Bravely Default, the RPG collaboration of Square Enix and Silicon Studio got a sequel named Bravely Second: End Layer. Just like the original game, the sequel plays as a traditional JRPG, including random turn-based battles and a lot of narratives. It’s something the die-hard JRPG fans will enjoy but is it also enjoyable for the mainstream gamers? Let’s find out in this review.

Luxendarc is in trouble again

Bravely Second is the direct sequel of the first Bravely Default and is set more than two years after the events of the first game. Haven’t played Bravely Default? No problem, thanks to a great introduction video, you’ll learn what happened to our heroes in less than five minutes. You’ll miss out on some interaction between characters of course but that being said, you can enjoy this sequel without knowing what happened Bravely Default. So what’s the story about?

The Luxendarc kingdom is in trouble again, this time it’s under attack of an evil Emperor that managed to kidnap pope Agnes. It’s up to newcomers Yew Geonolgia and Magnolia Arch to work together with the familiar faces of Edea Lee and Tiz Arrior.Rather soon in the game, Yew will learn to communicate with Agnes thanks to her special pendant. This forms the starting point of a big and adventurous story filled with new monsters to defeat and new interesting people to meet.

Of course, this isn’t something we haven’t seen before. The story of Bravely Second is another “together we’ll save the world” story and isn’t that special at all. That being said, the story still is very interesting and fun to follow thanks to the great way the characters are designed.

Charming characters

The developers really went all out to create a specific personality for every character that’s in the game. Their designs are cute but yet detailed enough to form a bond. Every new character you’ll meet, ranging from new heroes to villains and monsters, is very interesting thanks to the combination of the cute looks and the charming narratives.

Perfect combination of tradition and innovation

The interaction between characters is filled with punchlines, jokes and awkward moments to give gamers an enjoyable time reading everything that’s being said. A great bonus is the possibility to change the English voices to the original Japanese voices. Almost the entire game is voiced by solid voice actors so the big piles of text never get old. Sure, there’s a lot going on narrative-wise but it’s fun to read or listen to the unique stories of the characters. During the exploration of the world, you’ll be able to hop in a party chat mechanism to really get to know the members of your party. Not everybody will enjoy reading all those dialogues but it’s worth it.

Brave and Default

So story-wise, Bravely Second is another typical JRPG so you would expect traditional gameplay as well, that’s not entirely true for this game. Sure, you’ll have to battle a lot of random battles using a turn-based system, but thanks to the unique Brave and Default mechanism, the combat feels different from everything you’ve played before.

This mechanism is the beating heart of the game, which, of course, makes sense since the first game was named after this mechanism. So what is Brave and Default? It’s the combination of defending and attacking during combat. By Defaulting, your character won’t attack the enemy but will prepare for the next attack. If you Default, you’re able to perform a double attack next round. This system can add up to multiple attacks in one turn if you used Default during the previous turns.

The system also has a downside, you are able to attack the enemies multiple times without Defaulting but that means you won’t be able to attack during the next round. This Brave and Default mechanisms offers a great balance between attacking and defending but also comes with its risks. It offers an interesting risk/reward system that really benefits the game, it transforms the traditional JRPG combat into something modern gamers will enjoy a lot more.

They took our jobs

Besides the Brave and Default system, the jobs also return in the sequel, just like a lot of other games (Final Fantasy) already did in the past. Bravely Second offers a lot of jobs, including the popular ones such as Freelance, Mage and Thief but adds some more creative jobs as Catmancer to the list. Picking a job is very personal and an important decision for the player.

Depending on the job you picked, you’ll be able to perform powerful attacks or sneaky less powerful attacks but with higher defense. It’s an important part of the game and it’s something you’ll need to put a lot of thought in. Since it’s such an important part of the game, the jobs remain interesting until the very end of the game, which is impressive since you won’t be able to finish Bravely Second in one session. It’s great to see the developers added enough stuff to the job and combat system to keep things interesting.

A brave new world

The world of Bravely Second: End Layer is huge and you won’t be able to finish it in a couple of days. Completing the main story alone will costs you a lot of hours but if you want to finish the interesting side-quests as well, this is a game you’ll enjoy for months to come. The developers made sure their world had a lot of fun to offer and remains interesting until the very end. The only remark we have is that the story is a bit too linear.

The world the developers created is a gorgeous world, it’s a shame the paths are already chosen for you and you can’t really take any other route. The game feels very linear and takes you to a lot of interesting places but perhaps we would be enjoyed even more if the game had a more open approach. An approach where we would have been able to pick our next destination and the route of our choice.

Strong presentation

We’re not exaggerating when we say the world is gorgeous. The developers already showed their very specific style in the first Bravely Default game but Bravely Second only improves its strong visuals. The game contains a lot of beautiful 3D locations that could have been taken straight from a popular fairy tale’ book. Everything about the game looks incredibly sharp and likable. The characters look cute and you’ll enjoy spending your time with them for sure. The 3D effect of the (New) Nintendo 3DS work extremely well and creates a very fun visual effect.

Same goes for the music, the score is epic when it needs to be and easy to listen to during your excessive long walks during your adventures in the game. It’s impressive to hear this quality of music, especially when you realise how big the game actually is.

Conclusion:

Bravely Second: End Layer is the direct sequel of Bravely Default so if you enjoyed the first one, you just need to get the sequel for sure. Never played the original? No need to worry, you don’t need to know every detail about the story to enjoy it. The story is fun to follow thanks to the charming characters although the plot itself isn’t that special. Gameplay-wise the game combines classic JRPG elements and innovates them with the strong Brave and Default mechanism. If you’re looking for a game that stays enjoyable for a long time, try out Bravely Second.

8.5/10