Bravely Default 2 Review-in-progress

Bravely Default 2 is the newest turn-based jrpg from Square Enix. Nintendo is publishing this title. And thanks to Nintendo of Canada we received a review copy of Bravely Default 2. Is this a jrpg worth checking out? Here is our review-in-progress to let you what we think so far of this game.

Bravely Default 2 is set in a fantasy world where four heroes of light go on a quest to find some crystals. It also takes place in an all-new world, you do not have to have played the first Bravely Default to enjoy this game. The only thing that Bravely Default 2 shares in common with the first game is a similar graphical style and the same type of battle system.

Bravely Default 2 is a really great looking game. This is the first full HD Bravely Default game and it shows! Everything from the towns to the world map to the monsters to your characters look fantastic. This is a beautiful game.

However, I do wish the camera wasn’t pulled out so far in towns and dungeons. It can be difficult to keep track of your character at times. Also the camera can not be moved, so judging whether or not you are right in front of a character you want to talk to can be tricky occasionally. On the world map, things are much better. The camera can be moved and it is not pulled out as far as it is in towns/dungeons.

Another issue is that the text in this game is so small. Of course, there is voice acting for all the major scenes and some minor scenes, so its not a huge issue but I do wish the text was bigger. This issue and the pulled camera really makes Bravely Default 2 a game you should play in portable mode and not on the TV. I have been playing in portable but I will check on TV mode for the final review.

Meanwhile the game’s battle system is a blast. The graphics in battle are stunning. The camera is very close up so you can see the level of detail on your characters and on monsters. It looks so nice.

The battle system is turn-based affair with a really good Brave/Default system that adds strategy to all the battles. Oh and this game is not easy! Even on the lowest difficulty, Casual, Bravely Default 2 has a lot of hard battles, especially the boss ones.

There is something that you should take advantage of to help you level up other than just grinding. Bravely Default 2 has a type of ‘streetpass mode‘. Yes that old feature from the 3DS.  Bravely Default 2 uses the internet to connect and share information with other players while your system is in sleep mode (the game still has to be running). Your character will collect items that can help your group level up more. I believe you can use this feature without the online. I will test that out for the full review. It is really neat how other players are mentioned in this feature. I like it a lot!

I also just found Bravely Default 2’s card mini-game, B’n’D. It is a little complicated but it also reminds me Final Fantasy 9’s awesome card game. I like how there are people in different towns that you can take on and you can win more cards. It seems addictive and I’ve only scratched the surface of it.

Bravely Default 2, overall, is excellent so far. Just like that card game, I know I’ve only scratched the surface of the game as a whole. It looks like there are lot more places to visit, things to see, sidequests to take up and jobs to find. I love jrpgs and this seems like a really good one.

Please stay tuned to GamesReviews.com for our full review of Bravely Default 2 for the Nintendo Switch!

Thank you to Nintendo Canada for providing a review code for this game. Bravely Default 2 is now available on the Nintendo Switch eshop!