Bravely Default - Square Enix - Nintendo 3DS (2013)

I really can't hide the fact that I absolutely adore turn based RPGs. I've played them for years and years and I've always looked for new and recreated experiences when diving into the genre. The handheld scene over the last 10 years or so has been a gift for me, there's been several fantastic turn based RPGs, including (for the first time ever outside of ROMS) a Final Fantasy 3 title in the UK, a reimagining of Final Fantasy IV and re-released of Final Fantasy I and II for PSP.

Square-Enix have been very very busy and just when you start to think they've ran out of ideas to hit your nostalgia, out comes Bravely Default, well from pretty much nowhere.

Bravely Default is a turn-based RPG set in a pretty large free roaming world. It brings back the job system of old and has references a plenty to the Final Fantasy series. The scenes and backdrops are hand drawn which gives it a unique feel and as always, the music is stellar. As far as turn based RPGs go, you would think that it was good, but just good. It's with the Brave and Default system that adds a whole new dimension to the turn based system.

In brief, you can select to be brave 3 times in one turn which will give you 4 turns at that one time, but you'll miss the next three. Default lets you add a free action on the next turn. Your black mage can cast four fire spells in one turn, your warrior can attack four times in one turn and your white mage can heal 4 times in one turn. Which is nice, but so can your enemies. Over extend on offence and you'll leave yourself open to a beating from your enemies, especially bosses. It's a great risk/reward style of gameplay and there's nothing better than beating down an enemy with your warrior and letting your white mage sit for a bit and heal up as required.

The job system really adds to this effect. If you haven't played a game like this before, jobs allow you to specialise in a role that will offer a unique set of skills for your character. For example, you can have a warrior that specialises in strong melee attacks, a black mage that specialises in casting offensive spells, white mages who can heal and protect your characters. These characters can sometimes interact with each other. For example a black mage can cast fire onto the sword of the knight for a large amount of damage. As the game unfolds you are unusually presented with more unusual jobs, such as Dragoons, theifs, Red Mages, Time Mages and Paladins. It brings a strategic feeling to the turn based genre and lets you play in the way you feel like playing - it's not brought into games as much these days as sometimes can lead to horrible balance issues. There's examples of static job systems, such as Final Fantasy IX.

 

Bravely Default brings some new jobs to the genre and also allows you to equip "abilities" that you have learned on a previous job. Do you want your Knight to be not very chivalrous and a bit of a klepto, go for it. Monk mage, go for it. Dragoon Dancer? This adds another strategic level onto an already pretty in-depth and unique game and I for one love it. It's one of those rare gems you uncover in gaming, one of those moments where you think you've seen it all and yet are still surprised. It's what you wish the prequel trilogy of Star Wars was going to be, Indiana Jones 4, A Good Day to Die Hard. Yeah, it's the same but you've seen it all and it's just not got the same feeling and it's not just the mechanics that add to this experience.

The hand-drawn backdrops make you appreciate the fact that people can still draw and paint and we haven't just been stuck in pixels and polys. They work surprisingly well in the 3D environment of the 3DS and they are believable in their own settings. As is the character design, I'm around 15 hours in, the characters all have their own well developed back stories and personalities. They are designed in such a way that the job system does not lead you down the route of "he should be a warrior, she should be a mage". The voice-acting is by no mean the best I've heard, but adds well to the characters and is very rarely frustrating.

As much as I do love Bravely Default it isn't without its faults. There is one feature (that I haven't had to use yet) called Bravery Second, which will stop your enemies for a predetermined amount of time to allow you to go to town and do as much damage as possible. You can generate these bravery seconds by leaving your 3DS in sleep mode for 8 hours or you can buy them as a microtransaction. Considering that this is a full price 3DS game, for me, that's incredibly frustrating. As I said, I haven't had to use this feature yet, but I'll be frustrated if I am provided with a wall that will not let me pass without using this feature, it's cheap and underhanded and will be enough for me to go straight to my local store to trade it in. Microtransactions have their place in gaming, but not in full price titles. I've bought my content, give me the content.

There's also (no spoilers here) a minigame to build a city which allows you access to weapons, armour and consumables. You can unlock builders by inviting people through street pass, or once a day adding 4 strangers to your town. These builders then rebuild each building and add extensions to these at a cost of time and time only. They keep building when your 3DS is in sleep mode and you then need to stump up the cash to buy it from the travelling merchant in the game. It's not sleep to win, some of these items are extortionate and will only be affordable in the late game, it's nice to have that option of your upgrade.

This is an RPG that will keep you coming back for more and more, be prepared to dump several hours into this game and if you've ever slightly enjoyed RPGs before then I'd pick this up. It's a steep learning curve for gamers unfamiliar with the genre but stick with it. For me, this is Next Gen. Taking previous well developed mechanics and making them game-changing. Levolution? Pah!