I chose to analyse Octopath Traveler not only because its turn-based combat once made me consider whether our project needed a combat system, but also because our art direction references its visual presentation. Octopath Traveler’s HD-2D style combines 2D pixel characters with 3D environments, creating a visual style that has both a retro pixel-art feeling and spatial depth. Square Enix’s introduction to Octopath Traveler II also describes HD-2D as a combination of retro pixel art and 3DCG, and an Unreal Engine interview about the series also mentions that HD-2D is a visual method that places 2D pixels into lush 3D environments.

For my level design, the inspiration from Octopath Traveler is not only its visual style, but also how it maintains spatial readability under a fixed camera. When 2D characters and 3D environments are combined, players need to clearly understand which areas are walkable, which objects are interactive, which paths are blocked, and which areas are only background. If there are too many scene decorations, players may misjudge the walkable area. If interactive objects are not clear enough, players may miss important items or routes.

This is important for our project, because our game also uses a 2.5D locked camera / top-down view. Players need to explore Meadow, Forest, and Salmon Run, find items, avoid enemies, and understand map routes. Therefore, the scene cannot only focus on atmosphere; it must also support navigation and item readability.

A fixed camera can make the composition more stable and keep the art style more consistent, but it also creates limitations for level design. Players cannot freely rotate the camera to check hidden corners, so map paths, interactive items, and dangerous areas must be made clear through composition, lighting, negative space, or audio cues. Otherwise, player failure may come from not being able to see clearly, rather than from mechanical judgement.

Of course, it is also worth mentioning that our group chose a similar 2.5D / pseudo-3D visual direction not only because of aesthetic reference, but also because of production scope. The GDD originally expected a pixel art style. I think this choice may have been made to reduce development pressure, because pixel art is usually easier to control in terms of visual scope for a small student project. However, in actual production, our Technical Artist Yansong is not skilled in traditional pixel art. If we continued to insist on a pure pixel-art style, it might instead increase the production difficulty.

On the other hand, if we used fully 3D environments and 3D characters, this would create additional workload in modelling, animation, materials, lighting, and camera control. Therefore, we finally chose a hybrid solution that better fits the team’s abilities: using low-poly 3D environments, adding a pixel filter, and combining them with a fixed camera and 2D pixel characters. This allows us to keep the pixel feeling intended in the GDD, while using 3D environments to build spaces quickly and avoiding the huge cost of full 3D production.

For me, this decision shows that visual style is not only an art issue, but also a production design decision. Whether a style is suitable for a project does not only depend on whether it looks ideal, but also on whether the team can complete it steadily and efficiently. This hybrid style makes it easier for our scenes, characters, and camera to remain consistent, and it also allows level design to continue within a controllable production scope.

Resource：

Square Enix (2018) Octopath Traveler. [Video game]. Square Enix.