Should You Play the First Octopath Traveler Before the Second? – Answered

Have you tried the Octopath Traveler II free demo? The full game is just days away, arriving on February 24, 2023. After the solid success of the first-ever HD-2D title from Square Enix, many fans of the classic JRPG are excited about this successor, and some new players are wondering if they should play the first Octopath Traveler before getting into the newest entry. The answer to that question lies in this article, so read on.

Related: Octopath Traveler II Review | Fight Giants, Raise Dragons, Mug Children

Should You Play the First Octopath Traveler Before the Second?

Yes, you should play the first Octopath Traveler – because it is a great game, but you can also start with the Octopath Traveler II, because when it comes to the story and lore, they are not connected at all. In typical Square Enix fashion, mastered in their Final Fantasy series over many decades, the second game of the Octopath Traveler series shares only familiar thematic elements with the previous one, while the world, story, and characters are completely different and unrelated to the first game, i.e. the rest of the series.

If you missed the first game but are familiar with Square Enix’s classic 2D JRPG titles from the SNES and early PlayStation era, you will feel right at home with Octopath Traveler II, so you don’t need to speedrun the first game just in order to play it. On the other hand, if you want a sequel to the first Octopath Traveler story, well, this ain’t it, but there is the previously released Octopath Traveler: Champions of the Continent – a mobile game that is a direct prequel to the first game.

For more Octopath Traveler II here on Prima Games check out the following – Does Octopath Traveler 2 Have Pre-order Bonuses – Answered, Octopath Traveler II Voice Actors – Full Cast Listed, and Octopath Traveler II Secondary Job System Explained.