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Bravely Default Review
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on 2014-02-28 at 14:58 (20991 Views)
Like many here on BlueGartr, I have spent the past few weeks enthralled by Square Enix’s latest release for the 3DS, the peculiarly named Bravely Default. For many, this is a long desired return to the medieval fantasy worlds that made Square famous many years ago. Although it does not bear the Final Fantasy moniker, it is almost like reuniting with an old friend you haven’t seen in a while. It is as easy as it once was to become absorbed in a world with crystals, swords, summons, Black Mages, Curas, and the story of four heroes, out to save the world. Those who grew up playing those older RPGs will undoubtedly find a highly polished homage to those fond memories. And for those who have haven’t experienced the older games or do not share such happy recollections, Bravely Default offers an inviting welcome that is both easy to enjoy and incredibly satisfying.
Bravely Default tells the story of four heroes tasked with saving the world. After seeing his village destroyed by a freak cataclysm, the orphan Tiz Arrior soon meets the Wind Vestal Angès Oblige and her fairy companion Airy. Angès is one of four maidens tasked with protecting the four crystals that protect the world. They soon add an amnesic coquette named Ringabel who carries a mysterious book that seemingly predicts the future. Their party is rounded out by Edea Lee, a former soldier in the Eternian Army who sees the world flatly divided between black and white. Although the routes they take to arrive together are very different, each is unified in their sense of duty to awaken the four crystals. However, these different routes also serve as tinder for conflict through the early points of the story, helping to foster the chemistry between the party. The game also features optional vignettes to further delve into the interactions between the characters, analogous to those featured in the Tales franchise. While most don’t contribute any major plot points, they are still charming and many are downright hilarious. This chemistry between the characters really helps their journey become more engrossing and intriguing. Like so many of its predecessors in the genre, the game establishes that Edea’s view of the world is puerile at best, and a number of twists and unforeseen turns arise as the journey progresses beyond its first act. Now, I would be remiss if I neglected to mention that there is a point in the game that starts to feel repetitive, even by RPG standards. While it fits within the narrative Bravely Default is telling, that defense doesn’t mitigate the problem. However, even as the game starts to drag on, the relationships that have matured between the characters continues to shine through. Honestly, without the strong cast, specifically the humor that Edea and Ringabel continue to interject throughout the journey, the game may have been far less satisfying.
Apart from its captivating story, the other defining feature of Bravely Default is the battle system from which the game derives its peculiar name. At its core, Bravely Default utilizes a traditional turn based battle system that so many previous RPGs have featured. However, the unique twist is that players are not restricted to a single action per turn, but can either use the Default command to stockpile turns or use the Brave command to pull from their reserve to unleash multiple attacks or abilities at once. However, if players do not have enough turns, they will be unable to perform an action on subsequent turns till their balance returns to zero. This adds a new dimension of strategy to battles as players can choose to play risky, going into a deficit in hopes of a quick victory, or play safe and accumulate turns should the need arise. The game also features a familiar job system, albeit with several different names. Some jobs are directly taken from the Final Fantasy franchise unchanged – White Mages still heal, Knights defend, Thieves steal, etc. However, others are new, although their inspirations are fairly clear – Dragoons are now Valkyries, Samurais are Swordmasters, and Alchemists are now called Salve-Makers. Each character can equip one job and gain access to the unlocked abilities of another. Players can also choose from unlocked support abilities, allowing unique combinations that take advantage of players' resourcefulness. For instance, the Ninja job can be equipped, gaining access to the damage avoiding Utsusemi ability, which, when coupled with the Red Mage’s Turn Tables support ability, can produce a job that can maintain its shadows without costing a turn during battle. As players progress through the game, they earn experience to increase both character and job levels, the latter resulting in access to more abilities. The job system combined with the Brave/Default system gives the game flexibility to allow players to develop their own play-style, especially useful given the various challenging boss fights.
