So Bravely Default, another JRPG by good old Square Enix. I picked it up at launch, and, at least so far, it's looking like another slam dunk side project from Square, just like Chrono Trigger and Kingdom Hearts before it. Now for some random thoughts:
The main Characters of Bravely Default are awesomely fleshed out. They have a lot of interesting conversations on all sorts of subjects due to a party chat system where you can press Y at certain points to have a relevant optional conversation.
For those who don't know, the main characters are:
Tiz, a lowly sheep herder. His village is destroyed when a giant chasm opens up underneath his home of Norende Village.
Agnés, The Vestal of Wind. She is essentially a priestess charged with protecting the Wind Crystal, which powers the natural wind of the planet.
Ringabel, the lovable scoundrel. He’s your classic ladies man, and apparently has a lot of off screen dates whenever you rest for the night at an Inn. He has Amnesia, and can’t remember his origins.
And finally, Edea, the turncoat princess. She is the princess of the enemy faction, but gets fed up with how her comrades are treating innocent people and joins your side.
Anyway, I love the banter that goes on between these characters. Everyone makes fun of Ringabel, but he’s really the smartest and wisest of them all. Edea is headstrong and rash, but makes a hilarious foil to Ringabel’s “lady talking”.
Another great thing with the story and dialogue is that there is a bit of social commentary in some of the dialogue. One major side scenario has you meet a man who is using a date rape drug analogue, and Ringabel accuses him of “cheating” to win women’s affections. It makes for a really funny scene because Ringabel spends multiple cutscenes following this guy around, trying to figure out his “secret technique”.
Another interesting dialogue set is the discussion between Edea and the enemy bosses. She seems to know all of them personally, and tries to convince them to stop attacking innocents before every boss battle. I’m coming up on a part where I will be fighting the man who taught Edea to fight, and was a father figure of sorts to her. That’ll be interesting.
I like the new battle system idea, being able to rush through random battles is nice. I regularly Brave 3 times during random battles, because I often can beat all the enemies quickly that way. I still need to get used to bosses Braving though…. I keep dying. :P
I also love the job system, though I keep leaving characters in the same general job areas, cuz its easy that way. Poor Agnes has been nothing but mages the whole game. :P
For those unaware, the job system is pretty cool. You are allowed to change jobs anytime except in battle, and there are tons of jobs. You gain a new job every time you beat a major boss. For example, early on, you fight a White Mage and a Monk (Martial Artist). Once you beat them, you get items called asterisks that hold the power of said jobs.
I plan on making more updates soon.
Until then,
Joseph
