Bravely Default - 3DS review

[fuse]

So, the updated version is released in Japan (w/ full English support) and the UK now, with the US to follow in Feb. I know some of you are probably too busy playing, but no thread? For shame...

It's a Square-Enix RPG, and whilst the plot's hardly brimming with originality the game itself is a wonderful reminder of what made a lot of people fall in love with JRPGs during the 16bit era. It's got some great character designs and music, and a really smart battle system that leans on a finely tuned job system along with a unique spin on handling turns, where you can really ramp up the risk/reward factor.

All the StreetPass / online stuff seems neatly integrated too. I can summon Fallows to my game once a day to dish out beatings, which in itself must be worthy of some credit.

[MrKirov]

Bought this and it's soundtrack (supposed to be brilliant) with my Christmas money. Haven't got stuck in yet, but just finished zelda so hope too soon!

[nakamura]

I have it but not finished the demo yet, or Zelda!!

[J0e Musashi]

Why buy it then? Anyway, I think it's a fantastic game myself.

[nakamura]

Shut your mouth, sneakerman.

[dataDave]

I've not been playing as much as I'd like so my Abilink may only be of use up to level 20 or so. I'm a little busy visiting friends and family but I'll be caning it once I return home.

[MisterBubbles]

Ive had no streetpasses here in Germany. Its a fantastic game, so if anybody wants to ablink they can hit me up.

[SUMIRE]

Finished the demo of this. It is really nice, and pretty long. I watched the trailers on the 3ds afterwards and the rest of the game looks awesome. I will be picking this up for sure. I couldn't find it anywhere in any high-street shops, so will either download it or get it online.

[speedlolita]

Definitely want to finish the demo before I make a purchase.

[shaffy_oppa]

An incredibly charming game with a loveable cast of characters and a great battle system.

I've not really had much time to play but now with work over, I'm looking to sink in a few hours. So far coming to the end of chapter 1 and have loved every moment so far.

[fuse]

Who's still on it? I've just reached chapter 4 and hit a rather stern difficulty spike. Feels like I need to get grinding and find more efficient ways of doing battle if I want to move on, since in my 40 minute stint this morning I managed to wipe three times in random encounters...

Still though, really enjoying this. Not sure if this is the best place for a roll call, but my FC is 2320-6154-5189. Shout in here with your code if you're adding and I will return the favour.

[MrKirov]

In still playing, 22 hours in and adoring it. It's like a long lost PS1 Final Fantasy!

Ill add you and add my friend code later today ( my friend code is in the 3DS friend code thread if you beat me to it though!)

[mugetsu]

99hrs and ive nearly done everything

[nakamura]

I'm around 8 hours in and overall really enjoying it. The main gripe I have is that there is no sense of location. Each area feels rather samey and towns are small. The whole game should have been pre rendered like in the thief's den. The characters are great though, very charming.

[dataDave]

My only main gripe is that some classes feel totally worthless, Time Mage being the main culprit. Why do I need to slow down and debuff foes when I can just KO them all in a couple of turns with Monk or Knight and then heal any damage with Cure afterwards rather than resorting to Regen? This is a thing with all turn based JRPGs though. MMOs address this in that debuffs and the like are pretty much essential.

And then there's the Abilink which makes things both overwhelming and cheaty. Why would I want to link my character's abilities with a friend's who's already at level 70? I want to unlock abilities gradually and learn what they do as a progression. It's like on WoW when you play someone else's endgame class. You're just completely overwhelmed with stuff you have no clue about.

I just turn it off.

Still, great game so far. I'm only about 25hrs in.