Bravely Default II

 Switch
User Score
7.9

Generally favorable reviews- based on 317 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 230 out of 317
  2. Mixed: 46 out of 317
  3. Negative: 41 out of 317
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  1. davidretr0
    Feb 27, 2021
    10
    Best RPG in a while. Definitely better than P5R where there is only repetitive combat.
  2. Bnois
    Apr 15, 2021
    7
    I'm a sucker for JRPG, and the game brings all the things that make a great JRPG. I just wish creators would take a bigger leap from 3DS and make the graphics, designs and overall style better. Chibi didn't work for me, because of them I couldn't really connect with the characters.
  3. marz999
    May 13, 2021
    7
    Battle mechanics and gameplay : excellent
    Voice acting : superb, loved the different accents and the voice actors put a lot of emotion into their lines.
    Enemy models : cheap, they have the same set of 20 or so models of various species, just recoloured. Absolutely no tweaks to how they look. Makes it a bit monotonous after the 4th chapter because there's nothing to look forward to. So    Battle mechanics and gameplay : excellent
    Voice acting : superb, loved the different accents and the voice actors put a lot of emotion into their lines.

    Enemy models : cheap, they have the same set of 20 or so models of various species, just recoloured. Absolutely no tweaks to how they look. Makes it a bit monotonous after the 4th chapter because there's nothing to look forward to.

    So the first 3 chapters I really enjoyed. I actually liked the difficulty (though bosses are crazy so I eventually went down to easy difficulty). The 3 villages I went to were detailed and interesting.

    However after this starting in chapter 3 or 4 I started noticing the gameplay pattern. Basically each area is a hub world with 3-4 "dungeons" where the dungeon is an area of mazes filled with enemies. It can be frustrating running around in these mazes. More than any other JRPG these mazes were not fun. I'm not sure what makes them different from other games, can't put my finger on it. Maybe it comes down to poor level design.

    The bosses are interesting, however you pretty much know who you are going up against and who the bad guy is, because their outfits are so outlandish. After a while it's just a grind/race to get to the boss as soon as possible.

    Leveling jobs is painful because the low levels are severely penalised. I ended up using a trick to power level professions quickly. Definitely a flaw in their leveling design if you have to resort to going to low level areas to grind out job levels.

    Would have been a 6 or lower but bumped up for the voice acting which I thoroughly enjoyed    … Expand
  4. funkyloolipop
    Mar 23, 2021
    1
    Was really looking forward to this game but i found it too hard. I'm not a hardcore gamer, but i have played a considerable number of RPG games. I feel that every boss battle always amount to 1 hour of your time. Its tiring to fight bosses with such high hps and i feel angry everytime i lose a battle because i have just wasted 1 hour of my life. Its very tiring to just keep pressingWas really looking forward to this game but i found it too hard. I'm not a hardcore gamer, but i have played a considerable number of RPG games. I feel that every boss battle always amount to 1 hour of your time. Its tiring to fight bosses with such high hps and i feel angry everytime i lose a battle because i have just wasted 1 hour of my life. Its very tiring to just keep pressing attack and repetitive after a while. From the start, the normal enemies have a higher damage than your characters. Even after grinding, the gap between my damage and the opponent's damage is still really big. It's tiring to keep playing. UI is really bad for this game too. Really disappointing for a square enix game, i want my money back… Expand
  5. NoAgro
    Mar 23, 2021
    10
    If you’ve played the first bravely default, or any of the other titles, you’ll love this one, the characters are just as witty, cute, and endearing as previous titles. Personally I would say this title far surpasses the first one for the 3DS
  6. Zski
    May 2, 2021
    7
    I’m 40 hours into the game, and I had two completely different impressions of it in the first 25 than I did in the last 15. The first 25 hours was fantastic. Solid gameplay, solid leveling/job system, it was great. After around 25 hours, I had enough jobs and skills that I already had my favorite combinations set up, and experimenting with other combinations became more pointless as timeI’m 40 hours into the game, and I had two completely different impressions of it in the first 25 than I did in the last 15. The first 25 hours was fantastic. Solid gameplay, solid leveling/job system, it was great. After around 25 hours, I had enough jobs and skills that I already had my favorite combinations set up, and experimenting with other combinations became more pointless as time went on. The random encounters became chores, the story was going absolutely nowhere, so all that was left was the boss battles - which were great all the way until I quit the game. This game is an example of one that could have been a more refined 30-40 hour adventure rather than a 60-80 hour grind fest and drag. That being said I got 40 hours of it, if you like JRPGs, then you’ll enjoy this and it’s totally worth the money. But I can’t bring myself to play the game anymore as I feel like I got everything I needed in the first 30 hours.… Expand
  7. drchia
    May 14, 2021
    6
    As a huge fan of the original BD, and having enjoyed the sequel, Bravely Second, I was super excited to again scratch the classic, job-based JRPG itch. While the game mostly succeeds in that regard, it falls short of the charm and intrigue of the original, or even the sequel. The graphics have obviously been upgraded from the 3ds sprites and while they look a lot more high-def, they’reAs a huge fan of the original BD, and having enjoyed the sequel, Bravely Second, I was super excited to again scratch the classic, job-based JRPG itch. While the game mostly succeeds in that regard, it falls short of the charm and intrigue of the original, or even the sequel. The graphics have obviously been upgraded from the 3ds sprites and while they look a lot more high-def, they’re still the pudgy, clay-face looking models from the older games. I don’t think the upgrade helps them much since it’s much less “cute” and more awkward than anything. It doesn’t exactly look *bad*, it’s just boring and uninspired. It’s like they took the old games and said “let’s upscale everything and people will be happy”. Well, I’m mostly ok with it, but I’m certainly not super happy. I think that last part sums up most of the game fairly well. Everything feels uninspired and bland while not actually being actively bad. The music is good but doesn’t get me nearly as excited as Baby Bird did. The jobs are fun but mostly just more of the same, but honestly that part was fine staying as is. The real bummer, in my opinion, was the story. I really felt no attachment to any character. They all just kind of “show up” and off you go. The story is adequate but I was never surprised like I was in the first game. The “twist”, if you can even call it that, barely registered for me. Again, it’s perfectly fine and the game is fun enough to go through, but having beaten it, I don’t feel that same sense of accomplishment that I did with the first. I’d say if you’re a huge fan of the first 2 games and want more of that in your life, or if you’re hankering for some classic turn based RPG fun, BD2 will fill that role well enough. Otherwise, it’s probably a pass.… Expand
  8. Kirbo02220
    Jun 11, 2021
    8
    Un excelente videojuego digno de la saga Bravely, mejora jugablemente hablando en todo al primer juego, aunque se queda corto con respecto a la historia, aún así está es muy disfrutable y puede llegar a ser sería en ciertos momentos, de resto lo único malo son las bajadas de frames y lagazos del sistema en algunas partes, sin embargo su apartado jugable, gráfico, artístico y sonoro sonUn excelente videojuego digno de la saga Bravely, mejora jugablemente hablando en todo al primer juego, aunque se queda corto con respecto a la historia, aún así está es muy disfrutable y puede llegar a ser sería en ciertos momentos, de resto lo único malo son las bajadas de frames y lagazos del sistema en algunas partes, sin embargo su apartado jugable, gráfico, artístico y sonoro son sobresalientes destacando la música de jefes que son muchísimas para un solo rpg, hablando de los combates el formato ATB con tiempo pasivo resulta ser mucho mejor compañero de las mecánicas brave y default y los trabajos siempre dan ese toque personalizable inmenso, además que estos te permitirán crear muchísimas estrategias y combos súper rotos que realmente hacen más atractivo jugar a este juego sin grindear, a eso hay que dar el colosal contenido aparte de la historia, con dos superjefes por region y las misiones secundarias donde si bien la mayoría son de tipo recado o mátame tales monstruos, otras te llevarán a otros calabozos y jefes opcionales y aparte otras profundizan más en la historia, son estás misiones que realmente desarrollarán a los personajes y son los momentos donde más brilla la historia, resumiendo un juego para los fans del jrpg clásico y final fantasy 5 más que de Bravely default y personalmente el jrpg más divertido que recuerdo haber jugado, sin duda recomendado, no soy fan de poner notas pero para mí este juego es de 8.2

    Recomendaciones: Jugarlo en difícil, sin grindear demasiado a menos que no tengas de otra y disfrutarás plenamente del sistema de trabajos y de los jefes, también para una experiencia más clásica desactivar los marcadores de objetivos    … Expand
  9. GrumpyReviewer
    Apr 15, 2021
    8
    This is a pretty decent JRPG, especially for me who never got to play the original on the NDS. That being said, I had high expectations for this, because it always looked so cool and interesting.

    I was not disappointed, for sure. There is a LOT of game here, which took me around 80 hours to play all endings and develop almost all jobs and clear all quests. This is your typical JRPG,    This is a pretty decent JRPG, especially for me who never got to play the original on the NDS. That being said, I had high expectations for this, because it always looked so cool and interesting.

    I was not disappointed, for sure. There is a LOT of game here, which took me around 80 hours to play all endings and develop almost all jobs and clear all quests. This is your typical JRPG, where a bunch of kids gang up to save the world (the story is not very engaging though, nor is the group of heroes).

