Octopath Traveler 0 hands-on preview – a mobile game transformed

The full game promises 30+ characters to add to your party (Square Enix)

The Gamescom demo for Octopath Traveler 0 reveals a new game that is much more than just a mere mobile port.

Square Enix has put out a number of mobile games we would’ve loved to have played, if not for the typical free-to-play trappings. Dissida Final Fantasy: Opera Omnia, NieR Reincarnation, and Kingdom Hearts χ all had appealing hooks and decent gameplay loops mired by the stench of obtrusive gacha mechanics and a multitude of methods designed to continuously drain your wallet.

There are plenty of similar examples from other companies, where you only wish they’d turn them into traditional console games without all the free-to-play stuff. Turns out that’s exactly what Octopath Traveler 0 is.

Announced during a Nintendo partner showcase in July, Octopath Traveler 0 is, in Square Enix’s own words, ‘inspired by story elements and gameplay ideas’ from the mobile game Octopath Traveler: Champions Of The Continent. It’s not a port or even a pseudo-remake but some weird in-between thing that is neither one thing nor the other.

Unfortunately, the concept is more interesting than the game itself. We got to try it out at Gamescom last month and it is certainly… more Octopath Traveler. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, since the last two games were cracking turn-based role-players but, much as with Octopath Traveler 2, it doesn’t look like this new entry will be revolutionising the core mechanics in any meaningful way.

Battles are identical to how they’ve been since the first game, with you needing to whittle down enemies’ defences by targeting their weaknesses in order to stun them; as well as spending boost points, which you gain each turn, to strengthen your own attacks and spells.

There is one big difference, though, and that’s that you can have up to eight characters in the party at once, split between a front row and a back row. You can only control characters in the front row, while those in the back gradually restore health and mana (or SP, to use the games’ term).

Aside from giving you even more options with how you approach battles, this does introduce a new level of strategy, since you can swap a front row party member with whoever’s directly behind them at the start of their turn without sacrificing an action.

We do wonder if this will make things too overwhelming for some players, who might struggle remembering exactly who in their party can do what, but you are free to swap a character from the back row to the front, look through their abilities, and send them back if you decide it’s better they stay where they are.

While playing the Gamescom demo, we didn’t spend too much time strategising and just went with our gut and managed to get through the fights without much struggle. We also would’ve handily won the boss fight at the end, had our session time not run out.

This does beg the question of how balanced Octopath Traveler 0 will be, but that’s hard to gauge since we not only played a mere snippet of the overall experience, but our party was also a tad over-levelled compared to the enemies and my inventory was full of healing items.

There is something appealing about having such a large party for battles, especially with Square Enix promising more than 30 recruitable characters. In retrospect, I wish eight-man parties were a thing in the last two games, if only to better create the sense that all eight heroes were travelling together, but it so far seems to just add extra steps to combat rather than evolve it meaningfully.

Restoring your ruined town doesn’t look too complex (Square Enix)

The only other wholly new ideas Octopath Traveler 0 has are a customisable protagonist and a town building mechanic, with you needing to rebuild your hometown following its destruction.

We only played this part for a short while, but it looks to be exactly what you’d expect: collect resources to build houses and other structures to provide homes and jobs for the residents, which in turn leads to them making items you can use on your journey.

It’s very simple to get to grips with and restoring a ruined town is undeniably satisfying, especially since your town will look remarkably different to another player’s depending on what you prioritise and where you place your buildings.

A quick scour of the ruins suggests you’ll eventually be given a lot of space to work with and you’re bound to grow attached to the town and residents you cultivate all the way through the adventure.

You’ll get to populate your town with people you meet throughout the game (Square Enix)

Again, though, these new additions seem to be all Octopath Traveler 0 has to differentiate it from the last two games. For those who enjoy the formula the original 2018 game established, that’ll be enough but if you found Octopath Traveler 2 too samey and wished for some bold reinvention, it doesn’t look like Octopath Traveler 0 will ofer it.

Judging by some of the reactions to the game’s announcement, even the HD-2D visuals seem to have lost their appeal now. They’re still charming, but this merging of retro and modern sensibilities definitely isn’t as special anymore when you have Square Enix pumping out so many games with the same style of graphics.

Aside from the Octopath games, we’ve had Triangle Strategy, the Live A Live remake, and the Dragon Quest 3 remake. Plus, this year will see both Octopath Traveler 0 and HD-2D remakes of Dragon Quest 1 and 2, followed by action game The Adventures Of Elliot: The Millennium Tales in 2026.

Octopath Traveler 0 will no doubt be a perfectly fine and entertaining role-playing game, on par with its predecessors. It’s just a shame that the series seems content to stay in its wheelhouse. Perhaps it’s afraid of alienating fans, as has happened with some modern Final Fantasy games, but it surely can’t stay doing the same thing forever.

Unfortunately, if Octopath Traveler 0 sells well that will only encourage even more of the same. Although, if it also means Square Enix will dust off and revamp more of its old mobile games, that might not be such a bad thing.

Formats: PlayStation 5 (previewed), PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch 2, Nintendo Switch, and PC
Publisher: Square Enix
Developer: Square Enix
Release Date: 4th December 2025

Yes, the HD-2D graphics are overdone at this point but they’re still lovely to look at (Square Enix)

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