Bravely Second: End Layer

 3DS
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
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  1. finalinsanity
    May 4, 2016
    10
    Bravely Second takes the formula that worked so, so well for the first game and takes it up a notch.

    I won't delve into the story, as it's best experienced on your own; but I will sum up in saying that while the story isn't as subversive as the first game, the pacing and execution are bumped up by a large margin. Oh, and you may have heard people complaining about the localization being    Bravely Second takes the formula that worked so, so well for the first game and takes it up a notch.

    I won't delve into the story, as it's best experienced on your own; but I will sum up in saying that while the story isn't as subversive as the first game, the pacing and execution are bumped up by a large margin. Oh, and you may have heard people complaining about the localization being too "punny"; it deserves saying that for better or worse, contrary to popular belief this is NOT simply a product of NoA's localizing team. The Japanese version was pretty much just as pun-rich, and anyone claiming the puns "ruined" the localization are idiots who probably can't even read Japanese in the first place. Any claims of removed gameplay content are similarly false.

    Speaking of gameplay, this game is well-and-truly a sequel; the basic mechanics are the same, with new jobs and skills adding into the mix to change up the experience. Many, many old jobs make a return as well, though the circumstances you encounter then may catch you off guard. The new jobs fill some old roles and create new ones, sometimes in absurd yet interesting ways; a personal favorite of mine is the new Charioteer job, which while not impressive on its own, has skills that allow you to equip weapons to your head and body armor slots! The absurd mental image is great in its own right, but it also has some fascinating synergies with other jobs. That's the beauty of the system; everything synergizes with something else, in some way, which makes team setup more important on a larger scale than a by-character basis. Though, you can still play assigning characters their own individual "roles" and get by just fine, the experience is much more rewarding if you try and create a team that works together as parts of a whole.

    The world of Luxendarc hasn't changed too much - just enough to keep things fresh, but not so much as to seem foreign. There's a healthy mix of new and old, though it's the new characters that are the real interest here. The main antagonist of the game, Kaiser Oblivion, is an interesting villain; his goal and motives seem unclear at first, but unfold as the game progresses, and for my money he's a fairly well-written character that has some sympathetic moments.

    If you didn't enjoy the first game, though it may depend on your reasons, you probably won't enjoy this game. But if you did, then this game is an excellent ride that fans shouldn't pass up on.    … Expand
  2. 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 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    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.    … Expand
  3. 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 this game type deal, but it comes very close.
  4. Encore22
    Apr 15, 2016
    9
    If you liked the first game you will definitely not be disappointed, pretty much everything from the first game is in this game but enhanced.
    Great battle-system, smart "Programmed" grinding, fun light-hearted dialogue, lots of classes to experiment with etc.
    If you want something light-hearted with great, turn-based combat—this game will deliver just that.
  5. Piercey
    Apr 28, 2016
    9
    The Bravely series are a heap of fun for those who love traditional JRPGs. That said, they could also be a nice introduction for someone who hasn't played this style of game before. With lots of clever additions to make the 'traditional grinding' of leveling your characters more fluid and faster, there are lots of neat additions to Bravely Second that make it fun to play. The charactersThe Bravely series are a heap of fun for those who love traditional JRPGs. That said, they could also be a nice introduction for someone who hasn't played this style of game before. With lots of clever additions to make the 'traditional grinding' of leveling your characters more fluid and faster, there are lots of neat additions to Bravely Second that make it fun to play. The characters and story are engaging, and the scenery and gameplay are still fun compared to the first game. The only gripe I had was that it felt like there was quite a lot of 'recycled content' in terms of backgrounds, enemies, dungeons etc from the first game into the second. I suppose that would have been in part what allowed then to release Bravely Second so quickly after the first game, but to me it felt like overkill, hence missing the top score for this one. Other than that, I'm enjoying it, much like the first.… Expand
  6. Al_Khampis
    Aug 19, 2016
    9
    Gameplay-wise this game takes the already well-crafted formula from Bravely Default and makes it even better. New jobs with each one their own niche, more balancing and interesting new features like chain battles and more combinig options.

