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[SolVanderlyn]

Let's recap how I came to obtain this game.

->Log on GAF
->See Bravely Second thread
->Thought: Hey, I never played the first game past the prologue, but it seemed cool. Maybe I'll try this out.
->Query: Do I need to play the first game
->Answer: No, but you should
->Thought: What about that segment though
->Thought: Well most of the game is supposed to be good
->Amazon order placed
->Thought: This is a really good game and probably even better than FFV

The music is great. The art style is incredibly charming and looks amazing with the 3D turned on.

The game has dual audio, which is a huge plus, but the dub is great too, leaving us with two quality voice tracks. The characters are endearing and likable, especially Ringabel.

The story is cliche as can be, but that's what it was going for and it does it well. I love how it gives each Final Fantasy job class a corresponding villain. Also, the game has a world map!! ...that has music very similar to Ni no Kuni's world map!!

The only gripe I have with this game so far is how easy it is to cheese normal battles with the brave and default system. You can just go HAM on enemies and use all four braves with no consequences, because chances are it will be more than enough to wipe them all in one turn. Other than that, the system is a unique take on classic turn based action, and I really like how the game lets you alter random encounter rates and fast forward during battles. Rebuilding Norende is also frustrating, and not a very good part of the game.

What this game absolutely knocked out of the park is its environments and presentation. The chibi characters look incredibly charming on screen, the outfits for the various jobs are mostly either cool or adorable (Knight Agnes is my favorite), and every area you visit is absolutely gorgeous. The wind crystal segment at the end of Chapter 1 had me floored. I'm also very surprised with how dark the story is willing to get at times, with death being a very common occurrence in the BD world.

Overall, I'm really sorry it took me this long to play this game, and I was wrong to dismiss it before based on hearsay.

 

[killroy87]

In before people bitch about the last section

One of my all-time favorite games. Can't wait for the sequel

 

[chaosblade]

It's a really fun game with great music. A lot of people were turned off by the story, which is a shame (I don't really understand how someone could like the first four chapters of the story and THEN hate the rest, none of it is any good).

Once you hit chapter 7 make sure you start doing all the "sidequests." The ones in chapter 7 and 8 are the best part of the whole game.

 

[Lilo_D]

The music is one of the best in JRPG

 

[Mental Atrophy]

This game made me so mad, because I fell for the same dirty trick that 4 Heroes of Light pulled. Except it was way worse because the end game stretch is longer and the game is better so it stings more.

 

[slick7rick]

In before people bitch about the last section

One of my all-time favorite games. Can't wait for the sequel

With encounters on -100, and battle speed x4 those last few chapters go by very quickly. By then you should have a party capable of destroying enemies so it shouldn't be more than a few minutes work each chapter.

 

[Lilo_D]

The fun thing is I play this game and FF10 HD at the same time
But it turns out I love this game and hate FF10

 

[ohlawd]

you don't need to do the shit in the middle. I didn't mind what happened though so I did everything.

I will forever laugh at the people who turned away from the game because of that

 

[Exentryk]

Best turn-based gameplay. Jobs, and mixing and matching abilities is so much fun. Coming up with ridiculous strategies is the best part about it for me.
Excellent music too!

 

[ZeroX03]

The only gripe I have with this game so far is how easy it is to cheese normal battles with the brave and default system. You can just go HAM on enemies and use all four braves with no consequences, because chances are it will be more than enough to wipe them all in one turn. Other than that, the system is a unique take on classic turn based action, and I really like how the game lets you alter random encounter rates and fast forward during battles.

Good news: they've added a new mechanic in Bravely Second that changes how you approach mobs. If you beat all the enemies in a single turn, you can fight again for an EXP multiplier but without recovering BP.

Bad news: the music takes a serious quality dip in Second.

Take some time before playing the sequel.

 

[To Far Away Times]

I really like everything about the game other than the filler in the last 4 chapters.

The art direction, music, job system, and battle system is god tier.

