Octopath Traveler 1 and 2 are two of my favorite turn-based RPGs, but I'm not sure how I'm going to go back to them after falling in love with Octopath Traveler 0's town-building mode

Octopath Traveler 0 is shaping up to be a very promising RPG for any existing fans, as well as newcomers eager for more turn-based battles after the glorious highs of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 earlier this year. After playing for around 45 minutes, it's clear that this sure is more Octopath, but with refreshing combat mechanics and a new town-building mode that I let myself get a bit too immersed in during my brief hands-on demo.

Octopath Traveler and its sequel are two of my favorite turn-based RPGs of all time. With their gorgeous HD-2D art style, satisfying combat systems, and battles that can be, at times, genuinely brutal, I have a lot of love in my heart for the series. However, I was never tempted to try out the prequel, Champions of the Continent, largely because I found the free-to-play mobile format offputting. So after hearing that both story and gameplay elements from the title would make an appearance here, I was thrilled that I'd finally experience what I'd been missing in a full console RPG format.

Breakaway

During my hands-on session at Gamescom 2025, I admittedly didn't get to see a massive amount of the narrative play out, as most of my time was spent in battles. If you've played any of the previous games, you'll feel right at home here with familiar systems for breaking (essentially, stunning) enemies by hitting their weaknesses enough times, and charging up boost points (BP) to either strike with a standard attack multiple times or unleash a powered-up skill instead.

The battles are where we see the first similarity to Champions of the Continent, with eight characters in your party at a time rather than the limit of four in Octopath 1 and 2, letting the RPG live up to its name more effectively than usual. While you don't attack with all eight at once – instead going into fights with an active front row of four characters, and another four in reserve on the back row – you can freely swap between the two every time you have a turn.

This adds a new level of strategy and speed compared to what I've been used to in the main series games. No time to heal an ally with low health? Now's the perfect time to throw them onto the back row out of harm's way. Does someone on the back row have a weapon that can break an enemy that's about to attack? Swap them in – complete with charged BP – to protect the rest of the party. While the basic systems in play are familiar, these new elements are opening the RPG up for even more tactical gameplay, and I have no doubt that once mastered, they'll make fights go by even faster, too. A mercy, since I've found some of the boss fights in the previous two main entries exhaustingly lengthy at times.

Even with more allies by your side to fight, however, battles are no joke. During my demo, as well as some standard fights, I took on a boss – a big 'ol lizard and their buddies – and while I can't say I was ever concerned about losing, I still had to be careful with resource management of healing items since the enemy onslaught left my team very low on health on a few occasions. Like previous entries, foes don't have health bars – their remaining HP is roughly reflected when their names change from white, to yellow, and finally red – but the lack of visibility here adds a delectable amount of tension to these moments, because you're never quite sure how long you've got to keep fighting for.

Getting cozy

If that all sounds a bit overwhelming, then fear not, as Octopath Traveler 0 also has a town-building mode that might actually be the thing I'm most excited to dive back into.

This was the first thing I was given the chance to try out during my hands-on, with free rein to place structures like buildings and decorations, as well as foliage and paths. Eyeing up a particularly nice tree, I immediately set to work making a plaza – a cobblestone path leading to a paved area with the tree right in the centre, surrounded by benches and flowers.

Even from a short stint with these tools, I can confidently say that the mode spoke to my cozy game-loving heart – if you enjoy the decorating aspects of the likes of Stardew Valley and Animal Crossing, you'll love this. I got so absorbed, in fact, that I had to be reminded that there was still a whole RPG for me to dive into for the rest of the preview session. Whoops.

After its announcement at the end of July, Octopath Traveler 0 immediately became one of my most anticipated games of the year, and after less than an hour of playing it, I'm even more excited. I'm curious how the influence of the mobile game will affect the overall experience compared to the two stellar main series entries I'm used to, but so far, it's looking like plenty more of what I love with a nice sprinkling of fresh elements to keep things interesting.

If you want to check out more of GamesRadar+'s Autumn Preview, be sure to take a look at our Gamescom 2025 coverage hub.