The prettiest in all the land.Originally Posted by Pumpkin
The prettiest in all the land.
Sorry I kinda spoiled you guys with the update tempo so far. I'm going to have to slow down to about one entey a day, sińce I have a heap of exams coming up. Will try to make up for that during the weekend!
#19
I bet a lot of you had this feeling. A game is coming out soon. You know you want it, bah, you need it! But you just don’t have the system. Yet. I vowed to get a 3DS for this game. Ultimately, I didn’t have to do a thing. Santa was kind enough to get me both a 3DS XL and…
BRAVELY DEFAULT: WHERE THE FAIRY FLIES
For the most part, I was not disappointed. I thoroughly enjoyed the game, but I think I need to get the big bad thing out of my system first, before I proceed. This game has one huge gaping flaw. And this is it: Half of the game is a loop of the previous half. You need to beat all the bosses an absurd amount of time, with little variation to break the monotony. This seriously tarnished a lot of the love I have for this game, especially since some of those battles were insanely hard in a cruelly unfair way. Huff, huff…
*hrmphraghramfhrah*
Now that that’s out of the way, this is another one of those throwback days. Bravely Default is an SNES-era Final Fantasy in all but name. It has a vibrant world, endearing characters, an interesting storyline centering around elemental crystals, and the best version of the job system in existence, excluding the FFT sub-series. It’s very self-aware in many areas, and I like how fun all of the villains are. Seriously, I don’t think there’s a character in this game I didn’t enjoy in one way or another. The main cast gets a lot of banter, too – Party Chat reminds me of FFIX’s ATEs, where you get to view optional exchanges between your four party members, adding a lot to the relationship between them.
I do my best to stay fashionabluuuuuuh.
I also really liked was the treatment religion got in this game. Let me just tag it for the two people who haven’t beaten it yet, ‘cause it’s too good to just spoil. At the beginning, it seems like it’s pretty straightforward – the crystals are deities, so the religion following must be true and good. But then it turns out the Anti-Crystalists actually have valid reasons to hate the Crystalist Church, since it is a corrupt organization with a very bloody history. Nevertheless, neither side is presented as completely sympathetic or vile. There are good people in both, and there are corrupt officials in both. In the end most representative of both sides get to reach some understanding, and from what I’ve read about the sequel browser game, they co-exist. Lovely.Atheists and Christians can be friends. That is something I can really get behind.
The battle system itself is phenomenal. What at first seems to be not much more than a traditional turn-base system actually turns out to be something much, much more complex and fun, with the simple addition of the Brave/Default mechanic. You can stock up on turns or use up more turns in one go, playing it safe or risking it all for a quick win. What sounds simple on paper turns out to be extremely strategic, as you constantly have to adjust your approach, depending on the situation you’re in. The enemies can use and abuse this system too, so you’re always kept on your toes. The games is pretty challenging, but you can always lower the difficulty if you’re feeling overwhelmed.
Finally, there’s the music. I can honestly say that this is the best video game OST that I have ever heard, and I didn’t expect it to be! I had never heard of Revo from before this game, but whoah, does this dude know what he’s doing or what. The melodies are pretty simple and memorable, actually very evocative of SNES-era FF, but it’s the arrangements that make this music special. Everything – every instrument, every little note, every break, is right in place. The music sucks you right in and doesn’t let go. It certainly doesn’t hurt that it’s all live music, without a trace of a midi sound, but I’m sure Revo would pull it all off even if he had to work with synth. Which makes the fact that he’s not reprising his role as composer for the sequel all the more depressing. Still, take a listen to this couple of tracks. Even if we don’t get Bravely Second soundtrack by him, regardless of its shortness, the Bravely Default OST can last you a loooong while.
Don't expect any mercy during the endgame, even on easy, though.
Seriously, there's not a single bad track.
I dare say Revo makes a better Uematsu than Uematsu himself, nowadays
I mean, just listen!
I can't stop listening to it!
I've had it on my iPhone non-stop for the year since I first listened to it.
And I'm still not even close to being tired of it!
In short, this is another masterpiece with a huge, gaping hole in it. Still, I was able to forgive it, but it did put this game much lower on the list because of that. Without that, this game would easily have made top 10, if not top 5. If you have a 3DS and are a fan of SNES-era FF, you absolutely cannot miss this game.
Again, I'm not going to go in to much detail because I have my own review to write but it is summed up like this:
Fun gameplay, loved the job classes, interesting story. Didn't care for any of the characters, which for me can be a big deal because in cases like this it makes me that much less invested in the story. Also SHOVING THE ONLINE FEATURES DOWN MY THROAT I DON'T WANT TO PLAY WITH OTHER PEOPLE I WANT TO PLAY BY MYSELF AND NOT BE PENALIZED FOR THAT
But still a good game
I actually did buy a 3DS to play this game, after the insane Nintendo Direct where they announced Link Between Worlds, the new Mario & Luigi RPG, and this localization. I held off because at the time of release, I started seeing a pattern that all my 3DS games with promise for a nostalgic franchise or concept all lost steam for me about halfway through. My Vita and PC backlogs are insane right now but your comments about the music make me want to take a second look here.
The music is insanely good. Just keep in mind, this game will try your patience in a way I really can't spoil you. I think if you're prepared for that, the risk of you being severely disappointed with the game is much lower, and it'll be easier for you to look past it.
I see you like RPGs...
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When I grow up, I want to go toBovineTrump University! - Ralph Wiggum
Yeah. It was right there In the disclaimer In the OP
I watched a Let's Play of one of those games. Very sad, pretty creepy, good story.
Idk, I found it very exploitational, both in story and in art. It's just not what I look for in horror.I watched a Let's Play of one of those games. Very sad, pretty creepy, good story.
The fairy at the start is creepy.
damn. well if im one of the 2 who hasnt completed it then i wonder who the other one is.
This is a fantastic game, but the spoiler problem does get to be quite aggravating. I would cut Chapter 6 entirely if I could. The rest of it I think is ok. Maybe do away with Chapter 5 as well, but it didn't start really grating on my nerves until 6.
Chapter 7 was fan-frelling-tastic, though, despite suffering from some of that same issue.
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That would probably be me, it's sitting in my game collection right now next to two other 3DS games I need to bust into. Been busy with real life.
True beauty exists in things that last only for a moment.
Current Mood: And it's been a long December and there's reason to believe. Maybe this year will be better than the last. I can't remember all the times I tried to tell myself. To hold on to these moments as they pass...
I've only played it a little bit. I really need to get back into it. I enjoyed what I did play. I still really like the whole system of being able to change the encounter rate at any time you wish. I'd love that feature to be a thing in more games that have random encounters.
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