- Publisher: Square Enix
- Release Date: Feb 26, 2021
- Also On: PC
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- Critic score
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Mar 24, 2021There are some things you expect coming into a Square Enix produced JRPG. You expect some grinding, you expect some weird dialogue, you even expect it to take a while to get going (I’m looking at you Final Fantasy XIII and the 30 hours it took to get good). What you don’t expect is for the game to feel like it’s just going through the motions with its story, for the central class system to not feel worthwhile, and for the battle system’s main claim to fame being you get to skip your turn to go later. Turns out Defaulting on this one is the right move.
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Feb 25, 2021AIt hits all of the usual story beats and it will scratch an itch for JRPG obsessives, but there’s an absolute lack of substance. There’s no discernable creativity, flair, or ingenuity in any part of it. It doesn’t want to either reinvent the wheel or even add a lick of polish to it. It is a game which exists and functions as it was meant to; a JRPG as by-the-numbers as they come, I just wish the developers had been brave enough to take a few more risks.
| This publication does not provide a score for their reviews. | |
| This publication has not posted a final review score yet. | |
| These unscored reviews do not factor into the Metascore calculation. | |
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Feb 25, 2021Bravely Default 2 is a good and classic RPG for Nintendo Switch. However, it doesn't take any risks to offer something different.
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Feb 25, 2021Square Enix's line of retro JRPGs continues with an all-new world and tale for Bravely Default, though some of the old problems persist.
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Feb 25, 2021While I’ve had a wonderful adventuring in Bravely Default II’s familiar but streamlined JRPG world, it is not of the faint of heart, or those who aren’t ready to get deep into the details of stat math and build synergies. And even then there are more than a few rough edges to catch a frustrating splinter on while playing, something I also did literally when grinding battles in-between doing demolition on my kitchen pantry. Also the game’s sidequests are mostly terrible, but more on that in my full review. [Impressions]
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Feb 25, 2021Bravely Default 2 is a struggle, even in a time when I have nothing else to do but sink into a long, involved Japanese RPG full of dense systems. Every time I find my rhythm in the grind through a dungeon, it’ll throw me a challenge that hours of playing haven’t prepared me for. I’ll spend more time grinding, hoping that some skill farther down the tree will be the key to defeating the boss. There just isn’t anything else engaging enough — not characters, story, or even the feeling of accomplishment in finding the perfect combination of job skills — to reward the churn.
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Feb 25, 2021Really, what you’ll get out of Bravely Default II depends on what you’re looking for. The combat is still among the most interesting that I’ve experienced, and the job system — which dates way back to Final Fantasy III — has yet to grow old. Tinkering with character builds and then unleashing them on monsters remains incredibly satisfying. If that’s what you’re into, this is the game. It’s especially nice playing on the Switch, which is ideally suited for this kind of game, as you can chip away at a dungeon while lying in bed. The rest of the experience isn’t exactly bad, per se, it’s just… there. A bland fantasy realm with characters I can barely remember. In Bravely Default II, the grind isn’t the combat — it’s listening to all of the dialogue.
Awards & Rankings
User score distribution:
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Positive: 230 out of 317
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Mixed: 46 out of 317
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Negative: 41 out of 317
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Feb 27, 2021Best RPG in a while. Definitely better than P5R where there is only repetitive combat.
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Feb 28, 2021very poor game, apart from beautiful graphics, it offers nothing but a continuous and repetitive grind
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Feb 27, 2021