 

[Dandy Crocodile]

I found Bravely Default to be extremely tedious and chock full of terrible dungeon designs. I hated playing it.
That said it's gorgeous and the music in it is stellar. I just wish I could actually play the thing.

 

[Bremsstrahlung]

I love this game. Got so into grinding that I was at lv99 with all jobs mastered for everyone halfway through the game. Best jrpg on the 3ds, if you ask me.

Good news: they've added a new mechanic in Bravely Second that changes how you approach mobs. If you beat all the enemies in a single turn, you can fight again for an EXP multiplier but without recovering BP.

Bad news: the music takes a serious quality dip in Second.

Take some time before playing the sequel.

The music is one of the best in JRPG

Concur. Revo was godly, ryo is okayish, at beat (from what I hear in the demo).

 

[Zaventem]

I want to dip i but not $50 price point dip in. Hopefully a reprint comes along.

 

[danwu]

Yeah, one of the best 3DS games for sure !

 

[SolVanderlyn]

I want to dip i but not $50 price point dip in. Hopefully a reprint comes along.

Yeah, the price point is pretty steep. It is worth it, though, in my opinion.

 

[diaspora]

Bitching about the

Spoiler

other layers

never made sense to me given that it's barely an hour long.

 

[Jawmuncher]

Depending on my mood it was either my first or second favorite game of that year.

 

[Zebei]

Absolutely fell in love with the game. It's been said but the music is absurdly good. (Serpent eating the ground is stellar)

The characters are great too, especially Edea and Ringabel. The job customization was great for someone like me who loves to customize my team so much it stops making sense. It's a shame so many people got turned off by that one section. Hell, i may not have played it if I had listened to my friend who absolutely hates the game JUST for that part. Good thing i didn't listen.

Spoiler

It helps he gave me the game for free

 

[themagicalkitsune]

How far are you in OP? Normal battles become obsolete by the end of the game and the real meat of the game turns out to be the boss fights.

(

Spoiler

There's even an equipped ability that instantly destroys all opponents at the start of the battle if your level is much higher, the developers knew no one would want to bother with enemies after chapters 5-6.

)

Very nice job system, currently anticipating the arrival of the 2nd game here.

 

[SolVanderlyn]

How far are you in OP? Normal battles become obsolete by the end of the game and the real meat of the game turns out to be the boss fights.

Almost done with Chapter 2 now.

 

[Bladenic]

Just started playing it too! In chapter 2, I think I should bump to hard cuz I haven't been challenged even by bosses on Normal.

 

[SolVanderlyn]

Alright, just got to Chapter 4.

This game's difficulty ROCKETS up as you get further in. Normal enemies can wipe you out if you're not careful, and bosses require careful planning with a bit of RNG goodness thrown in there. Abusing the brave system works less and less the further in you get, it seems. The crystal bosses in particular are extremely hard. Chapter 3 also had a ton of side quests that really should have just been part of the main story (Swordmaster, for one)

I just read up on what I have to do to get the Vampire job... oh man. Looks like I got some dragon slaying to do. And I bet they're all really hard fights, too.

 

[kadotsu]

This game has a very weird feel. The best I can describe it is that if Final Fantasy was a blockbuster movie, Bravely Default would be a stage play.

 

[PataHikari]

One of my favorite JRPGs ever. I put a bit over 100 hours into it. Doing everything.

The best part about Bravely Default, especially on hard mode, is that it actually expects the player to master its battle system to the fullest to win the later fights.

Being max level won't save you if you don't know the systems.

 

[Arkeband]

Alright, just got to Chapter 4.

This game's difficulty ROCKETS up as you get further in. Normal enemies can wipe you out if you're not careful, and bosses require careful planning with a bit of RNG goodness thrown in there. Abusing the brave system works less and less the further in you get, it seems. The crystal bosses in particular are extremely hard. Chapter 3 also had a ton of side quests that really should have just been part of the main story (Swordmaster, for one)

I just read up on what I have to do to get the Vampire job... oh man. Looks like I got some dragon slaying to do. And I bet they're all really hard fights, too.

