This is a game that I fully imagine simply isn't for everyone, and that's fine. It's a passion project, through and through, and one that I personally loved. Seeing Quito in such as stylized way after having studied abroad / lived there for 5 months felt incredibly nostalgic, and though the park has surely changed since 2002, seeing a specific scene / depiction of La Carolina towards the end of the game brought a total rush of nostalgia back. I loved that park so, so much during my time in the country back in 2023, so getting to see that again filled me with joy. The game is definitely dialogue heavy, but I certainly enjoyed it. Hearing the local dialect and seeing familiar places made this well worth the experience.

Do note that controls are a bit janky, it's not a very long game by any means, and it may be hard to understand every event or name unless you're really in the know. All the same, I found this game quite pleasant and incredibly personal.

Dull, endless gameplay loop. Mining and traversal feels like an absolute slog, and I feel slowed down by merely playing most game types. Simply not my thing.

Upon first playing this DLC, you'll probably be tempted to join the "this is impossible" group. Don't do that. Treat this like base-game, and explore like wild. I highly suggest going to the path off the right from the castle with the camp in front of it - by going both along the path and also down the cliff you will find titanic amounts of locations to explore.

Yes, this is tough. FromSoft always makes challenging DLCs. But stop falling into the pitfalls of "this is impossible" and thinking that it's too hard. The DLC will be a true test of your abilities, but you have the tools to succeed. You can summon, use new weapons (Dragon Smithing Stones are far from in short supply, I think I've gotten well over 10 already), the fragments will help you out a lot, and more than anything, you can learn from experience. Stop rushing things - take it all slow, and think about how you progressed in the main game. Relax a little!

The only objectively negative things are the performance issues in one area in particular (which is moderately annoying at worst IMO), and the sheer beauty of the world itself. It makes the base game look so much less exciting because of how breathtaking and wildly interconnected/expansive everything is. The rest, while undoubtedly tough, is doable with patience and perserverence.

In short: Don't give up, tarnished!

After 100%ing the game, I can confidently say that this game has some damn good writing (some stories I found to be a bit more intriguing and impactful than others, though I genuinely enjoyed them all), truly fun and mechanically interesting combat that gives you the resources you need to take on some of the tougher content, and a stellar soundtrack (which is now on Spotify!) The presentation of the game is remarkable, and I really enjoyed the different environments, towns, etc. Simply gorgeous.


Some things I found a bit tricky to work with, such as battle order seemingly being at least a bit random (as opposed to the mobile spin-off, Octopath Traveler: Champions of the Continent, I did find this to be a little bit finicky at times, but never game breaking). The encounter rate was also a little bit high (an effect which could be reduced, but all the same something a little bit annoying at times). There was also a pretty notable difference in challenge between the secret boss and any other content (which I get, and to some degree think was fair, but it made it a bit of a pain).

All said and done, though, I truly did enjoy the game a lot. The day/night cycle, diverse boss mechanics/challenges, environments, characters, etc. was all very, very well done. It was also beautifully nostalgic to see the bosses you faced in the order you faced them during the credits - even including your party members and their subclasses! That, followed by the epilogue, was simply a treat.

The devs and every single person involved ought to be proud of themselves. Octopath Traveller II is a masterpiece.

Boss, you killed a child...

Amazing. Mission complete.
That right there's why you're the best, Boss. The one and only.


(it's a good game, EXCEPT FOR A QUIET EXIT wtf Konami)

Calamity machine (official)

Honorable mentions: LuiAFK, Magic Storage

I was really looking forward to this, but I simply can't recommend it. Lots of new battle changes have borderline ruined, or at the very least far too heavily changed, the battle flow, making it much slower and less enjoyable (eg the multiple health bars, the absolutely obscene amount of menus and piss-poor explanations for the billions and billions of concepts, generally less interesting loot, limits on the number of times which you can use a skill).

I think there's potential for a real gem of a game, and I truly and sincerely want to love this game. I played the first one a lot, and while I was nowhere near as skilled or knowledgeable as other players, I felt like I had learned. Here, I'm feeling the opposite. The bombardment of mechanics that, to me, fail to complement one another, combined with the burrowing of necessary information under far too many menus and text, lead this to be very, very hard to get into.

Also no fierce god :c

I know that Yakuza 3 is complained about a lot due primarily to the issues with combat, especially in comparison to the older games, but damn this was a great game. The story is my second favorite of the series so far (behind Yakuza 0). I thoroughly
enjoyed seeing the plot shift focus onto Morning Glory, as well as the writing as the final antagonist. Absolutely incredible.

For those hesitant about this game, just seek out the revelations and komaki moves. It'll make your experience a lot better and smoother overall. Then, you can really enjoy the masterful story this game has to offer.

I actively want to kill myself while I play this game.
However I like this game a lot.

What the hap is ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