    Story-wise, and without stepping on spoilers, the story of the first game is way better. This one seems like they didn't know where to go and it's a    Gameplay-wise this game takes the already well-crafted formula from Bravely Default and makes it even better. New jobs with each one their own niche, more balancing and interesting new features like chain battles and more combinig options.

    Story-wise, and without stepping on spoilers, the story of the first game is way better. This one seems like they didn't know where to go and it's a mix of little things. The big bads, Ba'al are given a little explanation that is very unsatisfying.

    There's lots of re-use of assets from the first game, and the OST is way less epic and does less impact than Bravely Default's, it's more generic than the master pieces Revo did for the first one.

    But the gameplay is so good you will play for the battles and the characters more than the plot, music, and environments "per se".

    Great game, even if the first one was more well-rounded.    … Expand
  7. OdiumHell
    Sep 29, 2016
    10
    Uma espetacular junção de Valkyrie Profile e Final Fantasy Tactics, a ultima vez q fiquei tão impressionado com um game assim foi na primeira geração de console da sony, foi um choque nostálgico relembrar aquela obras primas em um portátil atual, entretanto Bravely Second: End Layer tem suas especificidades que garantem uma divertida e contagiante aventura, unindo o melhor de duas épocasUma espetacular junção de Valkyrie Profile e Final Fantasy Tactics, a ultima vez q fiquei tão impressionado com um game assim foi na primeira geração de console da sony, foi um choque nostálgico relembrar aquela obras primas em um portátil atual, entretanto Bravely Second: End Layer tem suas especificidades que garantem uma divertida e contagiante aventura, unindo o melhor de duas épocas distintas.… Expand
  8. carlvazq_
    May 6, 2017
    10
    Best JRPG of Nintendo 3DS, long and excellent game with an absorbing and shocking story. A beautiful art design with brilliant scenes. There are so many reason to play this JRPG master piece,
  9. BasilZero
    Dec 24, 2017
    10
    Game: Bravely Second
    Genre: RPG
    Developer: Silicon Studios Publisher: Squareenix System: Nintendo 3DS (3DS) Year of Release: 2015 Length of Playthrough: 61 Hours Total Score: 97/100 Value Score: 9.7/10 • Story: 9/10 • Characters: 9/10 • GamePlay: 10/10 • Graphics: 9/10 • Sound: 10/10 • Music: 10/10 • Length: 10/10 • Replay Value: 10/10 • Player Value: 10/10 Pros    Game: Bravely Second
    Genre: RPG
    Developer: Silicon Studios
    Publisher: Squareenix
    System: Nintendo 3DS (3DS)
    Year of Release: 2015
    Length of Playthrough: 61 Hours

    Total Score: 97/100
    Value Score: 9.7/10

    • Story: 9/10
    • Characters: 9/10
    • GamePlay: 10/10
    • Graphics: 9/10
    • Sound: 10/10
    • Music: 10/10
    • Length: 10/10
    • Replay Value: 10/10
    • Player Value: 10/10

    Pros
    +Colorful cast of characters from the first game with additional of new cast of characters
    +Gameplay retains similarities of Final Fantasy aspects like the first game
    +A lot of great aspects from the FF series such as the items, equipment, magic spells, enemy cameos, summon cameos and story elements
    +Job system is like a mixture of FF3/5's job system with FF9's leveling up system like the first game
    +A lot of customization such as changing enemy encounter rate, difficulty, speed of battles
    +A lot of social player features such as the ability to send your skills over to a friend
    +New Game+ is included
    +Well designed environments and overall design
    +Great sound effects and a fantastic sound track
    +A lot of replayability and length in the overall game
    +Progression of the 2nd half of the game far better than the first game

    Cons
    -Cannot get stronger items/weapons from rebuilding the moon    … Expand
  10. AJCk19
    Jul 12, 2021
    9
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. It continues what the original was doing, except it doesn't have that terrible infinite loop ending. However, we don't get to play with the original characters, excluding one. The rest are just in as cameo appearances. 2 of the new characters you will come to enjoy though.… Expand
  11. JJTX
    Mar 24, 2019
    9
    Bravely Second is a gorgeous, charming, and thoroughly enjoyable sequel to one of the best JRPGs on the Nintendo 3DS.
  12. iipotato
    Jun 29, 2016
    8
    This review will suit more for returning players of the series and will have hints of spoilers.

