Bravely Second: End Layer

 3DS
Metascore
81

Generally favorable reviews - based on 70 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 58 out of 70
  2. Mixed: 12 out of 70
  3. Negative: 0 out of 70
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  1. The A.V. Club
    Apr 13, 2016
    That mix of customization and convenience allows Bravely Second to have the best of both worlds. It gives you the chance to relax and get into a rhythm at some points, and then demands your full attention to succeed at others. By piling complexity on atop the simplicity of a tried-and-true formula, Square Enix has produced a worthy successor to Bravely Default. I’m sure the developers are already thinking about what it would mean to “Bravely Third” in battle.

Awards & Rankings

14
#14 Best 3DS Game of 2016
13
#13 Most Discussed 3DS Game of 2016
10
#10 Most Shared 3DS Game of 2016

User Reviews

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User Score
8.2

Generally favorable reviews- based on 209 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 162 out of 209
  2. Mixed: 22 out of 209
  3. Negative: 25 out of 209
  1. Darormor
    Apr 15, 2016
    10
    I've never played the first game, but anyone that is a fan of RPG's in general should check this game out. It's not a buy a 3ds just for thisI've never played the first game, but anyone that is a fan of RPG's in general should check this game out. It's not a buy a 3ds just for this game type deal, but it comes very close.… Full Review »
  2. Ironblood
    Apr 27, 2016
    6
    I've changed my mind it's pretty meh, it's got some good music a great battle/job system and some really cool looking art, buuuuuuuuuuut...I've changed my mind it's pretty meh, it's got some good music a great battle/job system and some really cool looking art, buuuuuuuuuuut... the characters are pretty freaking cringy and seem to get distracted pretty easily from the main quest which is of pretty great importance. The dialogue seems like it was written for prepubescents which is a damn shame because as far as character concepts go I like yew and magnolia I think they're interesting they just say a lot of stupid unfunny stuff which takes away from what could be a pair of pretty interesting characters. The thing is people are giving this game Effing 8's and 9's some doing so while also acknowledging that the story is a joke and the characters are annoying and try too hard. I can't rightfully give an RPG anything higher than a 6 if it's story and characters don't satisfy, I mean cmon that like half the game dude. Overall I'm pretty disappointed with this game Not because it's bad but because I liked the elements from the first game so much that this game fails to deliver on. If you don't care about the mediocre story and characters and the gratuitously frequent use of bad humor then the games definitely worth a buy otherwise stay clear unless it goes on sale.… Full Review »
  3. destroyer3242
    Apr 24, 2016
    10
    Long story short: If you loved the first one, you will most likely love this one as well.

    Both of the Bravely games are a hit or miss with    Long story short: If you loved the first one, you will most likely love this one as well.

    Both of the Bravely games are a hit or miss with people;

    You either like the story and where it takes it, or you think that it's something that sounded cool, but in reality you think it's boring.

    You either like the gameplay and how it tries to keep the genre fresh, but also familiar, or you think it's a gimmick that tries to continuously revive more classic styled jRPG games.

    You either like the characters and their quirks, stories, and designs, or you think that they're bland, one-dimensional characters that are stubbornly committed to how they are as characters.

    Bravely Second essentially takes what the first game did, and made steady improvements upon it while still keeping familiar to the first game. It still takes place in the same world, yet introduces new locations as well, so you will not very often find yourself doing dungeons you did in the first game (except in the case of side quests).

    But this also means that it is relatively necessary to play the first game before this, given that it's a direct sequel, which may be a difficulty for some who are looking to get into the series, which is why this is more of a game for the fans.

    In addition, the general voice acting quality has also been changed; While the first game had good voice acting, but bad voice directing (MRGRGR), this game generally just has bad voice acting all around. But, how you handle it depends on how you handle voice acting in general. In my case, I found myself getting used to the English voices rather quickly, similar the case when I played Xenoblade Chronicles. It's times like these where I tend to believe that bad voice acting quality does not necessarily mean that it is bad for the characters that they play. Of course, if you can't find yourself getting over it, you can always switch to the Japanese voice actors. The main perk is that you'll actually be able to understand more than half of Magnolia's dialogue since she uses English instead of French.

    Despite all the flaws the game may have, however, I would still give it a 10, simply because, in my case, the flaws are made up by the story, the environments, the gameplay, etc. Once I got this game, I simply could not put it down until I beat it, and I would argue that it would tie with Bravely Default in one of my favorite games, and even more so one of my favorite RPGs.    … Full Review »
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