The developers of Octopath Traveler 2 discuss one of its biggest improved features in regards to how the eight protagonists will interact with each other. Octopath Traveler 2 was first announced back in September, and much like its predecessor, it will feature eight protagonists with their own individual storylines, classes, and actions that the player can use to interact and battle with the world in-game. This includes the return of mechanics such as the Break and Boost mechanics that has also been expanded upon in new ways as well.

One of the bigger improvements for Octopath Traveler 2 compared to its predecessor looks to be the implementation of how the cast will interact with each other. In the previous game, Octopath Traveler's individual stories never intertwined and were limited to whoever was the main character of that particular storyline. The only real interactions the cast have with each other are in mini-dialogue sequences that don't affect the overall narrative either, with the true ending where all the plot points connecting together also being cited as particularly weak. The developers of the sequel discuss their approach to making these characters feel more interconnected.

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In an interview with Famitsu, producer Masashi Takahashi and director Keisuke Miyauchi shared their thoughts on this new feature known as "cross stories." Miyauchi stated that when the team had received feedback from fans, one of the biggest things that could be improved was dialogue between Octopath Traveler's protagonists outside of travel banter. Miyauchi agreed with this, which is why this feature ended up being implemented. Takahashi also chimed in, stating that with these eight characters being so distinct, having these stories where they talk with each other and experience an adventure together makes them feel more like a traveling party.

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These are however described as supplementary stories according to Takahashi, with the focus still being on the eight individual character stories that can be experienced. While the last game had four chapters for each character's main story, Octopath Traveler 2's story structure will go in a different direction, with each story being "completely different" for each character.

Miyauchi confirms that with the player needing to juggle eight protagonists, mechanics, and stories, Octopath Traveler 2's chapter structure is being changed so that players can enjoy it in different ways. He also states that with character progress having the same "flow" it becomes easy to guess how the story will go, and the developers wanted to make the player feel like they're playing a "completely different" RPG with each character.

Octopath Traveler 2 releases February 24, 2023, on PC, PS4, PS5, and Switch.

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Source: Famitsu (via Nintendo Everything)