    The gameplay is where BF2 shines. The brave system is very unique and kept things fresh for me all the way; playing around with skills, passive skills and job combos just takes this even further. The combat in this game looks simple but is amazing. Easy to learn, tough to master, where some boss fights can become real puzzles.

    On the graphics/sound department, the game has some hiccups, I'm afraid. Although the soundtrack is beautiful, the graphics can be quite ugly sometimes... the 3D character models on the cutscenes are atrocious (making this game look iike a PS2 remaster). The 2D art is gorgeous, though. I wish they had removed the 3D models completely, and took a 2D profile approach during dialogues, like Final Fantasy Tactics, for instance.

    Also, the game needs TONS of quality of life improvement, for example, a button to confirm IF you want to enter a dungeon or town. Also, the constant (long) loading screens.

    But if you are able to go through these minor issues, Bravely Default 2 does not disappoint. Another GREAT JRPG on the Switch.    … Expand
  10. Brandon_De_VITO
    Mar 14, 2021
    8
    In a world where turn based RPGs have all but died out, this is a fantastic and beautifully told tale which has a couple of core flaws. It is absolutely worth the cover price and worth your time. But it is not for the faint of heart or those bored by grinding. PROS
    Fantastic core story
    Wonderful Voice Acting Plenty of Side Quests Excellent Class System Semi-Open World Completionist’s    In a world where turn based RPGs have all but died out, this is a fantastic and beautifully told tale which has a couple of core flaws. It is absolutely worth the cover price and worth your time. But it is not for the faint of heart or those bored by grinding. PROS
    Fantastic core story
    Wonderful Voice Acting
    Plenty of Side Quests
    Excellent Class System
    Semi-Open World
    Completionist’s Dream
    Battle can be sped up

    CONS
    Casual mode isn’t casual at all
    The grind makes up about half of the gameplay
    Most of the side quests are Fetch or Kill
    The first class is insanely overpowered
    The world doesn’t really get fleshed out
    The story doesn’t have much depth
    Mechanics based battles (all three of them) are imbalanced

    WHO IS IT FOR
    People who played the preceding titles and hard core JRPG fans. Kids will struggle. Casual players will struggle. I completed the entire game to max level with all story content and complete card mini game collection in 45 hours (with battle at 400% speed) for the entire game. I got precisely two game overs. At normal speed I suspect this would take around 65 hours to complete.    … Expand
  11. kems
    Jan 17, 2022
    9
    This is the first game of the series I play, I've done everything after 110+hrs.
    This game is amazing for classic JRPG lovers, and completionists.
    Pros: - The story is just a classic RPG story. The heroes of light searching for 4 crystals to save the world. It has some good moments and extra endings which I like, but overall it's just a standard story. Some characters are kind of    This is the first game of the series I play, I've done everything after 110+hrs.
    This game is amazing for classic JRPG lovers, and completionists.

    Pros:
    - The story is just a classic RPG story. The heroes of light searching for 4 crystals to save the world. It has some good moments and extra endings which I like, but overall it's just a standard story. Some characters are kind of likeable, but the graphic style didn't help me to connect with most of them.

    - Has a really good use of its resources. You really need to use inns, tents, stats buff and debuffs, healing items, and try different classes to get more abilities. The whole game I had plenty of money, but in the endgame you need to spend a lot to get some items. Is so common in other RPGs that you have a lot of elements that you never use and this game does pretty well in this aspect.

    - Battle system is one of the strongest points. It has some major coincidences with octopath traveler which I think is a bit better, but both are enjoyable. While you master it, random encounters become less difficult, but boss battles are always challenging. It's a difficult game where for the most difficult fights you need the correct gear, jobs and abilities synergy, while you do the correct actions in battle if you don't want your ass whipped. It feels really nice to have a game where difficulty goes beyond your characters level.

    - I never really grinded, at least for me while doing the main story + most side content was enough to have a challenging but affordable boss fight most of times.

    - Jobs system is for me the strongest point of the game. I'm not really a fan of jobs system and I try to avoid RPGs with this system, but this is so good implemented. You need to constantly change between jobs if you want to get your full potential, get different active and passive skills which are crucial to different bosses and you have to constantly change them depending on your needs.

    - The game is huge. I'm not talking about map itself, but the content. There's always new dungeons to explore if you want to do the side content, and while you fear the game is near to its ending, it gives you new content and more things to do. Even after the ending (but without previous advice, I just discovered the game could continue because after finishing I wanted to kill the strongest optional boss).

    - Japanese dub is a must on JRPG, I'm so glad we have that option.

    Cons:

    - At first I hated the artistic direction. While graphics overall are nice, I hate the character design. After some time I got a bit used to it, but I really hate most chibi 3D human characters.

    - By far the biggest flaw is the performance. Is the first time in my life I play a game so badly optimised for a console, it feels like I'm trying to play a PC game without the recommended specs to run it. Frame drops and freezes happen so often on the animations and transitions, but the worst part that broke the entire experience, is that it happens in menus or battles. Is very common to press A to select an action and the game freezes and keeps pressing A repeatedly, leading you to do "random" actions and lose your turn, wich can be terrible in boss fights.

    - Another complain, is for people like me whom like to complete everything, is that the sidequests are terrible. The quest log is so poor and the quests are mostly go from A to B, return to A to be sent to C, then return to A to go to D. Those quests are not really long, but they felt like it. And you have to do some quests to unlock new ones. There are some really good quests of exploring new areas or fighting bosses, but overall it's mediocre and most rewards sucks.

    - Camera at times is frustrating in the overworld, specially while you're trying to corner groups of enemies for consecutive fights.

    - Dungeons sometimes feels too much labyrinthic. It's OK to have something different from straight corridors that we are used to, and have no minimap to make it more challenging, but after a certain point I felt dungeons were more complicated that they really needed to, even though I liked it at the first 3/4 of the game.

    - Lack of information in some aspects. For example we have a huge encyclopedia of items and monsters which I never looked at, but a couple of times I wanted to know info about some status ailments or items effects and there is no such info (in spanish version at least, there are some items/status that I had no idea what they produced. If I had no experience in RPG, it'd be even worst).

    - Music is not remarkable. For an RPG I expect OST to be above average. This was OK, there are no bad themes but no memorable themes either, at most some battle themes were good.

    Conclusion:
    A very underrated and challenging game which classic JRPG lovers will most probably like a lot. While it's not the best switch JRPG, it's a very recommended one. Some major flaws hindrance the experience, but overall is a enjoyable game.    … Expand
  12. Afenger
    Jul 10, 2021
    9
    A nota da imprensa é bem injusta, o game cumpre muito bem com o que propõe, um belo rpg com a assinatura da square, belas composições, mas não chega q superar o título original de 3ds. Mas é uma boa pedida, ainda mais por ser um exclusivo de Switch.
  13. Reed618
    Feb 13, 2022
    10
    I really enjoyed Bravely Default 2. It's such a fun throwback to older ps1 era turn based rpgs. It has a fun combat system, excellent range of jobs and a great pace.

