Bravely Default II review friv game - A classic not for everyone
Japanese RPGs are a specific genre and not very popular with us. But sometimes it is interesting to try new things to diversify your gaming horizons. To get acquainted with the genre, it's better to choose something typical, and Bravely Default 2 tries hard to be just that. Sometimes even too much. So on the one hand, it's a great example of a classic JRPG, but on the other hand, an unprepared person may be a bit discouraged.
Technically, Bravely Default II is not the second, but the third game from the developer Friv2Online in the series (if you don't count the mobile Fairy's Effect). The first installment was released in 2012 on the handheld Nintendo 3DS, followed three years later by a sequel, Bravely Second: End Layer. Both games sold well and were quite highly appreciated by critics, so in 2019 another numbered part was announced - already for a new hybrid console.
Well, such tricks with names for Japanese RPGs are not rare - remember at least Final Fantasy. By the way, Bravely Default was created by the same Square Enix - the recognized masters of the genre in general and the industry in particular. This is a certain mark of quality, and the friv game as a whole corresponds to it. And again, similarly to "Final Destination", the plot and world of the new part are in no way connected with the previous ones - the games are united rather by vision and concept.
The plot of the game is quite simple - in the role of a shipwreck victim named Seth (in the traditions of the genre you can enter any name, but it's better to follow the canon) we meet the princess of the defeated kingdom, get a brief overview of the local political and magical situation and set out to save the world called Exillante, realizing our chosenness at the beginning of the journey.
For the balance of the world, as in many other Square Enix games, the elemental crystals are responsible - we have to find them, and the wizard Elvis and the mercenary Adele, who were accidentally met at the very beginning of the friv game, will help us in this.
In general, the feeling of playing a simplified and more naive version of Final Fantasy does not leave throughout Bravely Default 2, and it appears almost everywhere, from the names (familiar to all fans of "Final Fantasy" Potion, Phoenix Dawn, Ether and spells like Fire/Fira/Firaga in the order of strengthening) to the parameters, equipment and combat system.
The game has three main "modes": city, world exploration and dungeons. In the city we communicate with different characters, buy equipment and pick up side quests in the spirit of "go fetch", on the global map we move between story locations, fight stray monsters and open chests, in the dungeons we do about the same, but with fixed save points and a boss at the end - as a rule, they complete large story sections.
During the adventure, you can wave your weapon directly "on the map" by pressing Y. In addition to using this to attack monsters and gain an advantage, you can literally cut the grass and even find something valuable in it. In my opinion, it's a rather strange mechanic that will appeal only to very hardcore players - I didn't have the patience for more than a couple of swipes.
After important events, there is sometimes an opportunity to see the dialog between the characters of the party by pressing the button. Such conversations allow us to get to know our comrades better and reveal the plot of the friv game.
Another interesting mechanic is expeditions. After completing one quest in a special building, you can send a ship to explore the seas. Upon your return, you will receive various items to increase character parameters. Expedition can last up to 12 hours, but you can send it for the time of inactivity of the console. Network functionality can be connected for greater efficiency, with no Nintendo Switch Online subscription required.
Exploring the world and dungeons, we will have to fight constantly. Battles are really a lot, and they are tiring. The good news is that the location of all monsters is visible to the naked eye, there are no random encounters. The bad news is that monsters are constantly respawning, so the "map sweep" will not work.
In addition, with the exception of some unique creatures, the figure on the map usually hides a whole group of enemies, the specific composition of which is unknown. The weaker enemies are afraid of us and run away, but the stronger ones can go in pursuit. The first blow (swinging a weapon right on the global map) or attacking from the back gives an advantage to both us and the enemy.
The game got its name thanks to its trademark combat mechanics. Bravely Default 2 combat system, as well as many other things in the game, is almost a standard of classic JRPG - turn-based battles on a separate screen, choice of actions in the menu, no movement on the battlefield.
But, as they say, there is one nuance. Or rather, two. These are Brave and Default commands. The first one allows you to get an additional action - up to three per turn. Naturally, not for free - in order to use the command, you need to spend Brave Points (bravery points), for the accumulation of which the defensive position of Inaction is used. Such is the balance.
Another interesting point: Brave Points can be taken "on credit", going into a minus of up to three points. This immediately makes you tempted to rush the enemy with multiple attacks - and often this approach works, but only against weak enemies. With more or less serious opponents you have to spend and save points wisely. And yes - the Bravery and Inaction system is also fully available to enemies.
In addition to the combat system it is worth mentioning the role-playing system. Character parameters themselves grow independently of us in the best traditions of the genre - we only need to increase them with the help of equipment. But in terms of classes and abilities there is a huge space for creativity.
Each character can be assigned any available class at any time. In the friv game it is called Job, which can be translated as "job" or "profession". The class changes the appearance and available abilities of the character. Each profession is upgraded separately from the general level at the expense of special JP (Job Points), which we also receive after each victory.
The number of available classes grows as you get Stars (Asterisks), special artifacts in the hands of unique enemies. In addition to the main class (Main Job), you can assign an additional class (Sub-Job), but only the main class will be pumped.
From the technical point of view Bravely Default 2 is executed quite well, but not flawlessly. The visual style of rendering cities deserves special praise. Whether it's coastal Galzionia, deserted Savalon, lush green Visvald or frosty Raimdal - everything looks like it's painted with watercolors and blends perfectly, somehow lamely with the character models.
The characters themselves look quite nice, but they are not devoid of "forests" and blurry textures. Another thing worth noting is the rather specific style of their depiction - the so-called "chibi" or "tibi", doll-like models with disproportionately enlarged heads. This goes well with the naiveté of the story, but it's a bit of an amateur.
When walking around the global map and dungeons, the environment is executed at about the same level as the character models. It doesn't interfere with gameplay, but Switch can still do better. Especially in stationary mode - in it there are often inexplicable for this level of graphics frame rate drops and picture twitches. In portable mode, everything is fine.
A Japanese RPG can't be a Japanese RPG without soundtrack - and here it is traditionally on top. The music sounds beautiful and organic, causing a desire to listen to it separately. And also in the friv game all story dialogs are voiced - though, the English version sounds a bit dry, but you can choose Japanese with English subtitles. Russian language, unfortunately, is not supported even for text - for RPG it is quite important.
Controls are convenient and intuitive, and even supplemented with a detailed tutorial. The interface, despite the characteristic for JRPG a large number of text menus, surprisingly does not seem overloaded. There is also a one-handed control mode that uses only the left joycon, but why it is needed in a purely single-player game is a mystery to me.
Bravely Default 2 can't be called a bad game, but it's definitely not a masterpiece. Even within the JRPG genre. In terms of mechanics it is almost flawlessly executed, but at times the friv game tries so hard to be classic that it feels outdated.
The naive plot, endless battles, and primitive side quests may also be off-putting to many, but that's more a feature of the genre than a particular friv game, at least with the exception of the story. On the other hand, the graphics are not bad, the visual style is beautiful and the soundtrack is mesmerizing, and the technical flaws are not over the top.
Overall, Bravely Default 2 is definitely a game for fans. Especially considering the full-price price tag (4499 rubles in eShop and slightly cheaper on cartridges). Though if you're interested but still hesitant, it has a free demo version.
