It is understandable that some gamers may dismiss Octopath Traveler as a cookie-cutter, role-playing game (RPG). It is now available on the Nintendo Switch.

Developed by genre veteran Square Enix, the game's sprite-based aesthetics and turn-based combat would look familiar to players who grew up playing classic RPGs like the first few Final Fantasy titles, Chrono Trigger or Secret Of Mana.

But despite some missteps in its plot, Octopath Traveler manages to deliver an above-average experience - one that even seasoned fans of the genre would enjoy.

What hits the player immediately is how beautiful the game looks.

The game's characters might be noseless 2D models, but the 3D world that Octopath Traveler sets them on makes exploring feel exciting. Vivid snow and sand effects make the game come alive, as do the cascading light from rustling trees and the dark, shadowy cave and dungeons.

Where the game truly shines, however, is in its combat.

In battles, players control a party of up to four playable characters who take turns to execute actions.

This sounds like a standard turn-based RPG combat system, but Octopath Traveler casts its own spin with two elements - shields and Boost Points (BPs).

Each enemy, including the many bosses, has a set of weaknesses that consists of elements of magic or weapons. They also have a set number of shield points and hitting enemies with their weaknesses depletes these shield points. Enemies with zero shields are "broken", meaning that they skip a turn and take more damage.

Each turn that party characters take earns them a BP, which is a temporary power-up that either allows for additional weapon hits or more powerful abilities.

This combination of breaking and boosting makes Octopath's battle system feel strategic and exhilarating.

Do you spend all your BPs to break the enemy? Or do you bide your time and unleash more damage once the enemy is vulnerable?

Having to constantly negotiate this balance, along with fending off the surprises that enemies were throwing at me, kept me on my toes and made combat fun.

This is a good thing because Octopath Traveler is not spared from an affliction many RPGs share - the need to grind.

The game helpfully indicates a recommended level for your characters to be at before progressing, but levelling up can take a while because some monsters take a long time to slay.

Perhaps the biggest criticism of Octopath Traveler is its plot, or the lack thereof.

The game does not have one story but, rather, it has eight different ones - one for each playable character in the game.

Each character's story is generally well fleshed out and the usual tropes of betrayal, justice and fulfilling one's sense of purpose are exemplified in all eight stories.

But although these stories do coalesce at the end, aside from occasional exchanges between characters in cut-scenes, the eight characters seem to walk their own rigid paths.

It is likely that the game's developers wanted to keep each story in Octopath Traveler personal, but more could have been done to make sure the game's eight paths do not feel so isolated.

• Verdict: The road to enjoying Octopath Traveler might feel long and rigid, but its beautiful graphics and an unexpectedly enjoyable combat system make it a worthwhile journey.