    There are issues sure, like the story isn't going to blow you away and the art style isn't fantastic but this was just a lot of fun to play. In a year of huge jrpgs this smaller title ended up being my favorite surprisingly.
  14. mglandenberg
    Nov 16, 2022
    7
    Gutes Spiel. Viel RPG für sein Geld. Viele Jobs zum ausprobieren und skillen. Am Ende aber doch zu viele Jobs . Man verliert schnell die Übersicht. Auch wirkt die Story am Ende etwas gestreckt. Aber doch ein gutes Spiel. Etwas Grind gehört natürlich dazu. Ich habe in 60 Stunden aber kaum Langeweile gehabt. Der Endboss fällt gefühlt zu einfach aus
  15. arh3399
    May 1, 2021
    8
    This is a really good game. Its well written, has good gameplay mechanics, good music, and looks really good. This is definitely a return to form for the series after the mess that was bravely second. The story starts a little slow and drags a little in the first half, but once it picks up it really carries through to the end of the game and gets really interesting and compelling. IThis is a really good game. Its well written, has good gameplay mechanics, good music, and looks really good. This is definitely a return to form for the series after the mess that was bravely second. The story starts a little slow and drags a little in the first half, but once it picks up it really carries through to the end of the game and gets really interesting and compelling. I really like the characters and their own individual stories throughout the game and how they weave into the overall story arc. There are also some fun little nods to the first game in the way the ending works and I hope they keep playing around with that as the series continues.… Expand
  16. Tabdelno
    Apr 4, 2021
    10
    Turn based JRPGs are not only surviving; they’re thriving. This game is a great example. Loving it.
  17. Bidoulou
    Mar 18, 2021
    8
    Bravely Default 2 c'est un très bon jeu. J'dirais un solide 16/20.
    + le gameplay jrpg tour par tour est aux **** oignons. Combinaisons, combos, temporiser (avec Default), massacrer (avec Brave)
    + les classes de personnages et leur combinaison. 552 combinaisons, avec 5 compétences à accumuler parmi les classes. De quoi faire sa team parfaite. + des personnages attachants + un jeu long,    Bravely Default 2 c'est un très bon jeu. J'dirais un solide 16/20.
    + le gameplay jrpg tour par tour est aux **** oignons. Combinaisons, combos, temporiser (avec Default), massacrer (avec Brave)
    + les classes de personnages et leur combinaison. 552 combinaisons, avec 5 compétences à accumuler parmi les classes. De quoi faire sa team parfaite.
    + des personnages attachants
    + un jeu long, et complet
    + un mini jeu super prenant, même si pas autant intéressant que le gameplay principal (et heureusement, parce que sinon, il y a un problème de conception)
    + une histoire qui semble finir... deux fois.
    + le mode difficile est vraiment dur (en tout cas pour moi ^^')
    - la technique, avec beaucoup d'aliasing, beaucoup de moments où le jeu saccade hors combat, ou même en cinématique
    - les dialogues sont parfois simplistes
    - le monde du désert en mode flou d'arrière plan c'est illisible
    - pour ceux qui n'ont pas 70h+, dur de se dire qu'on ne pourra pas finir le jeu. (101h de mon côté, mais j'ai accumulé toutes les classes au niveau maximum + dû faire un certain farm car j'ai commencé par le combat optionnel le plus dur en premier parmi les "combats optionnels pré fin de jeu"... pas malin).
    Bref un 16/20 pour tous les amateurs de jrpg. Les autres, probablement que ça ne vous plaira pas du tout.    … Expand
  18. pacomantu
    Sep 11, 2022
    9
    Muy buen JRPG. Muchas horas de entretenimiento. Lo mejor que tiene es el combate y la gran variedad de trabajos para los personajes. Hay múltiples formas de combinar habilidades para conseguir la victoria. Artísticamente es muy bueno también, incluyendo música. El único punto mejorable es la historia, que tampoco se puede decir que sea mala o que esté mal contada. Recomendable.
  19. Ragnar_san
    Apr 16, 2022
    10
    Es un juego muy bueno, no hagáis caso a determinados análisis que no se han jugado ni la mitad de la historia. El juego tiene giros que yo al menos no vi venir y agradecí.
  20. Cesspul
    Mar 17, 2021
    8
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. This game gets an 8 because i was enjoying it very much so until I broke the game 20 hours in halfway through chapter 2. Beast master and a simply catching everything you can makes breaks the game because of the level 12 special ability that stacks your stats with each catch. Might as well make everyone beast masters at that point… Expand
  21. Benjy5045
    Sep 27, 2021
    9
    I honestly really love this game. When I first saw it I was not interested because the designs are kiddie looking Idk just didn’t look appealing but for some reason I took a chance and I’m glad I did. Very very good game with a wholesome story and those characters will grow on you very well made game! If you own a switch you need to own this game perfect in portable as well!
  22. waynesep
    Apr 8, 2021
    8
    An old school JRPG, both in terms of narrative and gameplay mechanics and turn based combat system. For me, another example of a game that shows that a well-crafted and creative JRPG, even if remaining firm in the origins of the genre, can still be a very fun game to play even today, where the combat systems focused on the action style has gained more and more strength. However, theAn old school JRPG, both in terms of narrative and gameplay mechanics and turn based combat system. For me, another example of a game that shows that a well-crafted and creative JRPG, even if remaining firm in the origins of the genre, can still be a very fun game to play even today, where the combat systems focused on the action style has gained more and more strength. However, the narrative without great depth and the limitation in the party that accompanies you can displease lovers of such a traditional JRPG genre!… Expand
  23. Anr0
    Mar 16, 2021
    9
    Casi 40 horas llevo y lo que me queda aun, tecnicamente no da la talla para la switch la verdad aunque se suple con la belleza que es artisticamente, el combate es lo mejor del genero por no decir el mejor, multitud de bosses que te hace sufrir cada 2x3. La historia vi que la prensa la critico mucho, pues claro, no habran jugado ni las 4 horas que dura el prologo, xk la historia va de menos a mas.
  24. Nikopro245
    Mar 21, 2021
    8
    Unlike a lot of reviewers I really liked the story, turn based combat and jobs, however, unless you really dig into making the most of the various jobs you will get stuck in grinding repetitively in order to rank up...if you enjoy that great but not for everyone. The game will take anywhere between 40-70 hours which is all a bit to long tbh regardless
  25. Danzig77
    Mar 23, 2021
    9
    Excellent gameplay, excellent music, even tho characters are designed to look chibi they’re well detailed, exploration is good, there’s fast traveling, you get a sense of completing the lore book. I loved the RPG turn gameplay. Really lets you arm strategies against the very difficult bosses. In overall its a great game and its worth buying.
  26. kefka_palazzo
    Mar 23, 2021
    9
    Exactly what I've been looking for.

    Pros: Fun, interesting combat system. It's easy to change difficulty. I played on easy and avoided all the frustration with griding. The story isn't anything groundbreaking but guess what, it doesn't need to be! Who else is tired of these convoluted Final Fantasy style stories? It's just a simple, lighthearted tale about some adventurers on a    Exactly what I've been looking for.

    Pros:
    Fun, interesting combat system. It's easy to change difficulty. I played on easy and avoided all the frustration with griding.

    The story isn't anything groundbreaking but guess what, it doesn't need to be! Who else is tired of these convoluted Final Fantasy style stories? It's just a simple, lighthearted tale about some adventurers on a quest and finding friendship along the way.

    All of the charters are positive as in, they have a cheery outlook. Gloria is sweet and kind, Elvis is a good guy, Adelle is spunky but cares a lot, Seth is a kindof a wet towel but at least he isn't a jerk. All I want is a chill RPG I can pick up and put down. Not every cut scene has to be a dramatic, explosive mini drama. I play games to relax. Other games stress me out. This game is nice and peaceful. Reminds me a little of Chrono Trigger in that way.

    It's formulaic. Yes this is a good thing. I really wanted to like Octopath but I found myself constantly lost, constantly unsure where to go next and good luck tracking quests. I actually found the way dungeons work in BD2 refreshing. It's a game, let it be a game, I don't always need to be immersed in something believable.

    As far as Japanese stuff goes, thank you for not hitting me in the face with unrealistic, overly sexual, underage female character design and horny voice acting. All of the ladies in this game, for the most part, have enough clothes on that if a friend or my wife see me playing I don't have to explain that I don't have any lolita fetish.

    The job system is FUN! It's just a lot of fun to level up the different jobs and play with combinations. It's well thought out and give me something to look forward to with each play session.

    I actually like this Scottish/Welsh thing they've got going with Elvis and some of the other characters. I don't know where that comes from but it's a nice change. What an underappreciated, charismatic accent I'm happy to see it featured in a game. Give me more!

    Various quality of life features like: The ability to speed up battle, string battles together, auto save, fast travel, the ability to run at all times, etc.

    Cons:
    There's a little polish missing at times. Some of the character animation can be clunky/jerky. Occasionally a character will do that 'double fist pump' move that Japanese game studios seem to love.

    It can get a little goofy. Lighthearted is fine, but some of the villains are just silly. Either the way they dress, their voice acting, their script or in some cases, all of the above.

    A few parts of the story feel kindof stiff. A couple of characters are a little wooden. It's not perfect.

    Side quests are a little unimaginative but I can forgive them. Side quests are numbered, but I can't seem to track the ones I've completed. If there is a way, it isn't obvious enough for me to have discovered it after 70 hours of game play.

    The characters have a couple of voice lines that play after successful battles. You'll be battling a lot. You'll be hearing the same voice lines a lot. There are ways around it, of course.

    Overall:
    Manage your expectations and enjoy a fun, easy ride through an peaceful setting with guilt free characters and really, really fun character development through a job system and super enjoyable combat.    … Expand
  27. tayloben
    Mar 28, 2021
    8
    Fantastic old school JRPG harkening back to the SNES era of Final Fantasy Games. 4 crystals and 4 heroes borrowing features from Final Fantasy 3 and 5 with the job change system. While grindy in parts, this is rewarded with amazing skills and cross-skills with other jobs. The game itself can be a challenge with certain bosses having a gimmick that needs to be worked out to finish theFantastic old school JRPG harkening back to the SNES era of Final Fantasy Games. 4 crystals and 4 heroes borrowing features from Final Fantasy 3 and 5 with the job change system. While grindy in parts, this is rewarded with amazing skills and cross-skills with other jobs. The game itself can be a challenge with certain bosses having a gimmick that needs to be worked out to finish the battle successfully. Scored an 8 as the story isn’t as strong as it could be and the main character is kind of flat… Expand
  28. Bannana9
    Apr 1, 2021
    9
    Music is great, job system is fantastic, characters are great, but there are lots of little QOL problems that bring the experience down a little.
  29. CaptainCharisma
    Jul 29, 2022
    9
    I am not a big fan of JRPG games but this was great fun for me - the twist in turn based battles made it a lot more engaging and more unpredictable. There is character, humour and the voice acting gives the game plenty of life. This is how JRPG games should be, I will be keeping an eye on the next game.
  30. D_Games
    Oct 15, 2021
    9
    I was hooked in the opening hours and continued an uplifted feeling well into the end game. I sincerely loved this game and have sense went back to buy the previous entries in the series!
  31. RhythmBlue
    Dec 21, 2021
    7
    i remember really enjoying the game and liking thinking about character attributes and battle strategy

    i recommend the japanese voice acting and english text settings for english monolingual people in general

