Bravely Default: Flying Fairy HD Remaster Overview – Overview

Bravely Default lastly got here to North American 3DS techniques in early 2014, and it marked one other in an extended line of impeccable turn-based RPGs to grace Nintendo’s final devoted transportable system. The launch of the Swap 2 has introduced with it Bravely Default Flying Fairy HD Remaster, and it’s been a pleasure to revisit one in all my favorite RPGs from the final decade or so. That mentioned, the 3DS model was so tailor-made to that console and its options that the HD Remaster does really feel prefer it lacks a few of this allure, however that shouldn’t maintain you again from enjoying via one other stable Sq. Enix providing.

Bravely Default follows the journey of 4 heroes working to revive the light crystals of their world: Luxendarc. The solid is basically likeable–the milquetoast Tiz apart–and grows collectively over the course of the journey, and the villains they encounter have their very own distinctive personalities and tales that make the facet quests as worthwhile as the principle story, each from a story and a gameplay viewpoint. The dungeons and overworld might lack character, however the metropolis areas are notably engaging, though a few of their pop-up e-book allure was misplaced within the transition to HD.

One of many standouts of Bravely Default is its turn-based battle system, which was tailored for the Octopath Traveler video games. In Flying Fairy HD Remaster, you’ll be able to Default (or defend) to retailer up prices to make use of in future turns. The Courageous motion lets you money in these prices to behave as much as 4 instances in a row, making for a really participating threat/reward mechanic. Lots of the boss encounters flip into puzzles the place you’ll want to not solely work out when to Courageous and Default, however which job courses and talents to convey into battle. It’s not unusual to have to regulate your occasion and technique in main methods forward of the extra outstanding boss encounters. Even the asterisk battles that mean you can earn new jobs can pose a noticeable problem and might require an identical quantity of customization earlier than you’ll be able to declare victory.

As you progress, your occasion of Tiz, Agnes, Edea, and Ringabel stage up as characters but additionally earn job factors to enhance their prowess throughout greater than 20 totally different job courses. You possibly can even carry with you the first capability of a second job class to pair alongside your present job, along with a handful of realized passive buffs from any of the courses you’ve dabbled in. It follows then that there’s usually some required grinding as you stage up your jobs to make them extra highly effective and efficient, and the encounter meter is a useful software for this work. Initially, you’ll be able to set it to one in all 4 charges: 50, 100, 150, or 200%. It’s a bit annoying that to be able to unlock additional charges (similar to 0% and 400%), you want an adjunct that may be acquired by cashing in tokens earned from the 2 new mini-games added to the Swap 2 launch, however these each require utilizing the Pleasure-Con in mouse mode and aren’t terribly satisfying.

One of many main adjustments, because the title of the sport implies, is that the graphics of Bravely Default have been made HD, and there’s a sharpness to the world and every part you see it in that I’d characterize as clear. That mentioned, the character fashions being in HD doesn’t do them any favors given their plain, empty faces; in that regard, the 3DS was higher at doing them justice. Different additions embody a Heal All operate from the tools menu, really helpful character ranges (displayed as a spread) for every dungeon, and the flexibility to fast-forward occasion scenes. The town rebuilding mini-game from the unique launch is right here, however the charming Streetpass performance has been changed with spirit NPCs who present up randomly in cities and will be added to the inhabitants of Norende (Tiz’s destroyed hometown) to help with the development efforts. The aforementioned Swap 2 particular mini-games are Luxencheer Rhythm Catch, which sees you transferring each Pleasure-Con round to activate notes in rhythm sport style, and the extra concerned Ringabel’s Panic Cruise. The latter sees you steering the airship via rings and interesting in ship battles as you manipulate varied switches and mechanisms from the airships cockpit. Every mini-game looks like simply a straightforward method so as to add in Swap 2 performance and sure received’t demand a lot of your time except they actually hit for you otherwise you need to acquire extra of the tokens to spend on additional gadgets and tools.

It’s crucial that I give a shout out to the soundtrack, as a result of it’s unbelievable and crammed with memorable tracks. Those that play while you activate particular strikes in battle are amongst my favorites, however the entire set is price listening to. Exterior of the elective Occasion Chat segments, many of the dialogue is voiced and provides a pleasant depth to the at-times heavy story. There’s a pleasant stability between levity and humor, typically surrounding Ringabel’s womanizing, and the dire plight of the world and its inhabitants.

Having completed Bravely Default a number of instances on 3DS, it’s secure to say that the first expertise and story are intact with the Swap 2 launch. If you happen to’ve by no means performed a Bravely Default sport, it is a first rate method to take action for those who occur to have a Swap 2 and never a 3DS–though you should purchase a secondhand 3DS and Bravely Default sport for a lot lower than the price of Nintendo’s latest console. The visible improve is good on the entire, however I personally choose how the characters regarded on 3DS, and the way the cities and cities popped off the 3DS display. The lack to set the encounter price to 0 from the outset is a bit disappointing, and the added mouse-focused mini-games don’t supply a lot in the way in which of leisure. Nonetheless, any turn-based RPG fan price their salt wants to have the ability to say that they’ve performed Bravely Default, and Flying Fairy HD Remaster represents a unbelievable technique to christen your Swap 2. If you happen to’ve already performed it via a few times on 3DS, my advice is rather less resounding.