A pair of award-winning role-playing games have suddenly dropped onto Xbox Game Pass.
Octopath Traveler and Octopath Traveller 2 are now available to play on Xbox Game Pass, via Xbox consoles, PC or cloud streaming.
This arrival follows publisher Square Enix’s recent announcement it will “aggressively pursue a multi-platform strategy” going forwards.
Both titles have 16-bit era-inspired visuals, but map that ’90s look onto a 3D-rendered game world.
The original Octopath Traveler came out in 2019, the sequel in 2023.
Wondering which to play first? The games tell different stories, despite their obvious visual similarities. There’s no need to play Octopath Traveler before Octopath Traveler 2.
The second game is considered slightly better than the first in most respects, and only the most committed players will be able to get through the pair. Each takes around 60-70 hours to complete, and that’s before digging too deep into side content.
Just like the ’90s Japanese RPGs that inspired their look, the Octopath games have a turn-based battle system, and your progress through the various game areas is managed by levelling up. Wander into the wrong zone and you are liable to get creamed.
The name of the game refers to the eight characters you’ll add to your party along the way, and each has their own story and quest to play through.
For the next big news for Xbox Game Pass subscribers, you’ll want to check in to the Xbox Games Showcase show on June 9, at 6pm. It will show the games coming up from Xbox Game Studios, and will be followed by a special event diving into Call of Duty.
We’re hoping to hear about when the old treasure trove of Call of Duty games will come to Xbox Game Pass. Fingers crossed.