    visuals: 4/10
    audibles: 7/10
    interaction: 7/10
  32. Rodionglu
    Jan 2, 2022
    10
    I enjoy the story and gameplay of this game. I would recommend getting this game.
  33. Drill-Arm
    Jun 24, 2022
    10
    Orcs! Orcs! Orcs! Orcs! Orcs! Orcs! Orcs! Orcs! Orcs! Orcs! Orcs! Orcs! Orcs!
  34. Spencerperior
    Dec 19, 2022
    7
    a good game. i could recommend. very long, complicated job system. everything works reasonably well
  35. beardedbeagle
    Jul 1, 2022
    8
    I would like to start by saying JRPGs are possibly my least favorite genre of games. However the music, the setting, and the voice acting are what kept me in the game throughout. However, I find the turn based fighting to be repetitive but fun. Overall I would say it is definitely worth checking out!
  36. Sterrewiggelary
    Nov 12, 2022
    5
    It feels like this game was made by a team who'd heard of Bravely Default, but never actually played it.
    The music, however, is exceptional.
  37. pockets679
    Feb 27, 2021
    9
    I've been having a blast with this. I haven't played the original games so I don't know how it compares to them but for me this is a very Dragon Quest-esque JRPG. It doesn't do anything crazy or new but it's a chill adventure with great characters, locations and a fantastic battle system. It's a very traditional JRPG and that's not a bad thing at all. It doesn't have the wide expanse ofI've been having a blast with this. I haven't played the original games so I don't know how it compares to them but for me this is a very Dragon Quest-esque JRPG. It doesn't do anything crazy or new but it's a chill adventure with great characters, locations and a fantastic battle system. It's a very traditional JRPG and that's not a bad thing at all. It doesn't have the wide expanse of something like DQ11 but it's a perfect Saturday afternoon game that will have you losing plenty of hours.

    My only real complaints are that the character models are ugly as sin and the game can be a bit messy looking in handheld but you get used to both suprisingly quick.    … Expand
  38. MrBum
    Mar 2, 2021
    4
    The actual combat system is still as solid as ever, but somehow they've managed to muck up just about everything else.

    Poor changes from the original two: -No more encounter rate! This is huge, it was genre re-defining and a big part of what made the first two games in the franchise so good. -No more saved move-sets. An annoying inconvenience. -Really clunky UI. They moved to a    The actual combat system is still as solid as ever, but somehow they've managed to muck up just about everything else.

    Poor changes from the original two:
    -No more encounter rate! This is huge, it was genre re-defining and a big part of what made the first two games in the franchise so good.
    -No more saved move-sets. An annoying inconvenience.
    -Really clunky UI. They moved to a larger, higher resolution screen and somehow managed to make the UI worse?
    -Massive difficulty spikes. This one is just annoying and forces a lot of grinding... which I might add is adversely affected by the removal of encounter rate change.
    -The story was never the selling point of this franchise, but this one manages to be the worst of the three in my opinion... by a lot.

    The first game was a genre re-defining masterpiece. Its sequel (Bravely Second) was not quite at that level, but still very good nonetheless. The Bravely Default franchise has somehow managed to transition from an easy 9/10 must play, to a mediocre slog in only 3 installments. I was so looking forward to this as well; disappointing.    … Expand
  39. mademuse89
    Feb 28, 2021
    10
    Best old-school RPG in a while. It sticks to the formula and add its own flavor. Battle system is fun. Story and voice acting (Japanese) is engaging and there are lot of things to do other than side quests and main quest. If you are looking for good old JRPG fun. This is a must buy. Don't have to play Bravely Default 1 and Second Layer to enjoy the game
  40. AsrielDreemur
    Apr 7, 2021
    8
    As a fan of the first Bravely Default, I love everyhting about this game, from the music, battle system and character design. In terms of gameplay, I believe this game improves upon the already well-crafted formula of the first Bravely Default.

    However, as a fan of the first game, I believe that Bravely Second fall short in the story department and the character dialog in the game could    As a fan of the first Bravely Default, I love everyhting about this game, from the music, battle system and character design. In terms of gameplay, I believe this game improves upon the already well-crafted formula of the first Bravely Default.

    However, as a fan of the first game, I believe that Bravely Second fall short in the story department and the character dialog in the game could be cringeworthy at times and the I found some of the characters to be generic at times.

    I believe the game is really enjoyable and it's worth every penny if you're a JRPG fan but it doesn't come close to the first Bravely Default.    … Expand
  41. Starfree
    Mar 3, 2021
    8
    This is a very safe RPG. The biggest change between this game and past entries are encounters are now Overworld encounters instead of random encounters. And the jobs have some what been balance but there’s still come pretty OP combos. The story is really good but I’m not quite sure if it’s better then the first game. You have amazing mini stories, like really good mini stories. but theThis is a very safe RPG. The biggest change between this game and past entries are encounters are now Overworld encounters instead of random encounters. And the jobs have some what been balance but there’s still come pretty OP combos. The story is really good but I’m not quite sure if it’s better then the first game. You have amazing mini stories, like really good mini stories. but the over all picture just is meh. You collect the crystals you collect the asterisks you save the world very standard RPG stuff. Which is good, but I wish they added a bit more to it to make it stand out. Something that can proof this game isn’t just a 3DS sequel. And as far as I’ve played that just instead there. Amazing game, love the series. It’s just a little too safe.… Expand
  42. ForgedForged
    Mar 3, 2021
    10
    Can barely say anything negative so I'll highlight the improvements over the previous Bravely games.

    Stats like "weight" and "chance of being attacked" add a lot more layer in this game to the balance of your gear. Can't just put on the best items. You have to shuffle around as when the weight is too heavy, your stats are reduced. Found myself without a head peace and so on. This in    Can barely say anything negative so I'll highlight the improvements over the previous Bravely games.

    Stats like "weight" and "chance of being attacked" add a lot more layer in this game to the balance of your gear. Can't just put on the best items. You have to shuffle around as when the weight is too heavy, your stats are reduced. Found myself without a head peace and so on. This in itself was a nice improvement to keep the adventure fresh and keep you on your toes from start to finish.

    Status effects are everywhere, so each individual turn really matters more in this game. Especially on hard mode. It's so difficult at times but absolutely worth it. The start was far too easy but after the prologue the difficulty went and spiked. Which I do love.

    I took a little bit of time to get invested in the cast of this game but once I progressed, I loved them loads. It was a joy to see these characters in their glory. But do not be put off with how bland it makes them feel in the first 30 mins. It really does pay off.

    The world map has changes too. You can cut grass and tress for rewards. More chests in the world map too. Enemies appear as you see them. No random battles. Overall better improvement in my eyes.

    Art style is the same and keeps up the same freshness and awe inspiring imagery as before.

    Jobs are varied. Hardly any 2 feel the same and they are all worth trying.

    Lots of side quests. Even if a few are basic and tedious.

    Would I recommend this? Heck yes. Better than Bravely Default in it's battle system, stats, jobs and design. Though it's still leaving me debating which one has the better story.

    All in all. Ignore the criticism and get through the prologue and any fans of this genre will love it.    … Expand
  43. ShhSleepyzZ
    Feb 28, 2021
    9
    Hits a lot of the nostalgic beats of the first in the best ways.

    There's a fair balance of grinding vs boss strength. Story has that JRPG warmth; overwhelming at times but I'd rather that than lack of personalities. Artwork is seductive, which adds to the world exploration/grinding experience. Soundtrack is in the same vain as the Artwork; sucks you in. It's a safe bet    Hits a lot of the nostalgic beats of the first in the best ways.

    There's a fair balance of grinding vs boss strength.

    Story has that JRPG warmth; overwhelming at times but I'd rather that than lack of personalities.

    Artwork is seductive, which adds to the world exploration/grinding experience.

    Soundtrack is in the same vain as the Artwork; sucks you in.

    It's a safe bet keeping closer to the first than experimenting with the formula too much, but I'd argue that's not a bad thing with how enjoyable BD was.    … Expand
  44. Yakuboto
    Feb 27, 2021
    9
    Oh i miss some oldschool jrpg and this one is awesome Just pure old fashion gameplay
    Love every Detail ! Artstyle, Characters everything !
  45. Crazyhydra89
    Feb 28, 2021
    9
    Tons of fun so far! The amount of ability combinations you can pull of with jobs is staggering. The difficulty is spot on. The story is somewhat generic so far, but the game has that lovable old-school JRPG charm from the 90s.
  46. Truthhurts
    Mar 1, 2021
    9
    Superb. Resounding success in my eyes, brings back all those feelings of old school jrpgs, great music, combat, and serviceable story, job system keeps you hooked as always trying to find that mixture of classes that suits your own playstyle

