The One Octopath Traveler Character That Players Can't Stand

There's no denying that the "Octopath Traveler" formula is a winning one — the original was hands down one of the best games of 2018 when it first released, and its recent sequel has been rapidly climbing the Metacritic ratings for February 2023. Unique neo-retro graphics, utilization of the Nintendo Switch's potential, and air-tight gameplay flow that paid homage to all the best and most iconic JRPGs of yesteryear have earned the series rave reviews and critical acclaim.

Of course, another unique aspect of "Octopath Traveler" that has received quite a bit of attention is its unconventional story structure that follows eight characters with highly different personalities, strengths, and motivations. With such a big cast, juggling quality and quantity across all very-involved story paths sounds like a tall order — and while many critics have claimed all eight stories brought their own compelling flavor to the table, not all players agree. Though personal taste varies, some characters' stories just didn't hit the right notes with most players — and one, in particular, stood out as a consistently disliked character across the fan community.

While players didn't actually rag too much on Tressa herself — with some being fond of her upbeat personality, and others finding it a bit childish — one sentiment echoed across the community was that her story was pretty lackluster. Compared to the dark and heavy themes of characters like Primrose, many complained that Tressa's motivations were way too personal and low-stakes to really shine when — a young merchant finding her way to fame and fortune just felt "boring" to many who were there to experience the fantasy of a neo-retro JRPG. Players felt that it lacked any "real conflict," and that the conclusion to her story made absolutely no sense at all. 

Even those who were fond of her story agreed that Chapter 4 — the conclusion to her saga — was underwhelming and stood as the greatest flaw in her story path. Regardless of whether the other stories relied too heavily on tropes and overly predictable outcomes to sell their story, at least they delivered on the plot points that were being set up throughout — with a villain that popped out of nowhere with no cohesive motive, Tressa's finale left even her greatest fans feeling somewhat put out. 

Though, in the end, even her greatest detractors had little to say about Tressa herself as a bad character — which is, perhaps, a testament to the variety and depth of each character that included a little bit of everything for any kind of player.