Bravely Default II

A decent old-school RPG. Even though graphics got slightly better, the dialogues and cutscenes are as bare as they used to be on Nintendo 3DS, with just characters pasted onto a background image and minimal movements. While the writing itself is not as bad as “Bravely Second”, the story is definitely the worst in the series so far. While being very generic at the beginning, it gets dangerously close to ripping off “Final Fantasy X” during the second half. Character and costume design also felt quite uninspired. The new team clearly tried its best to imitate the style of the original, but I wish they just brought back the old designers and writers.

The gameplay remains mostly unchanged. Boss fights are more challenging and fun, even though tedious grinding becomes mandatory in the last couple of chapters. Side quests are again not the funniest around, but they can be skipped altogether as they come with ridiculous rewards. A new card game in the veins of Triple Triad and Tetra Master has also been added. It’s very basic and has no influence on the rest of the game, but it can be relaxing to play in between chapters.

Bravely Default II is proof that that execution trumps inspiration. I've played many a JRPG and this game has all the classical tropes. Yet here I am: I cleared the main game, diving into post-game and having fun.

Yes, you're looking for four crystals, one for each of Aristotle's elements. You know the ones. Yes, you'll control a party of four heroes of light. Yes, you'll save the world. Sorry for spoiling the story of EVERY SINGLE JRPG EVER.

So why am I having fun? I'd say this is because the combat and the job systems are just so perfect. There is nothing stellar about it, really. There's just no flaw to speak of. The job system really does encourage experimenting by not tying itself to stat progression. The brave system brings in a pinch of planning and risk to the good old turn based system. The abilities are varied enough that characters may successfully (and should) play different roles such as DPS, tank, utility and healer.

The game often feels more generous than any other titles in the genre. Yet it presents more challenge than most others. The result is a sense of power and potential which is so essential for this sort of game to really work.

Again, one can argue that the story is just an unengaging arrangement of tropes. I wish Final Fantasy IV or VI had combat that was half as satisfying.

Still, for the nostalgic JRPG player, even the jaded one, Bravely Default II manages to be both comfy and refreshing. Would recommend.