    -1 point only because the switch performance is pretty bad, regular hitches and slow downs during battle and on the world map
  47. falloutguy
    Feb 28, 2021
    8
    This game feels like a callback to FF9. Feels very similar to FF3 an 4 on the DS. Heck, chuck in the DQ 7 and 8 on the 3DS in there too, And I completely dig it. Having played both Bravely Default and Second, I can honestly say this is the best entry thus far. The tone in dialogue seems far more serious than the previous 2 games which I found extremely corny at times, so thank goodness forThis game feels like a callback to FF9. Feels very similar to FF3 an 4 on the DS. Heck, chuck in the DQ 7 and 8 on the 3DS in there too, And I completely dig it. Having played both Bravely Default and Second, I can honestly say this is the best entry thus far. The tone in dialogue seems far more serious than the previous 2 games which I found extremely corny at times, so thank goodness for the change in tone. The music is very, very good and suitable for the most part. One thing I did notice was a bit of slow down in parts, gameplay wise whilst in the hub worlds, but all is forgiven. If you enjoy the previous old school Square Soft/ Enix games of yesteryears, then this game will feel quite familiar and you will have a blast.… Expand
  48. davygravy93
    Mar 14, 2021
    5
    Bravely Default - 9/10 awesome
    End Layer - 7/10 pretty good
    Bravely Default 2 - "meh" I feel like the ones praising this never played the 3ds games, like yeah its not that bad but I don't see how you can look past the added chunkiness of the UI and bigger focus on tedious grinding and consider it on the same level of quality as the first 2 games. The story never hooked me, the other    Bravely Default - 9/10 awesome
    End Layer - 7/10 pretty good
    Bravely Default 2 - "meh"

    I feel like the ones praising this never played the 3ds games, like yeah its not that bad but I don't see how you can look past the added chunkiness of the UI and bigger focus on tedious grinding and consider it on the same level of quality as the first 2 games. The story never hooked me, the other games weren't amazing at this either but this entry is probably the worst yet, In my opinion you should play the first game because it rocks and maybe end layer if you want more but skip this one.    … Expand
  49. AtelierRann
    Feb 28, 2021
    9
    The game is an amazing jrpg that everyone should try.
    I don't understand how some reviews complain about grinding when thanks to the Bravely system you can finish a battle in 3-4 secs. This is the easiest game to grind!
    My favourite thing is how good all the costumes look on the characters.
    Such a joy to play! 9/10
  50. Saltlordd
    Mar 3, 2021
    9
    There have been very polarising opinions of this game recently, which is a shame because this game is the best classic JRPG released in recent years. As someone who loved the first 2 Bravely games for their cheesy yet astute commentary on old school RPGs, I'm so happy to see that Bravely Default 2 continues the trend of adorning all the features and tropes of the classics whilst alsoThere have been very polarising opinions of this game recently, which is a shame because this game is the best classic JRPG released in recent years. As someone who loved the first 2 Bravely games for their cheesy yet astute commentary on old school RPGs, I'm so happy to see that Bravely Default 2 continues the trend of adorning all the features and tropes of the classics whilst also offering a modern spin on dialogue. The plot continues the trend of being pure fantasy, feeling more like an OG Final Fantasy than any HD Final Fantasy has felt in the last few years. The simple tale of a band of heroes fighting against an apocalyptic struggle is one that is bolstered by it's awesome battle systems which make the whole experience feel like if all the characters in Octopath Traveller were given a single directive. If you are a fan of any Final Fantasy prior to 7 or old school RPGs in general, you'd be remiss to not get a copy!… Expand
  51. bullshark
    Mar 5, 2021
    9
    An spectacular throwback to what made FF4 and FF5 great, and then a ton of cool new combat additions. Also, no wokeness shoved down your throat like so many other recent games.
  52. Thanada
    May 15, 2021
    5
    This game is so incredibly mediocre it is incredible. It takes almost all the bad tropes of old JRPG's and presents them as if they are some kind of lost art. The worst being the story.

    The combat is fun, if not repetitive, even on the hardest difficulty you will soon be setting the in-game speed to 4x. Side note: any game that allows and encourages you to change the MAIN PORTION of the    This game is so incredibly mediocre it is incredible. It takes almost all the bad tropes of old JRPG's and presents them as if they are some kind of lost art. The worst being the story.

    The combat is fun, if not repetitive, even on the hardest difficulty you will soon be setting the in-game speed to 4x. Side note: any game that allows and encourages you to change the MAIN PORTION of the game to 4x speed likely has a fundamental problem.

    The main character is a complete blank shell, he has no backstory, no history, no personality, no goals, no desires, it is as if he was brought to life for the sole purpose of the game.

    The music is good but generic nothing to write home about.

    The voice acting is probably the best part of the game. It is cheesy, but in the right ways,

    If you are really desperate for an old school jrpg, I would suggest playing an actual old school jrpg. If for some reason none are available, this is an O.K. alternative, but expect nothing outstanding or new.    … Expand
  53. VentusAstra
    Mar 3, 2021
    10
    40 hours in and i'm absolutely loving this game. I've played Bravely Default I and Bravely Second and i can say this is as good as the original game. I love all the characters and the story is so good. It's a really good JRPG and you will love it if you play it. Totally recommended.

    I hate when the critics say that its too "hard". You can change the difficulty to easy at any time, so it    40 hours in and i'm absolutely loving this game. I've played Bravely Default I and Bravely Second and i can say this is as good as the original game. I love all the characters and the story is so good. It's a really good JRPG and you will love it if you play it. Totally recommended.

    I hate when the critics say that its too "hard". You can change the difficulty to easy at any time, so it doesn't make any sense. The game is not hard, you have to KNOW how to play it. I really recommend you to play this game, you won't regret it.    … Expand
  54. Zerpad
    Mar 2, 2021
    6
    It hurts a bit to give BD2 a score this low, since the original is a 10/10 game for me. This game retains the basic elements and key features of the first game, but misses out on a lot of the details and polish that made the original such a great game.

    First of all is the combat. The combat in the first game was so memorable to me because each encounter felt like a miniature puzzle    It hurts a bit to give BD2 a score this low, since the original is a 10/10 game for me. This game retains the basic elements and key features of the first game, but misses out on a lot of the details and polish that made the original such a great game.

    First of all is the combat. The combat in the first game was so memorable to me because each encounter felt like a miniature puzzle where you needed to use the brave and default system along with your abilities to counteract the bosses attacks. It made the fights interesting and added a little bit of challenge. You'd struggle at first, but the fight became easier once you learned the boss's moveset and then adapted your actions. You don't find that in BD2. I think this is one of the things that got lost when combat was moved to an ATB system from a strict turn-based system.

    Additionally, they apparently felt the need to make things super challenging, so most monsters in this game will hit you with status effects and counter-attack you for performing certain actions. Bosses are pretty much the same, but have a ton of HP, multiple status effects, and multiple actions that they'll counter-attack. Giving these tactics to specific bosses can make the game interesting by mixing things up and preventing every fight from being the same. However, using these tactics for every boss and most of the trash monsters just makes the game tedious. I like things to be challenging, but the fights are just slow slogs as you deal with all of the hurdles that the boss throws at you.

    Then there's the weight system. It's an interesting concept that was sold as a way to restrict some classes from equipping heavy armor, but in practice is an extra annoyance. This is mostly because as the game progresses, you end up focusing more on balancing speed with lighter armors vs. survivability with heavy armors. Once you get to that point, the weight system loses its relevance.

    Finally, the characters for this game echo the original game's character a bit too much. It feels like the same group, but with all of the endearing quirks removed. The cast for BD2 is enjoyable, but isn't very memorable.

    It's also worth noting, that the game has a couple of technical issues on the Switch. Loading any cutscenes causes the game to lag. For example, starting a party conversation cutscene will freeze the game briefly as the data gets loaded into memory. Next, the thumbstick is very responsive and overly twitchy in some menus. In other menus, it's almost dead. This is most pronounced when selecting a combat action (twitchy), and then a party member for the action (almost dead). I should probably stop using the thumb stick and just use the d-pad until this is fixed.

    Overall, the game is decent, but doesn't live up to the original game for me. They probably needed to spend more time play testing the game and hash out the new ATB combat. Allowing the player to customize your team with different jobs and abilities adds a lot of complication to the balancing of combat. If anything, I'll remember this game for the boss fights being super annoying to get through.    … Expand
  55. Glaeder
    Mar 11, 2021
    6
    A Lackluster Entry.

    Characters: One of the main reasons I enjoyed the previous titles was the interesting character interactions that happened throughout the my adventure. This game however, is somewhat void of all that. The characters in this game are just uninteresting, bland, and sometimes really obnoxious. I found myself cringing at most of the dialogue between the characters as    A Lackluster Entry.

    Characters:
    One of the main reasons I enjoyed the previous titles was the interesting character interactions that happened throughout the my adventure. This game however, is somewhat void of all that. The characters in this game are just uninteresting, bland, and sometimes really obnoxious. I found myself cringing at most of the dialogue between the characters as the game went on. Whats worse is that if you want additional character interactions you have to make sure you keep an eye on the "Party Chat" prompts that pop up randomly. Even then, its mostly skippable dialogue that adds nothing to the characters.

    Jobs:
    I found myself struggling early on in the game because of how awful the first few jobs were. They also added weight which made equipping things so much more frustrating than they already were. The jobs menu UI is just terrible and cluttered like no tomorrow. Makes previewing, setting and reading job ability descriptions a godamn choir.

    Combat:
    Probably the only thing that remains mostly unchained outside of the fact that you now have to HERD enemies together in order to chain them together in battle. This causes you to run around like an idiot grabbing as many mobs as you can.

