind there can be lessened on that front. Fast Traveling through areas you've already picked clean helps a lot.
-
Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.
Bewildering Grace or whatever Dancer has really helps with XP and JP if you're lucky. So the grind there can be lessened on that front. Fast Traveling through areas you've already picked clean helps a lot.
D
Deleted member 752119
Unconfirmed Member
I was going to skip this, but changed my mind and grabbed it today as I was itching got something new for Switch and could use a long game for a couple long flights coming up.
I started with Primrose and then went and got all Oberic and finished his intro chapter. I’d done those two in the first demo (didn’t play the second) so I wanted to basically get where I was.
Really liking the combat and music so far. Look forward to playing more.
I started with Primrose and then went and got all Oberic and finished his intro chapter. I’d done those two in the first demo (didn’t play the second) so I wanted to basically get where I was.
Really liking the combat and music so far. Look forward to playing more.
D
Deleted member 752119
Unconfirmed Member
I ended up playing for 6 1/1 hours. Got Tressa and then Alfyn after starting with Primrose and Olberic. Needless to say I'm really enjoying the game and glad I changed my mind and decided to grab it. The stories seem like they'll be a little uneven in quality though as those second two's first chapters weren't nearly as good a Primose's or Olberic's IMO. Only other gripe is I'm not a huge fan of pixel graphics. It looks pretty nice on the Switch screen, but pretty rough blown up on a 55" TV. Oh well, I'll just mostly play it undocked.
DunDunDunpachi
Banned
40 hours in and I'm not even done with all the Chapter 2 stories. The game has its hooks in me. I love how it handles multiclassing.
This game really is a return to basics with Squeenix. It is a AAA RPG in every way, merely wrapped in a faux-16-bit shell. There is voice acting for every ability in every class, meaning that every character has dozens upon dozens of callouts in their own voice. There is a unique sprite for each Character+Subclass combo, meaning all the unique animations to go along with the special attacks are tailored to each of the 8 characters, too. There are countless subquests and mini-missions, many of which can be completed more than one way (stealing the Boar tusk vs introducing the hunter to the Naturalist in Haanit's village). Using Allure/Follow is hella cool, and the Hunter class even has a Dragon Quest/Pokemon sort of "enemy capture" mechanic. The game offers layers upon layers upon layers.
Also, the music... easily on par with ANYTHING from the 16-bit era.
This game really is a return to basics with Squeenix. It is a AAA RPG in every way, merely wrapped in a faux-16-bit shell. There is voice acting for every ability in every class, meaning that every character has dozens upon dozens of callouts in their own voice. There is a unique sprite for each Character+Subclass combo, meaning all the unique animations to go along with the special attacks are tailored to each of the 8 characters, too. There are countless subquests and mini-missions, many of which can be completed more than one way (stealing the Boar tusk vs introducing the hunter to the Naturalist in Haanit's village). Using Allure/Follow is hella cool, and the Hunter class even has a Dragon Quest/Pokemon sort of "enemy capture" mechanic. The game offers layers upon layers upon layers.
Also, the music... easily on par with ANYTHING from the 16-bit era.
Last edited:
jshackles
Gentlemen, we can rebuild it. We have the capability to make the world's first enhanced store. Steam will be that store. Better than it was before.
Sitting at 55 hours and I've finished 5 of the 8 stories and am working on the sixth. It's nice being able to go back and whomp on a character's Chapter 2 story - my current crew is level 70 now with a level 9 H'aanit. At first I thought it was kind of lame that your benched characters don't receive any experience points, but I like how it all shakes out in the end, where my low level characters have access to high level gear and high level supporting crew which makes it really enjoyable (for me at least) to blow through my not-main character's story chapters with ease.
I heard that
... yikes.
As
DunDunDunpachi
said, the music in this game is amazing and memorable.
This is my favorite game I've played this year, hands down.
I heard that
the final boss is fought in two phases and requires all 8 characters
As
DunDunDunpachi
said, the music in this game is amazing and memorable. This is my favorite game I've played this year, hands down.
DunDunDunpachi
Banned
You're progressing much faster than I am. Who is your "main character"?Sitting at 55 hours and I've finished 5 of the 8 stories and am working on the sixth. It's nice being able to go back and whomp on a character's Chapter 2 story - my current crew is level 70 now with a level 9 H'aanit. At first I thought it was kind of lame that your benched characters don't receive any experience points, but I like how it all shakes out in the end, where my low level characters have access to high level gear and high level supporting crew which makes it really enjoyable (for me at least) to blow through my not-main character's story chapters with ease.
