Bravely Default

Also known as: Bravely Default: For the Sequel (Japan)

Developer: Silicon Studio

I really, really wanted to love Bravely Default…and when it was all said and done and I saw the credits roll, I did ultimately enjoy my time playing this game…but it honestly took a long time for me to get there. First, the game felt like it took forever to get interesting…and once it got interesting, it was almost over. And despite getting interesting, the game's storytelling was a little too heavy on foreshadowing - so much that it spoiled any surprises for this player. I'll also toss out there that they tried to rely a little too much on comedy…and this is coming from a former stand-up comedian. While there are some legitimately funny moments in the game, I felt like many of the jokes were eye rollers or complete misses. Sometimes that may be the goal – much of my comedy is aimed in that direction since those reactions make ME laugh. So, if that was their intent, then kudos. I feel like a “less is more” approach with the comedy would have made many of the groaners disappear while keeping the quality jokes intact. Complaints aside, Bravely Default is not a bad game. The gameplay itself is where Bravely Default shines. With its own take on the Final Fantasy V job system that really helps you customize your party to however you see fit, it can be fun seeing what job combinations work best against certain enemies and bosses. I actually enjoyed grinding levels at the end just to see what new job skills I could learn to take with me into the final few battles. Anyway, all-in-all, Bravely Default is a very good RPG. It's not perfect by any stretch, but fans of older, turn-based RPGs will likely find something to love here. Newer fans, specifically fans of action-based RPGs, may not be so enamored with it.

Review added: 08/16/2023