    Overall:
    Its more or less of the same thing. The core mechanics of Bravely Default still exist which makes it one of the best RPGs in the market. It's more of a letdown as I was hoping this iteration of the game would have propelled it even further.    … Expand
  56. Stay_schwifty
    Mar 4, 2021
    10
    This game is all I wanted from a JRPG! The art, combat and main characters are great.
  57. NonsenseUser
    Feb 28, 2021
    10
    Amazing game. Deserves all the love it can get since the media hates turnbased JRPGS that aren't Persona or Pokemon
  58. iamSephiroth
    Feb 28, 2021
    10
    Fantastic nod to the classics, with enough modern flair to feel Jew. Fans of FFXIV, FFV and the other Bravely Defaults will find the job system amazing. Side quests are both easy and challenging enough to make you continue seeking them out. Spent over 10 hours in the first area finishing side quests and exploring - the characters come to life through awesome storytelling - this gameFantastic nod to the classics, with enough modern flair to feel Jew. Fans of FFXIV, FFV and the other Bravely Defaults will find the job system amazing. Side quests are both easy and challenging enough to make you continue seeking them out. Spent over 10 hours in the first area finishing side quests and exploring - the characters come to life through awesome storytelling - this game crosses every want off my list.… Expand
  59. rongCH
    Mar 3, 2021
    6
    Very simple story, I can almost predict what the characters will say, the game can also be annoyingly difficult with no reward, it is just difficult and forces you to break the game using strategies that are boring and grindy, it also has an unbearable English dub that can otherwise be avoided as it includes the original language
  60. rafaeliras
    Mar 4, 2021
    9
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Un videojuego que nos recuerda a los Jrpgs de SNES y PS1. En el apartado gráfico está genial, con los fondos que parecen acuarelas y estética chibi muy cuida. La banda sonora es muy buena y corre a cargo de Revo. El único punto negativo que le he encontrado es que la historia está cargada de clichés, pero aún así es un gran videojuego. 100% recomendado.… Expand
  61. Dchad
    Mar 2, 2021
    9
    This game is beautiful and fun to play! It reminds me a lot more of the original over second layer. Music 10/10. Gameplay 9/10. Art style 9/10. Difficulty 10/10
  62. regalrealm
    Mar 11, 2021
    10
    Superb game, battle and job systems are a marvel, what a master piece, one of the best rpg from the last years.
  63. robogiraffe
    Mar 17, 2021
    3
    The battle system is atrocious. Not only is it different from BD/BS in all the worst ways, it's not even fun. Plus they dropped all the good QoL stuff the series was known for. The only good thing about this game is the 9/10 OST.
  64. WereSuricat
    Feb 28, 2021
    10
    A really good JRPG game, love the first 2 ones on 3ds. The next one on switch it's a dream come true !! Pretty good graphic for this kind of game. Lot of possibility... wow 20 differents jobs (class) !! A lot to do !! Already played 40 hrs !! Just love this game !!! If u love good JRPG with a lot a possibilty, good story and a prettry cool graphic !! Then Its the game to play !!
  65. drunkoni
    Feb 27, 2021
    10
    Story-9/10
    Soundtrack-11/10
    Battle system-9/10
    Art/Graphics-10/10
    Misc- Job/Party System- 10/10

    One of the most polished and charming (retro-styled) JRPGs I've played. It's like expertly made comfort food. It gives you exactly what you want and does it well.
    Overall - 10/10
  66. Darkstar81
    Feb 27, 2021
    10
    I almost didn't buy this title. That would have been very dumb as this game turned out to be one of my most favorite titles on the switch.

    The game play is reminiscent of older ATB JRPG games and it does it very solidly with its own flavor. So If you like ATB JRPGs of old, especially ones with a job/class system. I think you'll feel comfy in its embrace. I personally enjoyed the    I almost didn't buy this title. That would have been very dumb as this game turned out to be one of my most favorite titles on the switch.

    The game play is reminiscent of older ATB JRPG games and it does it very solidly with its own flavor. So If you like ATB JRPGs of old, especially ones with a job/class system. I think you'll feel comfy in its embrace. I personally enjoyed the battling experience. Simply put, I had a lot of fun.

    The voice acting is well done and I absolutely love the music. (i'll be buying that OST when it drops) It really helped me get immersed into the story which I very much enjoyed. The art direction is beautiful and I find the character models charming. (I was put off at first but I grew into it and love it now)

    I'm leaving a lot out but I'm short on time but wanted to give my two thumb support to this game. Its worth checking out if you're into RPGs of this ilk. This was my first time in the Bravely universe and it left a great first impression.    … Expand
  67. Sleepytea_
    Feb 28, 2021
    10
    Listen, I've read a bunch of reviews from various people. This genre of RPG is niche and always will be. With the advent of action rpgs turn based classic rpgs will almost never rise as high as those will. With that said, if you are a fan of turn based rpgs, this is the game to get. I've played Bravely Default, Bravely Second, Octopath Traveler, and now BD II. The things I loved about allListen, I've read a bunch of reviews from various people. This genre of RPG is niche and always will be. With the advent of action rpgs turn based classic rpgs will almost never rise as high as those will. With that said, if you are a fan of turn based rpgs, this is the game to get. I've played Bravely Default, Bravely Second, Octopath Traveler, and now BD II. The things I loved about all of those games was the gameplay, art, and music. The story was never important to me and that still holds true here. I'm about 20 hours in. The story is average at best. But the gameplay? The job system? The art(not the models) THE MUSIC? Absolutely top notch and deserves a 10/10 on it's on. If you are not a fan of the grindy aspects of old school rpgs, you will not like this game as much as I do. That's okay! The only real gripe I have is some characterization here and there and the character models. Everything else is beautifully done and gives me bravely default one vibes. Do I think it's better then the original so far? No. Is it close? Yes. Tldr: Play this game for it's gameplay, music, and art. Don't play it for it's story or the character models.… Expand
  68. Alexander2209
    Feb 27, 2021
    10
    Very good game. If you love JRPGs in the slightest, give this game a go. Much better than Octopath and the story is more engaging!
  69. ryker2004
    Feb 28, 2021
    10
    The game is very addicting to play. It has ticked all my checklist for very good JRPG game.
  70. NhatTrung
    Feb 28, 2021
    10
    This is a game I really like, it reminds me of my memories of playing through chrono cross game, final fantasy ix
  71. Ketzuken1269
    Feb 27, 2021
    10
    Brilliant game with a world class combat system. Great story, awesome cast and music to die for. Best jrpg on switch since XBC:DE.
  72. lalahand
    Feb 28, 2021
    2
    The grinding part is annoying. Characters too small when you use handheld mode. Does not feel like a modern game.
  73. Jason8705
    Mar 8, 2021
    10
    This might be one of my favorite RPGs of all time. Make sure you play through until you have all 3 endings.. the first 2 endings are just teasers and you'll need to lookup online how to get the 3rd true ending. It's worth it!
  74. abowman
    Apr 6, 2021
    7
    While a fairly solid JRPG, this game offers nothing new to the genre, and in fact does a lot of things worse than JRPGS that have been out for decades.

    The level and world design design is VERY generic. Its almost always point A to point B, with very little open world exploration. There is no airship or vehicle that is unlocked at a latter stage in the game. There is only a very    While a fairly solid JRPG, this game offers nothing new to the genre, and in fact does a lot of things worse than JRPGS that have been out for decades.

    The level and world design design is VERY generic. Its almost always point A to point B, with very little open world exploration. There is no airship or vehicle that is unlocked at a latter stage in the game. There is only a very simplistic fast travel system that allows you to travel between the different cities. There are a couple of optional world bosses, but nothing like a traditional final fantasy game or other JRPGS with more substance.

    The BP system also doesn't actually work very well. Even after beating the game on hard... very rarely did I have to use the default mechanic. Most fights simply don't require it, and often times I would be going into negative BP rather than banking BP.

    The class system is somewhat interesting, but its diluted down because there's no actual difference between the characters. There could of been more interesting mechanics on how the classes play with each different character in your party. Instead, every character feels the same.

    The balance between the jobs needs a lot of work as well. Godfall Strike is by FAR the best ability in the game, and you get it very early on. Its to the point where its not really worth using any other job besides thief, again diluting the job mechanics of the game. There are also redundant jobs that really don't really serve a purpose.

    The job system would have been much more interesting if you created a new class by combining different jobs. Abilities and playstyle should change depending on the main job, sub job, and character that you chose. Instead the sub job more often acts like a stat padder rather than a gameplay change.

    I just don't understand how JRPGS coming out in 2021 have LESS substance and mechanics than JRPGS 20 years ago. By all measurements, this is another run of the mil, uninspired JRPG.    … Expand
  75. peterk426
    Mar 9, 2021
    3
    This game definitely seems to have a lot of potential, but I am in the second town and I have to keep reloading because I can't step inside buildings and see inside them. I have to close the game and re-open it to see it. Big Glitch right here.

    Second, this card game. Absolutely horrible. Whoever made the card game, fire them. a 5 year old can make a better card game. The one thing I    This game definitely seems to have a lot of potential, but I am in the second town and I have to keep reloading because I can't step inside buildings and see inside them. I have to close the game and re-open it to see it. Big Glitch right here.

    Second, this card game. Absolutely horrible. Whoever made the card game, fire them. a 5 year old can make a better card game. The one thing I really hate about the card game is you don't see what cards your opponent put down, making it trying to understand what just happened even harder.