I heard that... yikes.the final boss is fought in two phases and requires all 8 characters
As
This is my favorite game I've played this year, hands down.
Dr. Claus
Banned
I haven't had much time to dedicate to the game as I have been desperately trying to finish my internship, but I just started the first Chapter 2 of the 8 characters (Therion to be precise) and I LOVE the small interactions between characters. Between that and the various side quests that feel like their own full stories, the world feels so alive. The only real thing I can say that I am annoyed with in the game is the names of the various towns. They are very forgettable, even if they are well designed - but I guess the simplistic nature of them fits well with the storybook setting they have going on.
jshackles
Gentlemen, we can rebuild it. We have the capability to make the world's first enhanced store. Steam will be that store. Better than it was before.
I started with Tressa, and my main crew was her, Cyrus, Ophelia, and Olbrec. This crew covered all of the bases - support, dps, healer, tank. I focused on prioritizing the Merchant and Dancer subclasses for the SP Saver and Second Wind passives on every character (half SP usage, recover SP every turn) which is really overpowered because it lets you basically not worry about using special abilities for the rest of the game.
Also, keeping the same party of four characters and focusing on their levels and Chapters before ever touching any of the others will definitely get you farther faster than swapping out characters and trying to keep everyone around the same level (if that's what you're doing). Not that there is anything wrong with that - but it will definitely prolong the experience since the level progression in this game is not nearly as important as the equipment you have. I started H'aanit's story and was a) able to sub-class as the warmaster, b) had really high-level gear, and c) had accessories that more than doubled her natural HP.
DunDunDunpachi
Banned
Indeed, that's what I'm doing. I went around and did all the CH.1s, now I'm working through all the CH.2s, and then I'll move on to all the CH.3s (and so forth). I know it's not optimal but it's enjoyably chill. H'aanit is my main and she just hit 40. Other characters are mid-20s to mid-30s so at some point I imagine I'll be overleveled for some of the content. I kind of already am overleveled.
The story chapters are quite short and I like it that way. You're only committing about an hour (tops) to go through that quest. Since it tends to be equal parts story, dungeon, and boss-battle it doesn't feel like a chore at all. The boss battles are really good, too.
I've spent way too much time on stealing, Scrutinize/Inquire, leading people around to complete their quests, capturing monsters to get better Beast Summons, levelling up sub-classes, doing the optional dungeons, etc. etc.
Last edited:
jshackles
Gentlemen, we can rebuild it. We have the capability to make the world's first enhanced store. Steam will be that store. Better than it was before.
One of my favorite parts about this game is that at it's core it almost feels like an "open world-lite" game. The Chapters are incredibly focused but as you mention in general they're not where you'll spend the majority of your time in this game. Outside of that you're free to explore dungeons, complete side-quests, fuck around in town, level grind, whatever - there is a ton of stuff to do in this game and you could literally spend hours doing random stuff like catching new monsters or trading with townsfolk. Some of the reviewers have framed this negatively saying that the game lacks narrative focus, but I think it's awesome that the framework is in place for two different people (like ourselves) to have two radically different experiences with the game's mechanics while still getting the same "main story".
D
Deleted member 752119
Unconfirmed Member
Yeah, I plan on playing the same way. I worry I'll burn out due to the length, but that's why I bought it physically with GCU discount--I'm not "stuck" with it as I would be if I bought digitally and since Nintendo exlusives (even third party ones they publish) tend to hold their value I'll be out little if I want to quit and sell it off. And will sell it off when I beat it (if I do).
DunDunDunpachi
Banned
Agree with "open world Lite". It reminds me a lot of Ultima 6 or 7 where the meat of the gameplay was found when interacting with NPCs and your own party members. Another comparison I might make is Baldur's Gate II: you have your overarching plot to chase down Jon Irenicus, but you can split off into so many directions pretty early in the game. Octopath offers even broader early-game exploration. You'll also pick up a lot of world-building and plot while doing the side stuff. There are little connections being made all the time. For instance:
Example 1: Primrose is the lone daughter of House Azelhart. You will actually visit that town and hear villagers discussing the fall of Azelhart whether you have her in your party or not.
Example 2: Olberic is the dishonored knight of the fallen Hornburg kingdom. Cyrus begins his chapter giving a lecture about the fall of Hornburg.
