The Bravely Default franchise is well known to fans of classic Japanese RPGs. There are enough fans of this series, and apparently, it’s not looking for new ones. I came to this conclusion after spending some time with Bravely Default 2. Since this game is extensive and really long, I still can’t claim to have seen it all and passed all of it, but I did form an opinion about it.
When people ask me to explain what Bravely Default is, I always compare it to classic JRPGs like Final Fantasy. There are all sorts of different jobs and grinds with simple graphics and cool art-style. But these relatively new series affinities with Final Fantasy only have gameplay elements, reminiscent of the glory days when the grass was greener, and the saved files didn’t occupy more than a couple of dozen kilobytes. Final Fantasy has always kept up with the times, trying to evolve with the industry. Still, Bravely Default’s goal is the opposite – its developers are doing everything they can to stay in the past.
Bravely Default has one unique feature: the Brave Points system. It’s a fun technique that not only allows you to defend yourself during combat but also to take action points in reserve to use them later. And you can do this several times, putting points “in the bank” to use later up to four attacks consecutively in one turn.
When the first part came out, fans of the genre were excited about a new classic combat variation. When the second part, “Bravely Second: End Layer,” came out, the mechanics still seemed fresh, but in 2021, with another sequel, it was no longer a wow-factor. We’ve seen it all, and even if it was a cool innovation, it feels weird to base an entire series on it endlessly.
Experienced gamers will immediately recognize this fighting game, but it won’t be challenging for newcomers to adapt because the system is basically simple – you just need to use tactical thinking. By the way, Bravely Default 2 is very friendly to newcomers because there’s no connection with the previous episodes. In general, the story is exceptionally traditional for this genre: we have four strangers united by one purpose to stop the great evil and selfish scoundrels who poke sticks into spokes. Well, such stories can be written by a neuron for a long time, and hardly anyone will notice that.
The first games could be praised for their skillful juggling with the genre elements: the developers managed to convey the atmosphere of the traditional JRPGs without falling into outdated systems, which, admittedly, nobody misses. And to my surprise, I noticed a regression instead of progress in this aspect in the long-awaited sequel! For example, there’s no option to start automatic battles – there’s only a “last command” button. Due to this, the pace of the game is languid. Remember the classic RPGs, where you have to grind, grind, and grind to get up to an appropriate level? Same here, get ready to slaughter thousands of same-type enemies until you’re blue in the face. By the way, enemy encounters are not random here – you can see monsters on the map, but the weak ones will run away from you.
All this leads to Bravely Default 2 making a negative impression in the first hours of play, when newcomers have to retrain, forget all the standards of modern RPGs, and go back in time, with all its inhuman demands. This is not an easy game, and it requires dozens of hours to grind. Otherwise, boss battles will last forever and lead to nothing. Actually, I’ve never been a fan of such random combat systems, so I had to fight myself all the time: when I see a familiar monster on the horizon, my instinct tells me “run away, get away from it,” because I’m bored, but the rules tell a different story.
By the way, the jobs system here is from the same Final Fantasy. Heroes can have different callings, allowing them to unlock new skills and passive abilities. It’s a traditional and still fascinating system, allowing you to combine different stats to achieve fascinating results. Experienced players will be satisfied, but newcomers will need the training to handle the variety of options. Well, who says it’s going to be easy?
In a sense, the above-described archaism partly relates to the visuals as well. While Bravely Default 2 looks better than before, it’s still a bit plain, especially if we compare it with modern standards. Suppose Octopath Traveller has its unique style, where everything is utterly simple and even ridiculous. You can’t call the characters anything but “dummies” – they have funny oval puppet heads that look cute when it comes to the female characters and ludicrous in the case of the male ones. You wouldn’t call them incredibly expressive; it’s not chibi-style, but it’s close – they’re all kind of small and cute, especially compared to the monsters. But I don’t want to criticize the style; it’s purely a matter of taste, except music – it’s fairly wonderful!
The soundtrack is impossible to judge. Each track is memorable and creates its atmosphere, and does not bore you at all – this is the best OST so far. The work of the actors does not cause much criticism either. Many of the characters speak with a wild British and Irish accent, but this is an old tradition for many Japanese RPGs voiced for English-speaking audiences. We heard the most diverse Albion accents in Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch and Xenoblade Chronicles 2.
What about the story? As I mentioned earlier, it’s fine, but nothing special. Just another evil empire is conquering smaller countries and being opposed by a gang of archetypes that we’ve seen in many other games. The characters aren’t bad, especially Elvis, but again, you can’t call them entertaining either. It’s hard to imagine much fan art on them in the future.
In conclusion, I want to say that Bravely Default 2 has a target audience that understands what they want. These are people who are ready to spend hundreds of hours playing it to find a killer combination of jobs and unlock all the secrets the game has. These are people who will squeeze the maximum out of the game and see everything it offers and will probably be delighted. But others may not be able to endure a ten-hour introduction. Bravely Default 2 isn’t spared, it doesn’t try to please everyone. Instead of moving forward, Claytechworks has somewhat regressed some aspects of the novelty, turning many elements into a chore. Due to this, many players simply won’t find the time or motivation to see everything the game suggests. Bravely Default 2 boasts an intense but predictable story, an enjoyable but rustic style, and music that everyone needs to hear.
