Bravely Default II - Bravely Second didn't happen

Same with Mario games he saves the Princess every time.

Mario still has better writing than the first half of Bravely Default 1.

Did I whine about this before? Sorry if I did. I couldn't sit through the Nintendo Direct where they showed it off. I put up with a lot of nonsense because I just want games to be a bit of fun, but that dialog was unbearable, and I assume that anyone who buys this game might end up on a list somewhere.
The Continent of Excellant?
The Country of Adiquot.

I think most of us agree with the Direct showing Jim. I think the consensus is that Directs are a really poor way to show Bravely games off! Please take me off the list.

Presumably just me who's got this so far, and that's understandable. I'm not sure I wouldn't rather be playing Tales of Vesperia, with its more interesting characters.

Still, nice to have Revo's music again. The visual style is interesting, with almost claymation characters that don't always fit the backgrounds. I think it'll grow on me. The rest is standard Bravely, including interesting dialogue and comedy regional accents that are getting a gritted-teeth smile from me. Still, enemies in the overworld is a big plus!

I was close to picking it up, but I've been a bit JRPG mad lately so I think I need a bit of a break. I'd be surprised if I hadn't grabbed it by the end of the year. Gamesradars coverage is incredibly positive that I'm certainly intrigued.

I've got it but yet to play

Tad disappointed in score for Fantasy League because the lower ones seem to go this is old fashioned, isn't that point of Bravely Default though.

I'm surprised at that precise criticism (especially because underneath the prettiness Dragon Quest XI was as doddery as my grandpa stepping off a roller coaster and I imagine that it got away with that), but I can well imagine it being criticised for being almost the same as the original game again, with a barely different set of characters.  Looking at Nintendo Life's review it reads almost exactly the same as a review for the original Bravely Default, and while there have been welcome tweaks (monsters visible in the overworld!!!) that's kind of how it plays too.  There's nothing wrong with wanting some changes, along with the tribute to older games.  Even the first few jobs and the second town's theme are identical.

Still, it's got a big 'comfy slippers game' vibe to it, and it's been nice enough to play with a beer in hand. Apart from the side-quest that has you going from a dungeon to the nearby town three times, that can sod off. He should eat his lunch with his hands and be bloody grateful.

I thought that about DQXI when talking to Craig as got BDII in Fantasy Critic as you know from your -9 points and that I was disappointed in the score due to the criticism being old-fashioned.

Where DQXI reviewed very well, but I know you for instance think and even myself from what I played its old-fashioned. I can only think because that's what DQ is compared to FF, that going into to a review is it this has to be a great old school JRPG.

Personally feel the same should apply to BDII as the first was meant to be a sequel to Final Fantasy: The 4 Heroes of Light but I guess as only three games into BD compared to eleven for DQ, maybe people are hoping innovations can still be made which haven't.

See, I actually object to DQXI more. Going into DQ you're greeted by a dramatic opening, an orchestral fanfare, and an open-looking world from a third-person viewpoint that's new for the series (IIRC). It feels like things have changed! Then you play it. From the very first moment I fired this game up - no, from the trailers before then - I knew I was getting more of the same. I'd have marked them both down for their lack of change, their lack of ambition perhaps, but in DQXI's case the trappings don't match the game. I still think BD2 looks and sounds really nice, but it wears its identity on its sleeve.

Anyway, I'm not fussed about what the critics think: have you had a chance to play it Mas? I saw Andy playing it the other day, dunno what his thoughts are? My thoughts are that Bernard can shove a cactus right up his backside.

You did not see me playing it. I only ordered it today

Maybe I saw you playing the demo.? Maybe I got my Andies mixed up? MAYBE THE TURN-BASED BATTLES HAVE DRIVEN ME MAD!?!?!?

Not yet but now I've finished Little Nightmares II, I plan to be playing a lot of Switch, just it might be Persona 5S or Roki or Gnosia.

I think where DQXI shines over BD is the dialogue and voices. Edea, Agnes, Ringabel, whatever all the other ones were called... mega bum. And "mrgrgrgr" sticks in my head for how unforgivably stupid a vocal tic it is.

@masofdas wrote:

Not yet but now I've finished Little Nightmares II, I plan to be playing a lot of Switch, just it might be Persona 5S or Roki or Gnosia.

I did start it last night, only did the first dungeon, but I really gelled with it so unless something happens this is what I'll be playing mainly. I do the voices funny like a Scottish accent coming out of a mage called Elvis is just strange and Australian one for another character is even more odd.

My friend list does indeed have two Andies.  Problem solved.  I don't even know who the other one is!


Glad to see you joining in Mas, and that it's got you.  There's always the sub option for the voices, but somehow no matter how daft they are I've ended up sticking with them?  I'm getting used to it, like I got used to and even liked Rex's weird Mancunian voice in XC2.

@Rum wrote:

I think where DQXI shines over BD is the dialogue and voices. Edea, Agnes, Ringabel, whatever all the other ones were called... mega bum. And "mrgrgrgr" sticks in my head for how unforgivably stupid a vocal tic it is.