    The loading times in between battles, towns, is like i'm using a HDD. SUPER SLOW. Half the time im stuck on loading screens.

    Elvis sounds like fat bastard from Austin powers. Maybe next time beta test the game and get input from americans.

    The story, garbage. blah blah blah, most people playing this game are least in their upper 20s

    Battle system, job system, and battles are fun, dont get me wrong. but it seems Square enix didn't want to pay people to beta test and just released it.    … Expand
  76. viroodiem
    Mar 7, 2021
    9
    When you get down to it Bravely Default 2 is the most Final Fantasy game probably since SquareSoft was still a thing. Only thing it is missing is the hallmarks of Final Fantasy. Mogs, Tonberries, Chocobos Character named Cid/Cyd/Sid/Syd, etc. It however is very close to PS1 generation in 3d representation, Much like FF9s sort of Chibi art style, simple mechanics that are continually builtWhen you get down to it Bravely Default 2 is the most Final Fantasy game probably since SquareSoft was still a thing. Only thing it is missing is the hallmarks of Final Fantasy. Mogs, Tonberries, Chocobos Character named Cid/Cyd/Sid/Syd, etc. It however is very close to PS1 generation in 3d representation, Much like FF9s sort of Chibi art style, simple mechanics that are continually built on. Even a somewhat addictive card type game. While some of the Square Enix FF games have been interesting like FFX and FFXII, They on the whole have mostly been a detriment to the name. Bravely Default 2 nails down exactly that personality and charm that has been missing from FF since Enix came on board. (Not that it is specifically Enix's fault)

    While it does not try to innovate it does carve out its own niche on the sorely neglected formula of high end old school style rpgs. Basically the best the switch has gotten since Octopath Traveler and likely the best it will see until Project Triangle.

    Is it perfect? of course not. There are any number of flaws. One glaring one is the reuse of music. By taking the same basic piece and doing slightly different arrangements with other instruments it sort of makes it new but at the same time it also makes the music incredibly repetitive. Yes it was a time/money saving measure but when you are playing a game for 40+ hours that is a poor design choice.

    It isnt a problem early in the game but by the time you make it to the second or third city you will start to encounter some lag spots and loading issues. Its not unbearable but definitely noticeable and seems to get worse the deeper into the game you go.

    Another issue is while not as bad as Octopath Traveler was, the characters and their stories are a bit too elementary and tropey. Once you get into it for a few hours it becomes easier to ignore but it still will rear its head every once in a while.

    All of the jobs are drawn from or are parallels to jobs from Final Fantasy history. That said A personal complaint is the lack of a true Dark Knight type job nor a true Paladin archetype. There just does not seem to be as many jobs as one would want, though there are so many you wont level them all up on an average playthrough.

    One element that is both good and bad is that on some level the world map plays like a lawn care simulator. Personally I spent 7 hours around the first town and it was predominantly cutting all the grass in the area. Its slow, tedious work but its zen like and highly rewarding. I am quite pleased with it, even if its severely padding my run time.

    The art style is downright gorgeous. It honestly reminds me of the hand drawn Saga Frontier 2. High praise comparison imho.

    All in all the game is outstanding. It stands as one of the biggest victories for Square Enix in the long line of failures like FF 11, 13, 14, 15/Versus. It is truly telling and something SE should take note of that the biggest successes they have had as of late have NOT been the high end numbered offerings, but the smaller, back to basics titles like I Am Setsuna, Octopath, Bravely that are keeping the ship afloat. If they keep making things like this they can kindly shut up and take my money.

    Giving it a 9 out of memory of Final Fantasy 9. Even though I would genuinely give it a 8.25 I am rounding it up due to nostalgia and finally getting something that Ive been wanting for too long.

    Now get on giving us up to date Xenogears. Saga Frontier 2, Bushido Blade and Vagrant story already.

    I could talk on this game for 20k characters and it still would not feel like a complete review. Its a flawed masterpiece and proves that SE is capable of producing the type of game we want if they can just get over trying to produce the game they want us to love. This is one of 2 games that justified buying a switch for me. I cant think of higher praise considering that to date the switch STILL has not had a price break.    … Expand
  77. Norsegod28
    Mar 3, 2021
    10
    This game is absolutely beautiful I am thoroughly enjoying it the battle/job systems are really really in depth and require a decent strategy when fighting bosses great game highly recommend to any jrpg fan
  78. Ravampt
    Mar 1, 2021
    10
    The music and atmosphere for this game is fantastic! The cast of characters are real fun and intriguing to learn more about. And the creative freedom we have over the expansive job system and mechanics is astounding. Overall, this truly feels like a well-deserved sequel to the series.
  79. Davel33123
    Mar 2, 2021
    8
    Square Enix makes a cutesy JRPG that will kick your butt with its difficult bosses ! Music is amazing and the combats great just get ready to grind !
  80. leviathonlx
    Apr 4, 2021
    5
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. In the end I got to the '2nd' ending and didn't bother going further than that since I felt it was a 'good enough' ending and honestly probably the best ending (like I get the noble part basically never amounted to anything but it's probably better for Elvis to find a human woman rather than a fae that sprouts from flowers).

    The story was pretty cliche and overall pretty boring to me. I heavily disliked how every single bad guy died by something else and never the main cast so they never got their hands dirty. Speaking about bad guys the villains for this game are hilariously tropey and bad. Honestly if you were to tell me the games villains were satire I'd 100% believe you since they're THAT awful and poorly developed. The side quests were boring and I gave up talking to NPC's to see if there was flavor text during the 2nd chapter since it felt like every NPC's text was basically just the help text you see during loading screens.

    The combat system is ok though the early game is funnily enough far harder than the end when you have access to all the jobs and can cheese almost every fight with paralyze. There's also a fair amount of grinding which really just amounts to killing a 'rare' mob over and over and over and over in the starting region.

    Graphically the game is nothing at all special. The character models were fine with the 3DS games but with a Switch I expect more. Music wise the few songs the game has are good but it honestly felt like the game had a whole 6 songs for the entire game.    … Expand
  81. askawai
    Mar 23, 2021
    10
    Best Jrpg recently.
    If you like the turn based Jrpg, it's a gorgeous game for you.
  82. Sunshadow87
    Apr 2, 2021
    8
    Cuando un juego se vuelve muy popular tiende a acumular reviews (profesionales o no) que acaban dandole al juego propiedades que no tiene... y voy a empezar desmintiendo esto:
    Bravely Default 2 NO ES UN JUEGO DIFICIL. He completado el juego en "difícil" y para ser un RPG su dificultad es normal. Si no tienes ni repajolera idea de RPGs puede resultar difícil por no saber lo que estas    Cuando un juego se vuelve muy popular tiende a acumular reviews (profesionales o no) que acaban dandole al juego propiedades que no tiene... y voy a empezar desmintiendo esto:
    Bravely Default 2 NO ES UN JUEGO DIFICIL. He completado el juego en "difícil" y para ser un RPG su dificultad es normal. Si no tienes ni repajolera idea de RPGs puede resultar difícil por no saber lo que estas haciendo, como cualquier genero en el que no tengas experiencia... pero la realidad es que es muy fácil romper el sistema de batalla con combinaciones de trabajos (algunas disponibles ya en el primer capitulo del juego) y prácticamente arrasar con todo lo que se te cruce por delante, teniendo únicamente que retocar un poco tu estrategia para algunos enfrentamientos contra jefes.
    Dejando de lado el tema de la dificultad, el sistema de batalla engancha y es divertido, la música del juego es buena en general, aunque hay alguna melodia que baja el nivel del resto.
    La historia es simple, pero creo que ofrece suficientes toques diferentes a lo esperado en este tipo de historias que le dan un aire a cuento de hadas oscuro. Los personajes tienen carisma y se dejan querer también, aunque los giros argumentales sean predecibles y algunas cosas se queden completamente sin explicación (en torno a uno de los villanos concretamente, lo que me parece un gran fallo).
    El juego presenta dos grandes fallos que le restan nota además:
    - El diseño de mazmorras: hacía el final del juego aparecen mazmorras algo más trabajadas con mecanismos que les dan algo de originalidad... pero es que más de la mitad del juego vas a estar recorriendo mazmorras prácticamente iguales mecánicamente, puros laberintos en los que solo cambia el aspecto gráfico como si nos hubiéramos retrotraído a la época de la NES...
    - El "drop rate"... tiendo a ser un complecionista, así que he de decir que completar la enciclopedia de monstruos con todos los objetos que pueden dejar caer es un infierno absoluto. De hecho, al final del juego toque el nivel 99 antes de completarla y no me he dedicado a subir niveles durante el juego... El problema es que los objetos comunes que dejan caer los monstruos son, aun siendo comunes, extremadamente raros, y no se puede aumentar su probabilidad de obtención, cosa que si se puede hacer con los objetos raros. Esto significa que conseguir el objeto común de un monstruos medianamente raro puede suponer media hora de estar machacando a ese monstruo tras desactivar los bonus para aumentar objetos raros (ya que no pueden dejar caer ambos a la vez), y todo esto para obtener algo que en muchos casos no es más que una Ultrapoción más difícil de conseguir que un arma legendaria... Dejando de lado que seáis complecionistas masoquistas como yo o no, este sistema no tiene ni pies de cabeza    … Expand
  83. btbt
    Mar 16, 2021
    7
    Only complains are concerning B & D. Locking a class behind this card game for us non card type players makes for a jarring few hours while grinding.
  84. Kwar
    Mar 15, 2021
    10
    This goes without saying, an absolute 10 in my books. This game is incredible. The music, the atmosphere, and the JOBS! OMG the jobs are AMAZING. I live for the asterisks! LOve LOVE LOVE!
  85. Hagakuree
    Mar 2, 2021
    9
    Music 10
    Difficulty 9
    Graphics 8
    History 7

