The first Bravely Default on the 3DS was a pretty nice return to the standard JRPG formula that many fans have been asking for ever since Japan has gotten board with turn-based combat, with the only exception being Pokemon games. BD managed to utilize the turn-based standard for JRPG's and add systems that allowed the player to make the games faster and more streamlined, allowing for a smooth and quick JRPG experience. With options to increase random encounters you could control and speed up your grinding, or you could turn off the random encounters entirely and speed up the story progression. Combine that with a Brave and Default system that allowed the user to store and spend extra actions into a single turn, you had a lot of control and strategy in combat.
Bravely Default 2 does basically the same thing. You and your party go on a journey to reclaim the four crystals of the elements to save the world. Basically Final fantasy 1, but along the way you will find Asterisks that act as job crystals allowing you to unlock new character classes along the way. Each character had a core leveling system which increases base stats and hit points, on top of a job experience point system in which the characters will level up whatever job they have equipped which will unlock new abilities as the character gets better at the job. It's a very standard JRPG system, surrounded by a very standard JRPG story.
In fact in a lot of ways Bravely Default 2 just feels like the most basic JRPG you could make. The Default setting for a JRPG if you will. It doesn't do anything special really, maintaining the Brave and Default system from the previous games as the only real quirk in battle, but otherwise it's just like playing a standard JRPG.
And for a lot of JRPG fans, that might be just perfect. Like a game you can play while watching Netflix or something and you don't really have to think too much about it.
For those of you looking for something interesting or different about Bravely Default 2, forget it. The characters are fine, but they aren't special in any way and none of them particularly stand out thus far. They are what you'd expect from average JRPG characters.
I think the biggest issue for me is that Bravely Default 2 is a good game. The JRPG's systems are the same systems that I've loved from many many other JRPG's before. It plays well. However the game doesn't have any of the frills that make you feel invested or eager to see what happens next. There are plenty of other JRPG's these days like Persona 5, Yakuza 7, that still use the turn-based combat people like, but also provide the added benefit of incredible settings, style, characters, and story. That's what Bravely Default 2 seems to be missing at least in the first 4 hours, it could be a slow burning story but that still doesn't negate the bland characters of which I've met 5 so far.
I don't know what else to say really. It's fine. It's like the Vanilla ice cream of JRPG's. And that might be a good thing. I'm enjoying it enough but I worry about getting bored half way through.
Bravely Default 2 does basically the same thing. You and your party go on a journey to reclaim the four crystals of the elements to save the world. Basically Final fantasy 1, but along the way you will find Asterisks that act as job crystals allowing you to unlock new character classes along the way. Each character had a core leveling system which increases base stats and hit points, on top of a job experience point system in which the characters will level up whatever job they have equipped which will unlock new abilities as the character gets better at the job. It's a very standard JRPG system, surrounded by a very standard JRPG story.
In fact in a lot of ways Bravely Default 2 just feels like the most basic JRPG you could make. The Default setting for a JRPG if you will. It doesn't do anything special really, maintaining the Brave and Default system from the previous games as the only real quirk in battle, but otherwise it's just like playing a standard JRPG.
And for a lot of JRPG fans, that might be just perfect. Like a game you can play while watching Netflix or something and you don't really have to think too much about it.
For those of you looking for something interesting or different about Bravely Default 2, forget it. The characters are fine, but they aren't special in any way and none of them particularly stand out thus far. They are what you'd expect from average JRPG characters.
I think the biggest issue for me is that Bravely Default 2 is a good game. The JRPG's systems are the same systems that I've loved from many many other JRPG's before. It plays well. However the game doesn't have any of the frills that make you feel invested or eager to see what happens next. There are plenty of other JRPG's these days like Persona 5, Yakuza 7, that still use the turn-based combat people like, but also provide the added benefit of incredible settings, style, characters, and story. That's what Bravely Default 2 seems to be missing at least in the first 4 hours, it could be a slow burning story but that still doesn't negate the bland characters of which I've met 5 so far.
I don't know what else to say really. It's fine. It's like the Vanilla ice cream of JRPG's. And that might be a good thing. I'm enjoying it enough but I worry about getting bored half way through.