    Bravely Second is a game that I anticipated for ever since I finished Bravely Default. And I have to say that there were many moments in the game which made me remember how excited I was for Bravely Second's release. Story: 7/10. Bravely Second's story is rather well-rounded in a way that    This review will suit more for returning players of the series and will have hints of spoilers.

    Bravely Second is a game that I anticipated for ever since I finished Bravely Default. And I have to say that there were many moments in the game which made me remember how excited I was for Bravely Second's release.

    Story: 7/10. Bravely Second's story is rather well-rounded in a way that involves the entire cast--be it asterisks and main party members and all. I have to say that it is the sidequests that interested me quite a bit, may I say that one specific sidequest definitely caught my attention because it gave me Bravely Default nostalgia. Anyways, the stories of the asterisk holders feel carefully thought out. Like the preceding game, Bravely Second explores the asterisk holders as characters--though, in Bravely Second, I find that the asterisk holders this time around expressed their personality entirely throughout their appearances. The main story, too, has a nice build up, however, the ending may leave you with an incomplete feeling. I felt like many things left unanswered in BD was fulfilled, yet BS leaves me with more. Also, the way the last battle plays out..is kinda...weird? The plot twist had potential, but...it was carried out rather awkward and rushed.

    Characters: 8/10. I have to admit, I probably was more critical of the new characters rather than the old. Due to different writers, the old characters feel a little different. But I think that despite the cheesy text in the beginning chapters or so, it's worth brushing it aside and just watching the characters grow.

    Music: 6/10. It's not as memorable and catchy as BD, due to quite the overuse of electric guitars, but there are songs that make me feel emotional and pumped whatnot. You can tell though, that effort was put into making the music fit each moment.

    Jobs: 9/10. I really enjoyed mixing up the jobs in this game and I already really liked doing so in BD as well. There's about 5 jobs in BD that do not carry over into BS, but there's new jobs that actually are similar in terms of skill but not in appearance. Instead of LV 14 max, it's 10 or 11. It's actually not quite difficult to max out jobs once you hit the mid/late chapters. There's spots you can definitely grind in, too. But grinding is not as heavily-encouraged like in BD. I maxed out my characters at LV 99, and yet many beat the game at like 50/60..maybe that's just me HAHA. But anyways, I think maxing out jobs has been made easier because there's a lot of good skills from the 30 jobs available that you want to choose.