    Anyway, the art is amazing, the music really beautiful, is a must buy if you like JRPG
  86. JacaboBlanco
    Mar 4, 2021
    9
    I played the demo and hated it. As is the way when any JRPG puts out a demo that begins in chapter 3 or 9 etc. But wow. Great classic style JRPG. If you liked Bravely default or Bravely Second, you'll love this game. Same old goodness and nostalgic charm.
  87. Brad203
    Mar 5, 2021
    10
    Almost halfway through this game at this point and I recommend any fan of the first 2 games or anyone who loves RPGs gives this game the time it deserves. This game is filled with so much love and passion and that's made very evident from all of the personality that has been breathed into the characters of this world. The story is very interesting and the gameplay gets far more interestingAlmost halfway through this game at this point and I recommend any fan of the first 2 games or anyone who loves RPGs gives this game the time it deserves. This game is filled with so much love and passion and that's made very evident from all of the personality that has been breathed into the characters of this world. The story is very interesting and the gameplay gets far more interesting and unique as you continue onward in your adventure. Please don't let the bad reviews of this game discourage you from giving it a chance. As others have said before many people are put on to review these games who have zero interest for the genre as well as the game in general. This in turn causes them to be very negative towards the whole experience and we get terrible reviews. Listen to the fans who are proving this game deserves more love and appreciation.… Expand
  88. omniface
    Mar 12, 2021
    9
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. a good game for anytime

    pros
    really good title name
    very fun
    similar to fire emblem in a way
    good mechanics
    good gameplay
    good controls

    cons
    not a ten
    pokemon snap is better    … Expand
  89. Ablearcher
    Mar 27, 2021
    9
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Game was fun all the way through, and although I did skip a few of the cutscenes the story was pretty good. Some of the characters stay with you after you're done with the game, like for example a loveable pigman beast hybrid guy that dresses fancy.

    I felt the boss fights towards the end of main story fell a little flat, as you have to defeat the same boss a few times. Another small issue I had was a lot of the classes it offered didn't feel very viable in the game, but I'm sure there's people more clever than I that can make them work.

    Overall I loved this game, I feel I got my moneys worth and I feel the game ran great in handheld mode.    … Expand
  90. EmCza
    Mar 1, 2021
    1
    At first, the game seems quite enjoyable, but after a few hours of playing it turns out to be very repetitive. I can't feel her at all. While the first part on 3DS seemed quite nice, this one is extremely boring.
  91. sarisa
    Feb 27, 2021
    6
    After 12 hours of gameplay and few bosses defeated, I have to tell that BD2 is solid, but by all means very average JRPG. It may disappoint you if you were counting on the Octopath Traveler quality product. It's not that league, unfortunately. However this game is certainly better and more polished than titles like I am Setsuna or Lost Sphear (i'm comparing only turn based jrpgs). It'sAfter 12 hours of gameplay and few bosses defeated, I have to tell that BD2 is solid, but by all means very average JRPG. It may disappoint you if you were counting on the Octopath Traveler quality product. It's not that league, unfortunately. However this game is certainly better and more polished than titles like I am Setsuna or Lost Sphear (i'm comparing only turn based jrpgs). It's clear that developers put a lot of passion to make this title pure JRPG and similar to the old Final Fantasy games, but at the same time tried to make this title as much mainstream and generic as possible. And as you probably know, what tries to please everyone, won't please anyone and end up as bland product. That's what Bravely Default 2 unfortunately became. Only for die-hard JRPG fans.

    Here is my list of the bigger sins that I have noticed so far in BD2:
    - idiotic fetch quests & boring gameplay (I've once fall asleep while making one of these quests..)
    - you're carried by the hand in whatever you do. This results in suppressed immersion by design. So why not creating autoplay? Or simple button "do that game for me"? Oh wait... they actually implemented sailoring where you get items when you turn your Switch in sleep mode
    - subjectively eclectic and bland music (biggest disappointment to me)
    - unconvincing voice acting
    - Elvis. I have no idea what genius made it up to create idea of scholar being complete dork like this guy
    - main character is as bland as possible. In general it may be hard to like whole party
    - narrative aspects leave much to be desired

    And here is a list of cool and good features I liked:
    + Special monsters
    + Difficulty level
    + I liked the graphics and visual style and can't confirm there were framerate issues. Everything is allright in that matter

    Rest is average and not worth mentioning :(    … Expand
  92. Renzokuken
    Feb 28, 2021
    6
    The good:
    The characters are likeable.
    The job system is as on point as the previous iterations. The updated graphics are nice and the hand drawn locations are stunning. The bad: Speed is now a god tier stat and dictates not only turn order but also how many turns you get before your opponent acts. Most bosses outspeed you and therefore get multiple turns in which to abuse braving    The good:
    The characters are likeable.
    The job system is as on point as the previous iterations.
    The updated graphics are nice and the hand drawn locations are stunning.

    The bad:
    Speed is now a god tier stat and dictates not only turn order but also how many turns you get before your opponent acts. Most bosses outspeed you and therefore get multiple turns in which to abuse braving and defaulting.
    The game entirely lacks any means of telling which order turns are going to be taken in.
    The addition of equip weight adds nothing of value to the game.
    Counters can be triggered even if you don't do anything to an enemy, for example enemies can counter white magic.
    There's no way of telling what enemies resist, what they counter and what status effects they're susceptible/immune to as the magnifying glass ability only gives you their weaknesses.
    The soundtrack is by far the most mediocre of the series.
    All QoL features related to encounter rates and move presets have been removed for no real reason.
    The game is the grindiest in the series, and it's made even worse by the removal of the aforementioned QoL features.
    The story is the least interesting of the series.
    Framerates struggle in docked mode.
    There's input lag but only on specific inputs.

    All in all, if you REALLY loved the previous games, pick this up. But in all regards this feels like a budget JRPG rather than something tied to Square-Enix.    … Expand
  93. jsh710
    Mar 7, 2021
    1
    It's definitely an overrated game. Otaku story. A crappy boring old game...
  94. Hirets1
    Feb 27, 2021
    10
    I've played about 20 hours so far, and I can say it's a game with a really good combat system and a brilliant soundtrack.
  95. Wdias1989
    Feb 28, 2021
    10
    Really proud of what Square Enix delivered. It’s amazing to feel the experience of a traditional JRPG nowadays. Great battle system, jobs diversity,storylines and soundtracks. The B’n’D minigame is also awesome!
  96. adelonmedeiros
    Mar 1, 2021
    10
    Original graphics, dignified history gave a good rpg, classic battle system and impeccable soundtrack
  97. Bene86
    Mar 2, 2021
    10
    Great classic Jrpg-Game exactly what im expected and wanted. If you like the old final fantasy-games you also will like this!
  98. Kth2491
    Mar 2, 2021
    10
    Great classic jrpg turn battle system, I love it. Charming characters and great jobs.
    Waiting for more games like this
  99. BeeBoss
    Feb 28, 2021
    0
    very poor game, apart from beautiful graphics, it offers nothing but a continuous and repetitive grind
  100. mishayangg
    Mar 1, 2021
    10
    10/10, played 100 hours and would easily play a hundred more. Give me BD3!!!
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Awards & Rankings

15
#15 Most Discussed Switch Game of 2021

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
76

Generally favorable reviews - based on 111 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 80 out of 111
  2. Mixed: 29 out of 111
  3. Negative: 2 out of 111
  1. CD-Action
    Oct 12, 2021
    85
    I wanted to both scold Bravely Default II for its many flaws and kiss it for some stellar moments when it shone like a diamond. At the end of the day the latter decisively outweighed the former. The game boasts one of the best combat systems I’ve seen in jRPGs, towns that are a work of art, and a breathtaking soundtrack. If you like the genre, there’s a chance you’ll fall in love with Bravely Default II. [04/2021, p.48]
  2. GameByte
    Jun 1, 2021
    60
    There is so much potential here that doesn’t quite reach the mark, and it’s quite mind boggling as to why some of these problems exist when they didn’t in their previous work. However, with that incredibly addictive gameplay alone, along with the plethora of side-content, I can see traditional Final Fantasy fans having a lot of fun here, even if it’s a bit of a shallow adventure. Now that this engine has proven it’s worth in terms of gameplay, I am very excited for their next project if they have more time to spare in the writing room.
    Read full review
  3. Nintendo Force Magazine
    May 17, 2021
    90
    Bravely Default II is one of the Switch's best RPGs, and that's not small praise for an RPG on a system that's already home to some of the genre's best. [Issue #52 – May/June 2021, p. 69]
See all critic reviews »