One welcomed new feature is the ability to control the encounter rate and adjust the difficulty at any time throughout the game. RPG veterans can increase the encounter rate to double the normal value, resulting in more battles, while those who find it too challenging can reduce it all the way to zero, allowing for easy passage through dungeons – of course, turning off battles is likely to make the game’s bosses all the more challenging. This feature is especially useful when players find themselves deep within one of the game’s winding dungeons, running low on MP or supplies due to repeated battles. Players who find themselves over-leveled and the game too easy can even turn off experience or gold. Players can even increase the speed of the game’s battles; a blessing given its turn based system – although it can also be a curse at times when status messages rapidly flash across the screen. Overall these and many other features serve to offer an incredibly user-friendly experience.
As I mentioned earlier, Bravely Default occurs in a medieval world with knights, swords, castles, and crystals. It is a fairly classic RPG world that is depicted in beautiful detail. I actually thought of just including the amazing artwork of the game, but figured some actual screenshots would be more appreciated. The characters are mostly depicted as chibi characters; not overly cute, but still not the most appealing style. Each character has a different costume for each job with the costumes for each gender sharing similarities. While the different sets of armor do not have different appearances, the multitude of costumes available for the party more than make up for this. The job costumes are also really well done, drawing inspiration from their traditional heritage while taking creative liberties to distinguish themselves. While the battle screens and world environments are all beautiful to behold, special note has to be given to the cities which are especially gorgeous and inspired. One is built around a central clock powered by windmills, another is a floral town designed like buds and a floating lily pad, and a third sits in a sea of lava, surrounded and protected by the visage of armor. The game is also blessed with an outstanding soundtrack and mostly phenomenal voice acting. The only character I had an issue with was Angès’ voice, but it suits her character well, so I really shouldn’t be complaining – you could almost say it would be unacceptable. The soundtrack is not comprised of the traditional Uematsu tunes that characterized the early Final Fantasies, but bears similarities to them. A number of tracks however, bear a closer resemblance to the music produced by his band, The Black Mages. Overall, it’s an exceptional soundtrack with a number of excellent pieces. If you need a sample, I recommend checking out the phenomenal character themes, especially Baby Bird.
There are also a number of features in Bravely Default that utilize the 3DS’ online functionality. Players can summon and send abilities to their friends to help in a pinch and connect with other characters to gain access to abilities from players who have progressed through the game. These are all optional, but can be helpful when facing a tough opponent. Another optional feature, the rebuilding of Norende, has been favorably compared to a simplistic Facebook game (minus the spam, and bugging your friends, and microtransactions – aka, everything bad about Facebook games). Over the course of the game, players can work to rebuild Tiz’s hometown. Rebuilding a shop requires villagers which can be recruited online and through streetpass. It is a fairly simple process, but the reward is access to some fairly powerful weapons and abilities, as well as a limitless supply of items. It is worth noting, Bravely Default does have microtransitions, but they’re completely optional and can be ignored as soon as they’re introduced.
For a certain crowd, Bravely Default has an undeniable charm and was sure to be seen as a huge success. Like many gamers, I grew up playing the early Final Fantasies, and so Bravely Default’s elements that harken back to them struck a chord with me. However, it has also been seen as a hugely enjoyable game by many gamers who do not share this history. I’ve talked to a number of friends who did not enjoy their previous experiences with the Final Fantasy franchise but have loved Bravely Default. If you haven’t picked up Bravely Default yet, I strongly recommend making the investment. At the very least, give the demo a try, I can almost guarantee that you’ll be captivated and crave more. At its core, Bravely Default is a Final Fantasy game in everything but name – and quite honestly, that’s ok. Bravely Default manages to honor the rich legacy of RPGs while establishing itself as a modern entry into this category that many were ringing in as dead a few years ago. With Bravely Default's producer, Tomoya Asano, saying that he would like this to become a franchise with yearly entries, I’m excited to return to the world and gameplay that we’ve been introduced to.
The world only goes round by misunderstanding. ~ Charles Baudelaire
All images owned by Square Enix.
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