Awesome / Octopath Traveler

• One at the end of Primrose's first chapter (and demo). Primrose just defeated Helgenish, just after the guy had her Only Friend Yusufa tortured and killed. Helgenish tries to stab her In the Back, only for her to retaliate faster than him and slit his throat while he was charging her. Helgenish agonizes while trying to move, making it look like he's twirling for a few seconds, then dies. Primrose then calmly remarks that he was "Quite the dancer [himself] in the end.", then ends with "And with that, Master... I do believe my debt is paid".
• At the end of Alfyn's second chapter. After figuring out that Vanessa was intentionally making people sick so she could sell the cure at extreme prices, he realized that she would have an escape route planned even if she was caught and defeated. So he brought along a potent sleeping agent so that she would be helpless when the guards came to pick her up. Then he tells Therion that the sleeping agent he used also induces nightmares in people with a guilty conscience. Even Therion seems slightly disturbed by that. Do not piss off Alfyn.
• One scene in Olberic's Chapter 3 makes a surprising use of Gameplay and Story Integration in a game that typically leans quite heavily towards the opposite. When he and Erhardt finally get a chance to talk, to get Olberic's questions answered... Erhardt makes it clear that he realized his Vengeance Feels Empty and that he has no real purpose in life anymore. At that point, a Challenge prompt pops up that you are not allowed to back out of. After declaring the Challenge, Olberic, with Patrick Seitz's incredible voice, proceeds to deliver an incredible monologue about the pain he felt, not knowing his purpose in life after the death of his liege, only to finally arrive at a conclusion as to why he wields his sword: to protect others... same as Erhardt in Wellspring, and how he shall deliver the justice Erhardt avoided that day, to which Erhardt readily and gladly agrees. The resulting Duel Boss fight, though a Breather Boss, is no less emotionally impactful and amazing... and all the moreso when Olberic, despite his harsh words, does find it in himself to forgive Erhardt for his crime, so that he may deliver justice unto the one who really deserves it: Werner, the man behind Erhardt's plot to assassinate the king. The whole scene and the emotional climax is enough to bring chills down one's spine.
• In Tressa's Chapter 4, Ali, who'd previously been established as a smooth talker who can't fight, manages to distract Esmeralda's contact by taking an interest in the man's watch. By the time Tressa returns with her diary, Ali's already handed the man over to the guards.
• For all his eccentricity, Z'aanta proves his worth as H'aanit's master when he leaves behind a note giving detailed advice on how to deal with Redeye, even as he's being petrified.
• The latter half of Ophilia's Chapter 4 is more of a heartwarmer, but it's the consequences of the actions in question that put it in this territory. After having caught up with Mattias and Lianna, Ophilia bears witness to the latter desperately wishing for her father back, causing the embers within Aelfric's Lanthorn to darken and, as a side effect, start draining the life from the villagers who attended. After smiting the guards in her way of stopping this abominable act, Ophilia is confronted with the Sadistic Choice of allowing the ritual to continue or killing Lianna. She instead opts to appeal to Lianna's humanity, reminding her of a time where Archbishop Josef spoke with them about life and death after they witnessed the death of a little bird. Awesomeness part one: Lianna is reminded of that lesson and Josef's lingering will in her heart, causing the black flame to revert to its original whitish-blue coloration and torpedoing the ritual Mattias was conducting, cuing a Villainous Breakdown where Mattias curses Ophilia for taking Lianna's place in the Kindling and attacking her with every intent to kill. The whole thing goes right back to heartwarming once Mattias is dead. Awesomeness part two: the entire reason Mattias and Lyblac had that ritual conducted was to loosen the bindings on Galdera; Mattias to strengthen himself, Lyblac to release Galdera completely. Either way, Ophilia culled that possibility and reinforced his shackles, which was the reason the Kindling is conducted in the first place. If you're wondering why Galdera and his gauntlet of nemeses are a bonus boss endeavor and not the actual endgame in the plot... well, now you know.
  • It gets better. This battle, and only this battle, has Ophilia and Mattias, with full voice acting, verbally oppose each other's ideals, with Ophilia slowly overcoming him as the fight continues. She calls out his nihilistic attitude that changed him into the corrupted cultist he is today, all while proving why her love for Lianna is in fact a strength. By the end of it, Ophilia, with beautiful voice work on the part of Cristina Vee, denounces Mattias completely and drives him mad, to the point he can do nothing but shout empty threats at her.
  • And to follow it up, there is still work to be done after Mattias is felled. Though his evil is gone, and Galdera is properly resealed, Lianna has fallen into depression; her father is still dead, she's willingly worked with an evil cultist, and betrayed her sister on multiple occasions. In perhaps the most heartwarming and awesome moment in the game, Gameplay and Story Integration take full effect, and the player finishes the story by using Guidance on Lianna to bring her up the hill where she first broke Ophilia's shell, only this time, Ophilia is saving Lianna. It only gets better if this was the last story completed, as the credits will roll just before this scene with Lianna, making for a powerful post-credits cutscene to tie everything up neatly.
• Therion's final confrontation with Darius is executed beautifully. After being mocked for deciding to have faith in others again, Therion stands up to him. Not only is it a good show of his Character Development, but coupled with his pre-boss battle theme, the moment is driven home all the better. The contrast in his dialogue here compared to his early on says it all:
  Therion, in his second chapter: Do yourself a favor and build your walls higher before you get hurt.
  Therion, in his fourth chapter: But trust is a sentiment I want to believe in. And it’s one worth fighting for!
• Almost the entirety of H'aanit's final chapter counts. At long last, the Knights Ardante have cornered the Redeye and are working in tandem with the local militia to bring it down. Of course, being the disastrous monster it is, the Redeye proves stronger and immediately petrifies some of the other soldiers. This is when H'aanit arrives in town. There is a brief War Sequence where all the knights masterfully cut a swath through the other monsters (themselves fleeing from Redeye), all with the intent to let H'aanit pass and take on the big beast herself. She's the only one left who can.
  • And the confrontation itself could get a section all its own. At long last, after four entire chapters, H'aanit and the player come face to face with the Redeye, and we finally see what an Eldritch Abomination it truly is. It immediately starts fighting, hitting hard with AOE attacks, occasional petrification (which you can now counter), and shuffling its weaknesses every turn, even if it's stunned. The best part is once the boss Turns Red. The narration says "You've angered the beast." This roaming aberration that's mindlessly destroyed everything in its wake is pissed off that H'aanit refuses to die!
• Defeating Galdera, the Dark God, is a massive feat for both the characters and the players. Far and away the hardest boss in the game, with huge AOE magic, devastating physical attacks and a number of devious tricks up its sleeves, defeating Galdera takes every trick that all eight of the playable characters can manage. The epic two-part battle is the culmination of everything else in the game and it is damn satisfying to put the dark god down.

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