I have to call gubbins on this though.  Everything you say about BD's voice acting is true (although I kinda liked 'mrgrgr' in a 'so bad it's good' sort of way), but DQXI (or at least what I played of it) was hardly a shining paragon of excellent dubbing!  The sisters in particular were not great.  Anyway I prefer BD2's everything else.

As far as the gameplay's concerned I've just hit Bastard Boss No. 2.  This time I did manage to adopt a strategy that beat them on my own, though, which was satisfying!  The dungeons, though, are disappointing: just great long barely distinguishable caves.  If I recall correctly Bravely Second had new gimmicks for each dungeons: it's a shame that Default 2 has seemingly regressed on that front.

A few bastard bosses later and I'm enjoying them a fair bit now! There have been a few tangible 'YES' moments as my party line-up snaps into place, and one where I just laughed my head off as my healing strategy saw my opponent reduced to 0MP when he still had a third of his life bar left.

I really like how the job system in the Bravelies allows you to go for a bunch of different tactics - buff-heavy, hit-and-run, wearing the foe down over a hundred turns, status inflictions etc. etc. Of course different ones are going to work better against different foes, but it's nice that there's such a level of variety. It's my opinion that the Bravely games have the best pure turn-based battling in JRPGs because of this.

How's it going for you fellas, Mas/Andy (who I presume has now started it)?

I'm playing whilst type and I've only just got to chapter 1

I'm playing it very sporadically as the main time I play it is when I want a break from sitting in my desk chair

I'm 2/3rds of the way through Chapter 2 (I assume) and am struggling to figure out a good team comp, not sure if I should be forcing my way to the top of a class or get the new ones levelled up quickly. I also regularly have to ignore my gut instinct to brave, brave, brave, attack, attack, attack, attack too often before I end up dead

I have taken to playing it from my desk chair. While I should be working. 'Just one more battle...'

Check out Mr. Caution-To-The-Winds there! All the guides online seem to recommend maxing out jobs, but where's the fun in that? I like trying a bunch of different ones, then mix-and-match. Thief 9 and some latter-stage mages seem useful though.

Anyway, my approach is more over-cautious: everybody has at least one regen ability, usually two. Hence the 0MP boss mentioned above. Some of the later jobs (I'm at the end of Chapter 4) have made going Big Attack more fun though.

Think I'm pretty much done with this. The boss after the thief is a bit of a joke, the health is too high, the attacks too strong and I'd be surprised if I was under levelled considering I've been pouring the idle mode items into the character... It's just not interesting enough to warrant these difficulty spikes.

I'm not far as Andy but I haven't really been grabbed by it and out of the three RPGs I have on Switch these is the one that would be bottom of the list to play.

Aw, shame to read that. I can understand it though. Meanwhile here's me with 100h racked up, and the boss difficulty spikes were/are my favourite bits! Interesting that you mention the boss after the thief Andy: I had no problem with him, but had to look up a way to cheese the thief. After the thief, though (who I hate - STOP COUNTERING EVERYTHING ), I really liked the way that the boss battles made me think and strategise and use the jobs to their best potential. You're probably not underlevelled: there's probably just a better way to use the jobs!

If you don't like it though, you don't like it. It's a big time investment for a game you're not enjoying.

They just seem artificially long, it's likely an issue with my team set up as much as anything, but obviously I couldn't know what was coming to plan for it, so it's just a case of reacting to that, except the only way to react would be to grind/wait for the idle mode an I ain't got time for that. If Monster Hunter wasn't imminent I'd possibly persist a bit more, but it is, so I won't. There's no way I'll be tempted to change the cartridge for it

Possibly!  Some of the battles are pretty long.  Especially given your prior comments on your strategy, I'm not entirely surprised it didn't work out for you.


Anyway, I've finished it.  Pondered going after the bonus bosses for the bonus job levels, but like you I have another big game coming and I've spent 110-120h on it already.  I've spent the time since then listening to the soundtrack lots, for it is belting.

To go into a bit more detail than I will in LGYFAYT: I am a little disappointed when I compare it to Bravely Second, one of my very favourite games; or even Bravely First Default in some ways.  The weapon selection is a fair few smaller, for one thing minor thing.  The voyages don't compete at all with Norende/Fort Lune, and I'm baffled as to why you couldn't have been, say, repairing your ship: Streetpass could easily have been replaced with online connectivity.  Finally, the Bravely games have always been pretty great at their plot twists, but there's nothing on the level of  Airy Lies from the original, or using SP to subvert a new game/the Illuminati embodiment screwing with your save file from the sequel, here (BIG spoilers for both there).  Without a subtitle they can't mess with it, and that makes me sad.

My pet theory that didn't happen:

 

I thought that the crystals were going to turn out to be evil. It was the obvious way I could see of making an aspect that was dull and played out, less dull and played out. Instead the crystals were played straight. It was indeed dull and played out.

That said, I still had a grand time.  I will defend this battle system to the grave.  THE GRAVE I SAY