They're difficult, but there are quite a few setups that allow you to effortlessly cheese them without ever taking damage. You can put it on autobattle, set your 3DS down and come back later.

 

[Fou-Lu]

I really can't get into this game. I've gotten a few chapters in more than once, the graphics are beautiful and the soundtrack is on point, but the game just isn't that fun to play and the dialogue and story isn't that interesting. The brave system seems like a cool idea, but makes random battles even more trivial that usual. The jobs also feel less interesting than in say FF5, but that's probably just me. I never thought I'd say it, but I actually don't like the ability to change the encounter rate on the fly. It removes any sense of danger and the old school grinder in me makes myself play the game on 2x encounter rate most of the time. Still want to try and beat it one day though...

 

[chaosblade]

I never thought I'd say it, but I actually don't like the ability to change the encounter rate on the fly. It removes any sense of danger and the old school grinder in me makes myself play the game on 2x encounter rate most of the time. Still want to try and beat it one day though...

A lot of people treat it like a standard gameplay mechanic, but personally see it more as a "booster"/cheat sort of thing.

I didn't touch it in my playthrough until near the end of the game when I grinded to max out my jobs (and level in the process).

 

[Aaronrules380]

I really can't get into this game. I've gotten a few chapters in more than once, the graphics are beautiful and the soundtrack is on point, but the game just isn't that fun to play and the dialogue and story isn't that interesting. The brave system seems like a cool idea, but makes random battles even more trivial that usual. The jobs also feel less interesting than in say FF5, but that's probably just me. I never thought I'd say it, but I actually don't like the ability to change the encounter rate on the fly. It removes any sense of danger and the old school grinder in me makes myself play the game on 2x encounter rate most of the time. Still want to try and beat it one day though...

Random encounter tweaking is a fucking godsend in chapters 5-8 though. I'd probably have hated the game so much if that hadn't been present for those chapters

 

[blackflag]

I loved it and then whatever happens in Chapter 4 or whatever happened...groundhog day. I was like ok well that's enough of that. I don't regret playing it to there though.

 

[chaosblade]

I loved it and then whatever happens in Chapter 4 or whatever happened...groundhog day. I was like ok well that's enough of that. I don't regret playing it to there though.

But if you stopped there you missed out on the best part of the game.

 

[Aaronrules380]

I loved it and then whatever happens in Chapter 4 or whatever happened...groundhog day. I was like ok well that's enough of that. I don't regret playing it to there though.

Honestly, if you use effective grinding techniques in the right areas and turn off random encounters when not grinding, the last chapters are really, really quick compared to the first four

 

[blackflag]

Honestly, if you use effective grinding techniques in the right areas and turn off random encounters when not grinding, the last chapters are really, really quick compared to the first four

Huh, I didn't even know that. I'm not sure I even knew the encounter rate could be adjusted. It's been long enough now that I guess I could go back and play the rest.

 

[Aaronrules380]

Huh, I didn't even know that. I'm not sure I even knew the encounter rate could be adjusted. It's been long enough now that I guess I could go back and play the rest.

I know there are certain areas in those chapters where the enemies give far better JP than average (possibly xp too, can't remember) so you just run around those areas with encounters +100% for a bit, than go through the rest with -100% encounters to avoid the annoyance of that segment of the game

 

[Vital Tundra]

The fact that you can control the encounter rate and speed of battles make the last part of the game much better, but it was still a bit much.

 

[RS4-]

I just picked up the game last week. Just finished with the encounter with the king after the whole wind temple thing against Orthos.

Haven't exactly played an RPG like this in quite some time, so its a nice change of pace. Not sure if I'll go right into Second or finish an SMT/Persona game for the first time, in a long time.

Which are the must level jobs? From what I gather, some are just pointless or only useful for x amount of levels for the skill. Tips?