Example 3: Ophelia is a priestess of the Sacred Flame. Tressa and her family are clearly devout believers in the Sacred Flame.
Example 4: various villagers will comment about 'a Hunter' who passed through and killed such-and-such beast, which I believe is referring to Haanit's master Zaanta.
Example 2: Olberic is the dishonored knight of the fallen Hornburg kingdom. Cyrus begins his chapter giving a lecture about the fall of Hornburg.
Example 3: Ophelia is a priestess of the Sacred Flame. Tressa and her family are clearly devout believers in the Sacred Flame.
Example 4: various villagers will comment about 'a Hunter' who passed through and killed such-and-such beast, which I believe is referring to Haanit's master Zaanta.
Tons and tons of similar details can be found when Scrutinizing/Inquiring with villagers. I expect a lot of variety in every subsequent playthrough. Party Banter, different starting characters, and the various subclass combos will keep things feeling fresh because you literally cannot experience it all during one playthrough, even if you have every character maxed out and every sidequest completed.
Because the story Chapters are short investments (about 1 hour), you can wander as much as you like and then dive back into the story whenever you like.
Last edited:
royox
Member
On par or even better. I'm totally in love with the transitions of each character's main theme and the boss battle theme. My gosh it's so damn hype. Look how well totally diferent music styles combine with the same theme.
Yeah that's the first impression I had and with the same characters (oberic and prim, their stories are SO GOOD) but almost every story I played so far (till CH3) had a sudden surprising twist that got me more invested.
Last edited:
DunDunDunpachi
Banned
For sure! They mapped out instruments and keys to each character and town in order to anchor you to the scene. It's quite brilliant, akin to what was done in Chrono Trigger or Xenogears or FF6. The soundtrack is AAA in every sense of the term.
D
Deleted member 752119
Unconfirmed Member
I’m still having a blast with this game. Finished Therion’s story as my 5th character and quit after getting to the town for H’aanit.
royox
Member
Olberic ch3 ending opinion
Ok I understand he's not killing Erdhart because he ends up empathyising with him...but the game doesn't give a single line about it. You duel against him like it's a "to the death" duel and suddently they are all friends. The fuck. Not even a "i will spare you" line or discussion after.
Last edited:
DunDunDunpachi
Banned
What class-combos seem to be working well for you guys?
Seems like Warrior is going to be a required grind for all characters due to 'Surpassing Power': raises the damage cap from 9,999 ti 99,999. Haanit is already hitting that cap with certain attack/buff combos, and Cyrus is getting close. Seems important for post-game stuff.
Also, how do I do the XP/JP boosts? I heard it was a character's ability but I'm trying to avoid spoilers.
Seems like Warrior is going to be a required grind for all characters due to 'Surpassing Power': raises the damage cap from 9,999 ti 99,999. Haanit is already hitting that cap with certain attack/buff combos, and Cyrus is getting close. Seems important for post-game stuff.
Also, how do I do the XP/JP boosts? I heard it was a character's ability but I'm trying to avoid spoilers.
Vawn
Banned
Dr. Claus
Banned
I occasionally see those guys, but they either run away in the first turn or I miss every attack on them before I can reliably break them. Haven't seen any of them for the past 7 hours though. Not sure if they only appear at certain points or I just have had a string of bad RNG.
D
Deleted member 752119
Unconfirmed Member
Ah, I'd noticed I got 1000 xp a couple of times and didn't know why. Must have been those enemies.
S
SLoWMoTIoN
Unconfirmed Member
There was after he started asking about the person that made him go thru with his plan...
Those are Cait Sith. They go down easy with H'aanit's arrow barrage. If you are REALLY lucky you can kill em and stall the other randoms until Primrose can do her X2-5 EXP dance.
Last edited by a moderator:
D
Deleted member 752119
Unconfirmed Member
Do the optional, higher level caves etc. have worthwhile rewards?
I've passed up several as I was underleveled and died quickly. I ended up in a Danger Level 15 woods area when I got lost making my way to H'aanit's town last night and wandered around a while in there. I got good experience, but didn't find any decent items and just hit a dead end and had to turn back, so I'm curious if most caves etc. are like that and are more just some tougher enemies to level quicker if you don't mind using a fair amount of healing/sp restoring items.
I've passed up several as I was underleveled and died quickly. I ended up in a Danger Level 15 woods area when I got lost making my way to H'aanit's town last night and wandered around a while in there. I got good experience, but didn't find any decent items and just hit a dead end and had to turn back, so I'm curious if most caves etc. are like that and are more just some tougher enemies to level quicker if you don't mind using a fair amount of healing/sp restoring items.
