I came to Orsterra charmed by its vibrant, pixel-art landscapes — and promptly underestimated how unforgiving Octopath Traveler 0 can be. That harshness doesn’t come from the story’s grisly moments alone; it’s baked into the game’s cold, efficient “influence” mechanic.
Items are precious in this world: treasure chests are rare and shops charge a premium. You can dispatch lowly critters and weak foes with ease, but the first time you meet elite enemies or bosses the difficulty spikes dramatically. In those fights you’ll be grateful for Healing Grapes to patch HP, Inspiriting Plums to restore SP for abilities, and Olives of Life to bring back fallen allies.
Image: DokiDoki Groove Works/Square Enix via PolygonWith few reliable loot sources, the fastest route to useful consumables is the influence system. Every NPC is aligned with one of three traits: Wealth, Fame, or Power. Wealth-oriented characters are the most straightforward — they’ll part with trinkets and secondhand goods for a price, and if your wealth influence exceeds theirs, haggling can net you even deeper discounts.
Fame-aligned townsfolk behave oddly generous. Using the “entreat” option on them often yields Plums, Grapes, Soulstones, jewelry, armor pieces, and consumable scrolls — as if your renown convinces them you deserve the reward. It’s oddly satisfying and a little surreal to have useful items handed over simply because your character carries a reputation.
Image: DokiDoki Groove Works/Square Enix via PolygonThat generosity, though, raises an ethical question. I still wince remembering the time I used fame to coax a single raspberry from a child in Emberglow — leaving them hungry so my party wouldn’t be. It feels strange to benefit from another character’s kindness simply because my avatar is “well-known,” and the morality of those interactions is murky at best.
Power-aligned NPCs are a different calculus: attempting to seize their possessions with the “contend” option often sparks combat. I tried that approach on an elderly woman to claim her hairbrush and immediately found myself in a skirmish. To be fair, I won — largely because I brought a disproportionate force (my eight fighters and four support units vs. Granny and her backups) — but it was a reminder that brute force is a built-in tool of the system.
Image: DokiDoki Groove Works/Square Enix via PolygonThe game’s consequences for these actions are surprisingly limited. You can harass and rob most townsfolk with little long-term fallout — reputation takes a hit only if you fail. I did lose once, in a chaotic thirteen-versus-one duel against a stubborn grandfather, and that defeat stung. Thankfully, kids appear immune to attack options, which spares them from my more ruthless strategies.
Image: DokiDoki Groove Works/Square Enix via PolygonSo my usual routine became opportunistic: I charm freebies from fame-aligned NPCs, challenge power-aligned residents to wrest items away, and mostly ignore the well-off merchants with their overpriced wares. Why buy when you can beg, intimidate, or fight? The options the game presents practically dare you to exploit them.
Image: DokiDoki Groove Works/Square Enix via PolygonI won’t claim my tactics are virtuous, but the game funnels you into them. Unlike earlier entries in the series, there’s no clean “noble” vs. “roguish” dialogue split — if a character holds a Fortifying Nut and happens to be power-aligned, the interface practically hands you the option to shock them into submission. When moral compromise is built into the systems, it’s hard to blame the player entirely.
Source: Polygon
