Bravely Default II

Genre: Turn-Based JRPG

Players: 1, Online Content Sharing

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Review:

Bravely Default II is a Turn-Based JRPG released on Nintendo Switch in 2021, and released on PC later that same year. While the game has a II in the title, this is actually the third game in the series, after 2014’s Bravely Default and 2016’s Bravely Second: End Layer, both on Nintendo 3DS. However, those who never played the earlier games in this series needn’t worry – this game takes place in a different world with a different set of characters, and the only majo ties to prior games are elements of the gameplay and presentation.

Speaking of that gameplay, the Bravely Default series is named after its signature combat system element, the Brave/Default system, where characters in combat can go into a defensive stance (Default) to bank additional actions for future turns (Brave), and can even borrow actions against future turns. Nintendo Switch players saw a somewhat similar system in Octopath Traveler a few years back, but Bravely Default makes this gameplay element a far more central part of its strategy.

Beyond this, the game makes use of an excellent job class system, as well as a few other creative elements, such as an Exploration mechanic that allows your character to go seafaring while you have the game in sleep mode, having adventures on his own, meeting with other players’ characters online, and getting items to upgrade your party’s abilities. It’s a fun little addition. However, mostly this remains a fairly straightforward JRPG, albeit a rather good one.

A large part of this is due to the game’s excellent writing and characters. To be fair, Bravely Default II’s story is largely formulaic – a medieval fantasy world, a blank slate hero, a princess on a quest to save the world from an apocalyptic calamity, four MacGuffin crystals to find and obtain… there’s very little here that we haven’t seen countless times in numerous other JRPGs. However, the quality of the writing here is superb, and the voice acting is outstanding, with the characters voiced by actors using various native European accents, giving them a strong feeling of credibility. As a result of this, each of the game’s central characters truly comes alive in a way that rises above the mundane story beats of the tale. I was particularly fond of Elvis, a genial, laid-back scholar with a Scottish accent and a fondness for drink and camaraderie.

The excellent writing and voice acting is further bolstered by a delightful presentation, making use of some good, albeit somewhat simple, 3D visuals that have an almost storybook appearance to them, with some very nice water and lighting effects. The characters may be somewhat divisive, with their chibi-esque proportions and often-noseless faces, but these were clearly stylistic choices, as the character models are actually pretty well-detailed and nicely-animated, and they take on very different appearances depending on which job class they’re assigned to.

This visual presentation is accompanied by a superb orchestral soundtrack well-suited to the grand fantasy adventure this game strives to be, with some of the standouts being Halcyonia Theme, Halcyonia World Map, Seth’s Theme, and Seth’s Special Theme.

In the end, while Bravely Default II doesn’t revolutionize the JRPG genre, it nevertheless remains an outstanding entry in that genre, with excellent writing and characters, great music, solid visuals, and engaging gameplay. The art style of the character designs may not be for everyone, but unless you’re especially picky about that sorta’ thing, I’d urge you to consider this a must-have for anyone who enjoys JRPGs.

tl;dr – Bravely Default II is a Turn-Based JRPG that’s technically the third game in the series, but features a completely original story, characters, and world. That story may be somewhat formulaic, but it is well-written, with excellent characters, wonderful voice acting, great music, and solid visuals (though the art style for the characters may not be for everyone). The brave/default combat mechanic and a great job class system keep the gameplay interesting, even if they don’t revolutionize the genre. All things considered, this is a must-have for RPG fans on Nintendo Switch.

Grade: A-

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This game has been nominated for one or more of eShopperReviews 2021 Game Awards:

Runner-Up: Best Voice Acting, Best New Character (Elvis Lesley), Best RPG

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