DunDunDunpachi
Banned
They're good for grinding and Capturing high-level summons, if nothing else.
I've been happy with the loot I've found, too.
If you see them throw the itens that cause magic damage 100% sure you will kill with 2 or 3
Dr. Claus
Banned
Excellent, thanks for the tip!
Danjin44
The nicest person on this forum
I haven't finished the game yet but I heard there is final dungeon and final boss you can beat.
jshackles
Gentlemen, we can rebuild it. We have the capability to make the world's first enhanced store. Steam will be that store. Better than it was before.
Get ready to have your ass handed to you.
The final boss dungeon is 8 boss battles in a row, followed by the "final" boss which is done in two phases, with each phase using 4 of your 8 heroes. So you've got to get all 8 characters up to at least level 60 or so to do it realistically without cheesing.
Ulysses 31
Gold Member
or FF 1-6 remakes with octopath engine >.>
hecatomb
Banned
I rather have chrono trigger 3, theres already like 100 final fantasy games, yet they can't make CT3. I wouldn't even care if chrono trigger 3 was 16 bit again.
DunDunDunpachi
Banned
I would definitely like to see them pick up the torch they carried during the DS and 3DS era...
Remade FF3, FF4, DQ 4, DQ 5, and DQ 6 on DS. Remade DQ 7 and DQ 8 on 3DS...
An FF6 remake has been rumored in the making for years now. I wouldn't mind seeing it updated using the Octopath engine.
They'd also need to port/remake Chrono Cross so that everyone could get up to speed on the franchise.
DunDunDunpachi
Banned
Then you weren't paying attention:
The events of Chrono Cross are the result of what Crono did in the first game. There's the city that uses Robo as the "Prometheus Circuit" ...made by a central character from the first game, no less. And there's a ruined version of the ship Epoch from the first game.
hecatomb
Banned
Its more like, image if they made Final fantasy 8 you start out with the main cast, then find out everyone from FF7 is dead but Vincent. Now lets give you a 100 characters, that most likely you will never get in your party. FF8 main party meets up with Cloud, Tifa, and Barret who are dead and just ghost now. Then the final boss is Vincent merged with jenova. Thats pretty much Chrono cross to chrono trigger.
Last edited:
DunDunDunpachi
Banned
You can make the case that the characters between the two games are hardly connected, but the worlds and the plot have numerous direct connections.
The old yarn about how Chrono Cross "was not a proper sequel" is a fair argument, but it's not because Chrono Cross failed to make a lot of connections to the first game. Fans just didn't get the kind of connections (i.e. character and location cameos) that they wanted to see.
If I applied the same logic used to exclude Chrono Cross to other well-known RPG franchises, you could make the argument that Star Ocean 2 is not a "true sequel" to the first game for all the same reasons, or that Phantasy Star 3 and 4 are not "true sequels" to the first two games.
DunDunDunpachi
Banned
As of yet, I've seen no references to Chrono Cross, so I disagree: it would matter.
Speaking of Octopath, after Olberic's Ch.2 I've gained a new fondness for his story arc. Can't wait to see how he
continues searching for his "reason to fight"
hecatomb
Banned
They could have just added some chrono trigger references in it, and just named it chrono trigger 3, wouldn't be hard.As of yet, I've seen no references to Chrono Cross, so I disagree: it would matter.
Speaking of Octopath, after Olberic's Ch.2 I've gained a new fondness for his story arc. Can't wait to see how he. I love how the character stories themselves are pretty straightforward but very endearing/heartbreaking.continues searching for his "reason to fight"
MomsNewBoyfriend
Neo Member
Went in blind on the last boss-he got me with that cheese lol. The part before is a massive timewasting shitshow
Hotel Security
Member
Or, it could be that the connections they did make made no sense to the narrative of CT and basically involved folks who were joke characters (Dalton) have a major role and Belthasar literally making an entire city so he could save a girl he kinda knew when he could have just gone back in time and stopped her disappearance from the beginning. There's so many plot holes in the connection between the two games and this doesn't even include the stuff that happens in the actual game. They take SO long to try to explain the connection and it has so little payoff that they shouldn't have bothered. It's just horrible, horrible writing.
Also, it didn't help that Crono Cross was an awful game and played nothing like the original
But, yes, I agree it's still technically a sequel.