Square Enix is one of the video game companies most committed to the RPG genre. Beyond giant names such as Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest, the Japanese studio tends to try its luck with new franchises capable of offering different experiences and capturing the attention of players around the world who have been following the genre for decades, while also attracting new generations. However, there is one approach they never seem to want to abandon to keep their artistic style alive.

The return of pixel art has been gaining ground in recent years, especially in the works developed by the Japanese company. The most recent examples are the remakes of the first Dragon Quest games, which are making a comeback in the best possible way to introduce them to new players. However, the great bastion of this graphic style is Octopath Traveler, one of the modern sagas that continues to grow over time and has ended 2025 with a powerful release that proves that pixels should never be abandoned, no matter how much time passes.

In this context, Octopath Traveler 0 stands as a substantial prequel in the history of the saga, although it breaks some of the fundamental rules of the franchise in terms of narrative and story progression. This renewal has won the favour of players, all while boasting a striking artistic direction compared to other titles in the genre currently on the market.

A new way of understanding the RPG genre

The hallmark of Octopath Traveler has always been its unique narrative structure: eight independent stories that rarely converged until the end. While this formula offered replayability and a deep cast of characters in its predecessors, it was also criticised for making the world feel fragmented and the interactions between the protagonists superficial. Octopath Traveler 0 addresses this criticism head-on. Instead of eight separate paths, the story focuses on up to 36 different characters that can be recruited, causing them to lose some of their identity in the adventure.

This new structure provides much greater narrative cohesion. The dialogues between characters are more frequent, more organic, and carry palpable dramatic weight, which immediately makes the player invest more emotionally in the group. It is no longer a matter of completing one character's personal story and then moving on to the next; now, the failure or success of one path directly affects the fate of their companion and, ultimately, that of the entire group. This approach revitalises the feeling of being a true company of adventurers, which also carries over into the gameplay through their actions.

Octopath Traveler reinvents itself for an experience closer to big productions

It is undeniable that the story of Octopath Traveler 0 is one of its greatest strengths, and on this occasion, Square Enix has sought to create a narrative similar to that seen in The Lord of the Rings. The central plot is epic and dark, focusing on the origin of an ancient plague that threatens to consume the continent through the power of rings. This prequel lays the foundations for the lore that was only hinted at in later games, offering significant revelations that enrich the entire universe of the title.

But what really elevates it to blockbuster status is not only the scope of its story, but the way it is presented through its distinctive HD-2D style. What began as an indie experiment has become the spearhead of a visual aesthetic that fuses 16-bit pixel art with state-of-the-art lighting and depth of field effects. The 3D environments, with their fog effects, water reflections and dynamic shadows, give each dungeon and city an unrivalled atmosphere. The game runs with impeccable technical smoothness, allowing the camera to move freely, creating spectacular cinematic shots that were previously unthinkable for an RPG with this retro look. This visual polish lends weight and majesty to key cutscenes and boss fights that few purely 3D games manage to achieve, justifying why this artistic style has been adopted by other major productions from Square Enix itself.

The reinvention also affects exploration. While the map is not open world, the areas are vaster and full of secrets. Each character's unique abilities to interact with NPCs have been expanded, allowing for a greater variety of solutions to puzzles and challenges. The game not only feels like a great tribute to the JRPGs of the SNES and PlayStation era, but also like the logical and modern evolution of the genre, proving that innovation in narrative and technique does not necessarily require abandoning the timeless charm of pixel art. In short, Octopath Traveler 0 is not just a prequel, but an attempt to offer a breath of fresh air to the series and the genre to which it belongs.