After much anticipation, the world has finally gotten to experience Bravely Default 2 for the first time. The original Bravely Default was a spectacular surprise, calling back to the classic Final Fantasy games with a shifting job class system and adorable characters, all with a beautiful story full of surprises and twists that fans of classic JRPGs were hardly prepared for.
With Bravely Default 2, though, it’s perhaps fairer to consider a comparison to the game’s proper sequel Bravely Second, which continued the story and characters of Bravely Default with a new threat to its world. While playing the newest entry to the series, it’s clear some things were picked up from the first sequel, and also some aspects that were left behind.
10 Learned: Larger Open Worlds
The original world of Luxendarc in Bravely Default and Bravely Second is a spectacular example of an open overworld in a JRPG. Even though you aren’t perfectly scaled with the environment, your speed and the geography make it feel even bigger, and it gives you a grand sense of adventure on the small 3DS screen.
With the Nintendo Switch, though, there’s no reason for this limited space, and it takes the open feeling of the world from Bravely Default 2 into a reality. The world is actually much more open with dungeons being available right away and a huge amount of overworld to explore, with treasure chests and enemies everywhere and tons of secrets as you do side quests and learn more, building perfectly off of the absorbing and evolved setting of Bravely Second.
9 Did Better: Stylish New Areas
Something slightly less exciting about Bravely Default 2’s worlds is that it’s far less imaginative than Bravely Second, which did tons of work to make new environments and time-based changes to the original game’s levels. The passage of time and ability to explore areas that you originally went to at low levels is something unlike any other game, even if it’s only possible through this style of direct sequel.
Its newest areas are especially distinct, with the Yew’s college town and the flying bathhouse being especially unique additions to Bravely Default’s diverse world. Time has passed, and technology has as well, and while Bravely Default 2 has a more classic medieval world, it doesn’t feel like an evolution of fantasy the way that Bravely Second did.
8 Learned: More Diverse Character Types
Bravely Second felt like it was experimenting with a lot of character designs, and that’s something Bravely Default 2 was absolutely able to perfect itself on. Bravely Default mostly did it with costumes, adding new jobs and NPCs with much more elaborate and bizarre looks from the militant Charioteer class to the comical Chef and Catmancer jobs.
Bravely Default does a lot with its classes, taking the charm of these creative gag jobs and applying them to the classic Final Fantasy classes that Bravely Default primarily revolves around, like the more modern Red Mage and incredibly fashionable White Mage. Even better is the look of the characters outside of their asterisks, with more visibly aged characters like Sir Sloan and Elvis making more distinctive characters than Bravely Second wanted to attempt.
7 Did Better: Cuter Characters
Bravely Second’s experimentation still has a trait that much of Bravely Default 2 lacks, and that’s in its adorability of characters. Dressing up your main cast is tons of fun, and with the prior mentioned Chef and Catmancer jobs, it’s easy to make a party that’s fashionable while still maintaining function.
There’s certainly some silliness to be had with Bravely Default 2, particularly with the ill-fitting and action-ready outfits like Berserker for the hilariously short Gloria, but few of the game’s outfits are as elaborate and comical as Bravely Default 2 managed to pull off.
6 Learned: Quick Start
The specifics of Bravely Second’s start are going to be mentioned shortly, but one of the greatest qualities of the game overall is how fast it is to get back into things. JRPGs are massive games on average, and many people can have trouble getting engaged without the game getting exciting early on.
Bravely Default 2 does this very smoothly, having a quick bit of exposition when Seth is found on the beach by Gloria before quickly getting into combat with Elvis and Adelle to introduce players to the new combat style. Within a few fights, you’re quickly with Gloria and on the path to begin the story, letting veteran fans of the Bravely Default series get right into the good stuff.
5 Did Better: Dramatic Start
As great as it is that Bravely Default 2 starts off quick and smooth, it still doesn’t come close to the very beginning of Bravely Second. Unlike most JRPGs, there’s no cutscene or dialogue scene to start you off, and you’re instead put right into a battle with the game’s main villain with a full set of powers before losing in dramatic fashion.
Even though this fight is mostly scripted, it’s a great way to provide a tutorial while letting players see how exciting the combat gets later. There’s no dead time at the start, or cutscenes you need to skip if you’re in New Game Plus, as you’ll just get right into a battle before Yew kickstarts the main plot afterward with his encounters with the other main cast members.
4 Learned: Less Bizarre JRPG Tropes
Bravely Second has a serious issue in terms of how many tropes it tries to accomplish, and many players can be easily put off by how much the story and characters rely on these common tricks of the genre. Hidden plot twists can be easy to identify, and some of the romantic shipping can be painfully predictable.
Bravely Default 2 still sets the seeds for a lot of JRPG tropes, like Seth’s amnesia and a romantic tension between business partners Elvis and Adelle, but they’re much less invasive in the game’s plot. There aren’t uncomfortable scenes that revolve around ogling the female characters or unnecessary bathhouse trips, making it far more pleasant to enjoy the game’s side quests and tangents.
3 Did Better: Classic JRPG Tropes
This isn’t to say Bravely Second is flawed for having its tropes, as it can be quite great for those who are bigger fans of the trends that JRPG characters and stories have. One of the prime examples is Yew’s crush on Magnolia, a girl who literally fell to Earth and has little idea about how human love and relationships work.
Once again, it’s alarmingly predictable that they’ll end up getting in romantic situations, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t fun for those who appreciate these kinds of traits in a JRPG. It can feel like trashy drama to players that aren’t familiar with it, but it can absolutely be a jam for those who enjoy these kinds of story and shipping elements.
2 Learned: Traditional Fantasy Setting
Bravely Default is much known for its twists on traditional fantasy, and how well it builds on the Final Fantasy formula that Square Enix has perfected over the years. Bravely Second managed to take these twists to a great return, and the developers clearly knew that it was time to take a step back from the strange direction and direct follow-up of Bravely Second to try something more classical.
Bravely Default 2 is much deeper in the medieval fantasy setting, and removes many of the more steampunk elements of the world to create a much more natural world. It certainly has elements and references to the modern world, but the rustic nature of Excillant is a much-needed change of pace from the technologically advancing world of Luxendarc.
1 Did Better: Unique JRPG Story
This traditionalism is a great aspect of Bravely Default 2, but many fans of the series might not be as in love with the story early on thanks to this classic feeling. Bravely Second took a huge amount of leaps with adding aliens and interdimensional monsters to the mix, and it uses the time-hopping twist of the original Bravely Default to create something even more elaborate.
Players are only just now starting Bravely Default 2, but those elements are sorely missed in the early stages of the game. Bravely Second was extremely memorable for the weirdness and absurdity in its story and characters, and while it’s nice to take a step back, it would be great to see a sequel to Bravely Default 2 where they can go as freely off the rails.
