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!
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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.
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  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]
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