    TLDR for a returning fan; The music may not be as memorable and the main story may feel awkward at times, but the side quests are pretty thorough, many characters are lovable, and you don't have to rage at the difficulty as much as before in the last game (if you did).    … Expand
  13. Maarten95
    Nov 22, 2020
    9
    Still a great game that rivales final fantasy. Soundtrack is still great aldo I did like the previous game a bit better on this part. Dialogue however improved and the story is enjoyable.
  14. SamComedian
    Jan 27, 2019
    10
    Mi puntuación a Bravely Second es de 10, me explico;
    La duración del modo historia es excelente, mas de 50 horas ( en mi caso 67h y 43min ). La jugabilidad es muy original y divertida, por turnos y con diversas mecánicas como, invocaciones, magias, diferenciaciones de clases, etc. Los personajes tienen mucho carisma ya que los conocemos del anterior juego ( Bravely Default ), Bravely    Mi puntuación a Bravely Second es de 10, me explico;
    La duración del modo historia es excelente, mas de 50 horas ( en mi caso 67h y 43min ). La jugabilidad es muy original y divertida, por turnos y con diversas mecánicas como, invocaciones, magias, diferenciaciones de clases, etc. Los personajes tienen mucho carisma ya que los conocemos del anterior juego ( Bravely Default ), Bravely Sencond es su continuación directa. Contiene una de las mejores bandas sonoras de la historia de los videojuegos, si la del primer Bravely ya era fantástica, éste lo supera. En definitiva le pongo un 10 sobre 10 ( comparándolo con juegos de su plataforma, 3DS ). Mi onceava crítica u/o review.    … Expand
  15. new2dsxl
    Sep 6, 2019
    9
    As a sequel, Bravely Second: End Layer does everything right. It improves on its predecessor in nearly every way, shakes things up enough to still be exciting for players who may have recently poured sixty hours into the first game, and offers a meaningful chance to reconnect with beloved characters. Even better, it's a nearly-perfect JRPG in its own right. Beautiful, well-written, andAs a sequel, Bravely Second: End Layer does everything right. It improves on its predecessor in nearly every way, shakes things up enough to still be exciting for players who may have recently poured sixty hours into the first game, and offers a meaningful chance to reconnect with beloved characters. Even better, it's a nearly-perfect JRPG in its own right. Beautiful, well-written, and endlessly engaging in gameplay and story, this is a wonderful example of why people fall in love with the genre. Simply put, Bravely Second is a must-play for JRPG fans, and one of the 3DS' finest games to date.… Expand
  16. Poochingus
    Nov 14, 2019
    8
    This game has its ups and downs. Sadly this sequel is not the kind you can just love on the face of it. It makes trades. There is recycling of assets and such yes, but that doesn't make the game bad in my eyes. The worst aspect is that the two new characters aren't as strong as the ones they replace from the original, though the new baddies are every bit as interesting as one could hope.This game has its ups and downs. Sadly this sequel is not the kind you can just love on the face of it. It makes trades. There is recycling of assets and such yes, but that doesn't make the game bad in my eyes. The worst aspect is that the two new characters aren't as strong as the ones they replace from the original, though the new baddies are every bit as interesting as one could hope. Back are the moralistic sacrifices of the first game, and we get a better glimpse into the greater mystery of the games, making you want a third title all the more(which I doubt we will ever get).

    But while characters aren't as good, the story still has great quality, and the combat is even more polished than before as well as adding new classes and removing some of the less popular and useless(or just plain broken) ones from before. The balance is much better, though I will miss the cheese combo to farm, which they do make up for by adding a new system to stack XP quickly when you farm.

    I will forever credit the developers for making it possible to play the game with one hand, making being super lazy while playing the game something I start to miss in other games.    … Expand
  17. hector_bcn98
    Nov 4, 2022
    8
    Reutiliza casi todo lo del original, por lo que se puede tomar como una secuela poco renovadora de Default. Igualmente, si te gustó, juégalo, pero aseguraté de dejar un par de años entre uno y otro.
  18. Sterrewiggelary
    Nov 12, 2022
    10
    An absolutely excellent sequel. I love sequels that are more of the same, but full of quality of life improvements.
  19. Vladamir8
    Mar 21, 2023
    10
    this game is the best game I have ever played hands down, everything about it is phenomenal

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

Critic Reviews

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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
  1. LEVEL (Czech Republic)
    Nov 7, 2016
    80
    Natural Japanese RPG with beautiful graphics, interesting strategic possibilities, colony building on the Moon and toy manufacturing. Seriously. [Issue#267]
  2. Kill Screen
    Jun 23, 2016
    50
    By trying to optimize it, the brave/default system inadvertently lays bare the arbitrariness structuring the player’s relation to the game, the role one ostensibly plays becoming repeatable and, indeed, automatable in yet another striking parallel to the looming “new economy.”
    Read full review
  3. Toronto Sun
    Jun 21, 2016
    90
    My only hope is that the developers at Silicon Studios haven’t reached their own end layer with this series. They’ve essentially perfected the Bravely formula, and I look forward to how they might change things up in the future.
    Read full review
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