Octopath Traveler: A Perfect Game to Go with Hookah Sessions
We've all done it. You fire up a hookah, and get a hot round of Rocket League going. One hour later, you realize...my hookah is dead and I've taken about 10 puffs. What. A. Shame.
Let me introduce you to the Nintendo Switch's Octopath Traveler. This is a pretty brand-spanking-new game from July 13, 2018. Thus far, I've only played the 3-hour demo, but once my 3 hours were up, I kept thinking between other games, "Man, I really want to play Octopath."
What is Octopath Traveler?
Octopath Traveler is a Japanese-style RPG akin to Final Fantasy. You play as one of eight classic character types: Scholar, Merchant, Warrior, Dancer, Apothecary, Thief, Hunter, and Cleric. Your first character choice will determine the abilities and story you start with, but don't fret too much; you can meet the other characters during your journey and bring them along so you can help each other out. It's got some stellar looking pixel art that might remind you of older games, with some gorgeous environments to boot.
Gameplay consists of well-voiced cut scenes in towns, followed by exploration of the world with random encounters of one or multiple enemies, huge bosses, and of course, LOOT.
As H'aanit The Hunter, I was able to add some of the randomly encountered monsters to my party and use them to help me beat other encounters. When I added Ophilia the Cleric to the party, I got to add random townspeople to my party with their own abilities to assist me as well. H'aanit uses familiar weapons like bows and axes, while Ophilia seems to harness some holy light through her staff.
There's obviously much more to the game, but this is the little bit I got to get familiar with during my demo. (Don't worry, my Wayfarer's Edition pre-order is incoming...trust me, those 3 hours hooked me.)
But...Why is This a Great Hookah Smoking Game?!
Well, as fun and fast-paced as a JRPG like this can be, it doesn't have to be! Even in the middle of fights, you don't have to react quickly like you might in Uncharted, Splatoon 2, or Rocket League. You can take your time carefully planning attacks for particular enemies' weaknesses, which means you can put the controller down for a bit and enjoy your session while you play without affecting your game at all!
I really love this game. There's more I could say, but I'll let a few other game reviewers do that for me if you'd like more info.
Thanks for reading! Now go forth and enjoy your games...and your hookah!
Nintendo Site for Octopath Traveler
Nintendo Life Video Review (not affiliated with Nintendo)
GameXplain Video Review