Game review: 'Octopath Traveler,' excellent, challenging RPG will keep you playing for hours, Parenting

Parents should know that “Octopath Traveler” is a fantasy role-playing game (RPG) for the Nintendo Switch that’s reminiscent of classic RPGs from the ‘80s and ‘90s. Players have the option to help people in need or ignore their pleas; the rewards of helping people out reinforce a moral ideal that assisting people is a positive virtue, although conflict resolution is handled only through combat. The visuals include small, pixelated characters that fight against enemies and interact with hundreds of characters in the game’s virtual world. Fighting is a large part of gameplay and is handled in a turn-based fashion in which characters can use swords and cast magic spells like fireballs to destroy enemies. There’s some blood, but it’s not realistic, and the small, unrealistic visuals affect the impact of the violence. There’s a bit of flirting in the dialogue between some characters, plus phrases like “damn it all to hell,” and characters are seen drinking beer or mead in taverns.