 

[psynergylover]

it's pretty cool that once you beat the game that

Spoiler

"Flying Fairy" turns into "Lying Airy"

I was like sonabitch!!! it was right in front of you the whole time!!!

the game is great but gets real repetitive after chapter 4...which really killed the game's flow....it was so

Spoiler

obvious that Airy was up to some shady shit after chp 5

.....didn't now why they had to do it for another 3 chapters....-_-

 

[Bladenic]

it's pretty cool that once you beat the game that

Spoiler

"Flying Fairy" turns into "Lying Airy"

I was like sonabitch!!! it was right in front of you the whole time!!!

the game is great but gets real repetitive after chapter 4...which really killed the game's flow....it was so

Spoiler

obvious that Airy was up to some shady shit after chp 5

.....didn't now why they had to do it for another 3 chapters....-_-

Because they needed to bravely default

 

[Zakard]

Loved it. Very charming. Made me realize how much I miss traditional FF RPG's

 

[SolVanderlyn]

Chapter 5

Spoiler

I guess this is "the" segment everyone talks about. It's not that bad from a story standpoint. The Ringabel stuff was cool - I think at one point the writers intended Alternis and Ringabel to be EXACTLY the same, but then they realized they needed Ringabel on screen with Alternis and came up with the alternate version idea. The way the script is written makes it seem this way, anyway. Will I suffer if I turn encounters off except for bosses?

 

[themagicalkitsune]

By this point

Spoiler

job levels matter more than actual levels, unless you're severely underleveled. See how you fare against bosses since now you can freely walk up to them. If your attacks don't do that much damage and you're getting hammered, try to level up some jobs.

 

[SolVanderlyn]

By this point

Spoiler

job levels matter more than actual levels, unless you're severely underleveled. See how you fare against bosses since now you can freely walk up to them. If your attacks don't do that much damage and you're getting hammered, try to level up some jobs.

Spoiler

That's good to know. I found a great grinding spot outside of the major town in Eternia, too.

Should I bother doing all the sidequests now? Do they change between chapters from here on?

Is Vampire worth it? Please say "not really" because these dragons are impossible and I don't want to have to cheese them

 

[ss-hikaru]

Spoiler

That's good to know. I found a great grinding spot outside of the major town in Eternia, too.

Should I bother doing all the sidequests now? Do they change between chapters from here on?

Is Vampire worth it? Please say "not really" because these dragons are impossible and I don't want to have to cheese them

Spoiler

Side quests are fun, both story wise and battle wise. Yes they change between chapters

I dunno if Vampire is worth it as I didn't use it much but it looks cool. And cheesing the dragons is fun Tip, all their attacks are physical.

 

[themagicalkitsune]

Spoiler

That's good to know. I found a great grinding spot outside of the major town in Eternia, too.

Should I bother doing all the sidequests now? Do they change between chapters from here on?

Is Vampire worth it? Please say "not really" because these dragons are impossible and I don't want to have to cheese them

Spoiler

The bosses are much stronger this time around so you can battle them if you want to. I did every subquest in Chapters 5 and on and there were not any noteworthy differences in 5 & 6 so if you fought them once it's enough IMO. Chapters 7-8 are a completely different story...

Vampire is an ok job, I mostly used it for a special ability that gave you a chance to come back alive after a death blow. However it provides tons of exposition for the story in BD (how the asterisks came to be, the "real" reasons behind anti-crystalism etc.) so if you want to know about it you'll have to beat the dragons. You can do it in later chapters though if you're not strong enough yet. Most of the dragons have some elemental weakness that you can exploit without going into straight cheese tactics.

Also there's a completely new subquest in Ch. 6 that lets you get the last job of the game, which is also worth it.

 

[SolVanderlyn]

Final Chapter

Spoiler

This boss is way too hard, and I'm playing on easy. I think I am really bad at this game. I mean Airy, by the way. I'm assuming you fight Ouroboros next.

 

[Wagram]

If you like BD you should pick up Bravely Second. It's a better version of the first game without the later half bullshit.

 

[JordanKZ]

Bravely Default is probably more interesting than the sequel, and it has a significant better soundtrack, to the point where hearing the old tracks was exciting. But, Second is a more varied experience with lots to do and jobs to master.

You should definitely play it, OP!