Bravely Default Reviews
An old school RPG with a modern twist, filled with customization options and an intuitive battle system that never gets dull.
Bravely Default’s combat combines the best things that old-school JRPGs had to offer with some new and welcome additions, and its social features are incredibly forward-thinking. However, its sluggish pacing and over-reliance on repetition and genre conventions holds it back from being the Final Fantasy replacement we all wanted it to be.
Bravely Default is a game that excites me about the future of the JRPG genre. It takes the standard JRPG that we have grown used to, adds in several new features, and modernizes the genre for the new generation. So much is done right that I hope other developers look to it as an example. Unfortunately, what Bravely Default does so ingeniously in its first forty hours falls apart in its last fifteen. What could have been a revolutionary game is debased by the horrendous endgame that Square Enix could have so easily omitted.
For good or for bad, Bravely Default is an old fashioned RPG. The story can be hit and miss at the same time introducing fantastical and cringe worthy dialog. If you are looking for something to sink your teeth into for 80-100 hours this unabashedly Final Fantasy like game isn’t a bad way to do it.
Game Strong. Solid JRPG experience, and one I didn't mind putting 90 hours into. If you like JRPGs at all, you'll like this one. It won't be your favorite, but it'll be one you'll keep on the shelf afterwards.
Amazing plot line, with great twists and character development.
Bravely Second’s writing just doesn’t live up to its predecessor. Otherwise, it’s an incredibly solid and technically competent game that will have you tinkering with its job system for hours.