Octopath Traveler II is bringing back the HD-2D graphical style of the first game. However, with other Square Enix titles having made use of the look and thanks to more experience, the aesthetic has evolved. Producer Masashi Takahashi and director Keisuke Miyauchi spoke more about this in an interview with Famitsu.
VGChartz's Taneli Palola: "The last 12 months were once again filled with some exceptional original video game scores. There were numerous standouts to be found on both the indie and mainstream side of the industry, and at various point throughout the year I thought the best scores were already clear, only for another contender to appear soon after. Yet, the five top contenders this year are likely not too much of a surprise to most people."
VGChartz's Taneli Palola: "Art direction is an element that can often go unnoticed and overlooked when discussing the quality of a game, but that's often by design. Art direction is usually meant to support and enhance other aspects of a title, from its story and characters, to the atmosphere and even gameplay, but it obviously takes great skill and care to achieve that. The following five games all succeeded in conveying the desired atmosphere and tone with their art direction, but only one can be the best."
Kotaku: "It was another great year for making the numbers go up and romancing our favorite NPCs."
A little off topic, isn't SD-3D makes more sense than HD-2D?
Cant wait to play this. Wish i could play the first one. To bad that wont come out for ps. Still gonna play this though looks good.