Wow. The reviews on this one are polarized as can be.
Bravely Default is actually my favorite game, and I feel that a lot of what it does right is overlooked in lieu of what it does wrong.
The battle system stood out pretty well, with a job system similar to FF5's, and the ability to use party turns as credit.
I enjoyed the story as a unique spin of classic Final Fantasy games, and the characters were surprisingly easy to get attached to.
The art and music for the game is stunning. Akihiko Yoshida and Revo did a spectacular job bringing the world to life.
That being said, the elephant in the room is the second half of the game. Without spoiling anything, many consider this later portion to be repetitive and unnecessary. I'm not going to say it wasn't, but I will say there was a definite intention that the writers were going for. Was it perfectly executed? Absolutely not. It's a valid reason to drop the game, honestly. I would've if I wasn't so invested in every other aspect of the game.
If there's one thing I could say to anyone struggling through this second half, though, is that it's absolutely worth it. The ending is just splendid, and the epilogue-like section that follows the great finale left me with my mind blown.
Bravely Default is actually my favorite game, and I feel that a lot of what it does right is overlooked in lieu of what it does wrong.
The battle system stood out pretty well, with a job system similar to FF5's, and the ability to use party turns as credit.
I enjoyed the story as a unique spin of classic Final Fantasy games, and the characters were surprisingly easy to get attached to.
The art and music for the game is stunning. Akihiko Yoshida and Revo did a spectacular job bringing the world to life.
That being said, the elephant in the room is the second half of the game. Without spoiling anything, many consider this later portion to be repetitive and unnecessary. I'm not going to say it wasn't, but I will say there was a definite intention that the writers were going for. Was it perfectly executed? Absolutely not. It's a valid reason to drop the game, honestly. I would've if I wasn't so invested in every other aspect of the game.
If there's one thing I could say to anyone struggling through this second half, though, is that it's absolutely worth it. The ending is just splendid, and the epilogue-like section that follows the great finale left me with my mind blown.