No One else Can Call It ‘HD-2D’ But Them
I had no idea what to call the art style that defines Octopath Traveler. It’s very tilt-shifted, and sort of 2D, but also not? Very odd. Square Enix knows exactly what it’s called however, and they’ve trademarked the term in Europe. HD-2D, or HD2D, is the official name for the art style going forward.
This is all well and good, but why make this move now? Is Square Enix going to need this term for some sort of future marketing campaign? Are they safeguarding against any possible competition? Do trademarks like this just take a really long time to file?
Personally, I’m hoping for the first option. Octopath Traveler’s artistic flair resonated with a lot of players, and Square Enix would be fools not to take advantage of that. Perhaps a sequel is in order? Or at the very least, another game that uses this delicious HD-2D art style. As much as I loved that game, I’m okay with the next installment having a real, capital S story. The Adventures of the Unstable Eight was fun, but sorely lacking in the narrative department. I’ll take a massive, ridiculous story with a secret third-act villain and a side of amnesia, please.