Octopath Traveler 0's devs see it as "new game" despite its mobile origins: "We wanted to go back to the beginning – to start from zero"

Art from Octopath Traveler 0 showing Ludo with a big sack of coins, celebrating.

Octopath Traveler 0's very existence makes it one of Square Enix's most unique JRPGs to date. In the company's packed lineup of role-playing games, impressive 'HD-2D' style games that embrace retro-inspired visuals and mechanics now sit alongside boundary pushing visual stunners like Final Fantasy 16.

Likewise, those HD-2D games encompass brand new games like the original Octopath Traveler and the upcoming The Adventures of Eliot, as well as being used for remakes such as the incredible Dragon Quest 1 & 2 HD-2D Remake. Octopath Traveler 0 might share a graphical style, but it's not really any of those things. It's something else entirely, and that might be why I can't help but be fascinated by it.