Xbox has added a pair of beloved and impressive RPGs to Xbox Game Pass this week without any warning, in the form of both Octopath Traveler and Octopath Traveler II.
Both can now be played at no extra cost if you're a Game Pass subscriber, and this is also the first time either has actually been available on Xbox at all.
These uniquely structured games see you take control of a party of eight characters one by one, uncovering each one's individual story in chapters and seeing how they intertwine with an overall plot.
Check out the trailer below. If you're a fan of the SNES-era Zelda games then, well, you'll be quickly smitten, no doubt.
It makes for some fascinating dynamics as you effectively choose the order of your party's story, and the uniquely structured games were both greeted with acclaim when released.
The first game boasts a Metacritic score of 83, while the second surpassed it with an 85. Those aren't scores to be sniffed at all, especially given how many games there are in the Game Pass library which can't match them – so to be able to play both is a real treat.
It's probably also worth clarifying that there are basically no story links between the two entries. They feature completely different casts and plots, which effectively means that you can take your pick between them if you suspect you'll only end up tackling one.
Of the two, we'd heavily recommend the second game, which iterated nicely on the first's ideas and made things both more streamlined and more interesting. For one thing, its characters' stories interact in more meaningful ways, remedying one of the few complaints about the first game, while the battle system also got some welcome tweaks.
Each looks really ravishing, though, standing as some of the best examples of Square Enix's patented HD-2D technology, which brings the pixels and sprites of retro gaming into the modern world with depth and detail.
Xbox has confirmed that both games will be available on Game Pass until 2026, too, so you've got ages to tackle them if you're a long-time subscriber, although there's also no time like the present. Given we're in a window with somewhat fewer huge game releases than in previous years, why not go ahead and give one of these a try?
