Bravely Default 2

Bravely Default II is an upcoming role-playing video game developed by Claytechworks for the Nintendo Switch. It will published by Square Enix in Japan, with Nintendo handling the release in the Western territories. It is scheduled for a worldwide release on February 26, 2021.

This article is about the 2021 video game. For the second game in the series, see Bravely Second: End Layer.
Bravely Default II
Developer(s)Claytechworks
Publisher(s)
Director(s)
  • Shunsuke Iwami
Producer(s)
  • Tomoya Asano
  • Masashi Takahashi
Designer(s)Shota Fukubaru
Programmer(s)Kei Sone
Artist(s)
  • Hajime Onuma
  • Naoki Ikushima
Writer(s)
  • Yura Kubota
  • Tomoyoshi Nagai
Composer(s)Revo
EngineUnreal Engine 4
Platform(s)Nintendo Switch
ReleaseFebruary 26, 2021
Genre(s)Role-playing
Mode(s)Single-player

Premise and gameplay

Bravely Default II is the third game in the Bravely series, following the original game, Bravely Default and its direct sequel Bravely Second: End Layer.[1][2] While Second was a direct story continuation from the original, Default II features a new story and cast of characters.[3] Similar to prior titles, the game plays as a role-playing video game with turn-based battles.[4] The game also contains a variant of the prior game's "Brave Point" system, and use of collecting different "asterisks" to change a character's job class.[4]

Story and characters

Set in a new world from prior games, on a continent named Excillant, divided into five different kingdoms.[5] The game follows four main characters; a young sailor named Seth, a refugee princess named Gloria, a travelling scholar named Elvis, and a mercenary named Adelle.[5]

Development

The game was announced for the Nintendo Switch at The Game Awards in December 2019.[3] Series producer Tomoya Asano stated that the reason for the game's title, Bravely Default II, was due to his belief that Bravely Second did not live up to fans' expectations, and its critical and commercial under-performance made it difficult for the team to continue on the series.[6] Team morale and finances improved following the release of the Japan-only mobile title Bravely Default: Fairy's Effect and the 2018 Nintendo Switch title Octopath Traveler, and the team decided to return to the series with a fresh start, with a game more similar to the original Default game instead.[6] Revo, who composed the sound track for Default but did not return for Second, was also announced to return for Default II.[1]

A demo of the game was announced and released during a March 26, 2020 Nintendo Direct presentation.[7] Square Enix also announced that they would be taking fan feedback from the demo and implementing it into the final release.[7] The demo features story not featured in the final game.[8]

Reception

Pre-release

The Bravely Default II demo was generally praised, though many publications noted that the demo was more difficult than expected,[9][10][8][11][4] and hoped for a return of optional varying difficulty settings of the prior games in the series.[9] USGamer felt too much grinding was necessary to stay competitive against enemies, especially for a game demo.[9] Conversely, Kotaku noted that the grinding was more fun than many other games of the genre.[8] RPGamer praised the game's graphics for being an impressive mix of the Bravely Default art style and the special effects found in Octopath Traveler.[11]

Steve Watts of GameSpot named it his most anticipated game of 2020.[12]

References
  1. Minotti, Mike (December 12, 2019). "Bravely Default II (confusingly the third in the series) comes to Switch in 2020". Venture Beat. Archived from the original on December 13, 2019. Retrieved July 8, 2020.
  2. Ramée, Jordan (December 13, 2019). "Switch Exclusive Bravely Default 2 (Not To Be Confused With Bravely Second) Coming Next Year". GameSpot. Archived from the original on June 30, 2020. Retrieved July 8, 2020.
  3. Lee, Justin (December 12, 2019). "Bravely Default 2 coming to Switch in 2020". Polygon. Archived from the original on December 13, 2019. Retrieved July 8, 2020.
  4. Macy, Seth (March 26, 2020). "Bravely Default 2 Demo: Turn-Based JRPG Goodness in a Gorgeous New Wrapper". IGN. Archived from the original on April 1, 2020. Retrieved July 8, 2020.
  5. Wales, Matt (March 26, 2020). "Square Enix's J-RPG follow-up Bravely Default 2 now has a demo on Switch". Eurogamer. Archived from the original on June 29, 2020. Retrieved July 8, 2020.
  6. Wong, Alistair (April 14, 2020). "Bravely Default II Producer Asano Apologizes for Bravely Second". Siliconera. Archived from the original on June 27, 2020. Retrieved July 8, 2020.
  7. Minotti, Mike (March 26, 2020). "Bravely Default II demo releases on Switch". Venturebeat. Archived from the original on June 29, 2020. Retrieved July 8, 2020.
  8. Notis, Ari (March 31, 2020). "The Bravely Default II Demo Is Weirdly Hard, So Here's How To Survive". Kotaku. Archived from the original on April 28, 2020. Retrieved July 8, 2020.
  9. Oxford, Nadia (March 26, 2020). "The Bravely Default 2 Demo Wants to Drink Your Blood and Eat Your Bones". US Gamer. Archived from the original on April 1, 2020. Retrieved July 8, 2020.
  10. Andriessen, CJ (March 29, 2020). "The Bravely Default 2 demo is not here to make nice". Destructoid. Retrieved July 8, 2020.
  11. Masem, Matt (April 1, 2020). "Bravely Default II Demo Impression". RPGamer. Archived from the original on June 29, 2020. Retrieved July 8, 2020.
  12. Watts, Steve (December 31, 2019). "Bravely Default 2 - Steve Watts' Most Anticipated Game Of 2020". GameSpot. Archived from the original on June 29, 2020. Retrieved July 8, 2020.
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