Well, hot dog...
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Bravely Default II - Flying February 2021
- Thread starter Kazin
- Start date
Okay: every job mastered, every superboss defeated, every B 'n' D card collected, and so on--it's a wrap for me. Beyond the particularities discussed earlier in the thread, mostly I'm just really taken with Bravely Default II for being a game from this general creative group that I don't feel almost at all conflicted about. It's just plain good, and that's really refreshing in having so few caveats to manage throughout.
Whatever lasting impression this game will have for me is likely going to center around both the writing in the source material, which is consistent and engaging in its uncomplicated sincerity, but especially elevated throughout by the script treatment and voice acting performances and casting choices. This is not a stock video game voice cast of the same rotating crew of a dozen artists whose names have become a fixture in the minds of players who have an ear for this stuff. As reliable and good as those professionals are, the cast here are drawn from different corners of the acting industry to the game's benefit in establishing an identity of its own and injecting a fresh component to a genre that is fundamentally often about roteness. Credit for the casting and recording expertise goes to studio Side UK, who do consistently remarkable work in that field, and the approach and talent involved here set Bravely Default II much apart from its peers. And if the vocal stylings impress throughout, the material they work with on a language basis is thanks to Shloc, whose localization efforts in especially Dragon Quest for long years now have established that series as a fellow example of a work elevated by its stellar adaptation into another language.
Before I ascertained these people were responsible for Default II's storytelling in localization, I already suspected it for the ease with which language and phrasing flowed, the verve of the writing, and the abilities of the cast to play up to the level of the material in equal measure. It's just a fun game to read and listen to on all fronts, and interacts with the stronger aspects of the whole as certain sidequests or optional content might be nothing more than a conversation between characters, performed and presented to the standard of the main narrative. It shows that the people involved believed in the strength of what they were doing all the way through.
Before I ascertained these people were responsible for Default II's storytelling in localization, I already suspected it for the ease with which language and phrasing flowed, the verve of the writing, and the abilities of the cast to play up to the level of the material in equal measure. It's just a fun game to read and listen to on all fronts, and interacts with the stronger aspects of the whole as certain sidequests or optional content might be nothing more than a conversation between characters, performed and presented to the standard of the main narrative. It shows that the people involved believed in the strength of what they were doing all the way through.
At what point can you progress to rank A then S in this card game? Just noticed another card guy I missed on the way to the red mage boss I had to fight again; how fun.
I reached the credits last night, clocking in around 72 hours playtime. Definitely gonna keep playing because this game is very fun and also the story hook: this was such a false ending and I'm glad they're offering an alternative to yet another self-sacrifice plot macguffin.
I’m still in chapter 3, and it seems that sequence breaking to get Salve Maker before Dragoon was a good idea from the perspective of making a required boss fight really easy (due to added experience points) and bad idea from the perspective of getting locked into a fight against a really tough boss.
Also, gotta say, I’m a fan of the Dragon Knight outfit; the guys wind up with a kind of medieval Power Ranger thing which is good on its own, but the female version (despite critiquing the metal bikini) comes together more like the armour is coming out of them, rather than just being an outfit they’re wearing, emphasizing the Dragon instead of the Knight .
Granted, it’d be nice if that design managed to convey that but didn’t leave them half naked, but it’s the only instance I’ve seen by the games midway point so it’s still doing very well by JRPG standards.
Also, gotta say, I’m a fan of the Dragon Knight outfit; the guys wind up with a kind of medieval Power Ranger thing which is good on its own, but the female version (despite critiquing the metal bikini) comes together more like the armour is coming out of them, rather than just being an outfit they’re wearing, emphasizing the Dragon instead of the Knight .
Granted, it’d be nice if that design managed to convey that but didn’t leave them half naked, but it’s the only instance I’ve seen by the games midway point so it’s still doing very well by JRPG standards.
I think that's one of the worse job visual designs in the game just because it's the most pronounced double standard the game has to offer on that front, which is not totally exempt from other outfits either (we can think of it as the Monster Hunter syndrome). It's not just the open skin cutaways that the women get in sexualized parts of the body while the men don't, but also how the dark shade of the armour visually obscures and hides the men's bodies despite ostensibly wearing similar skin-tight scale bodysuits, and the women's version of the attire is deliberately an attention-grabbing shining silver that accentuates all the contours and curves of their silhouettes. It's really transparently done, and stands out as disappointingly exceptional because for the most part I actually really like the dress-up aspects of the game even with elements like these present, since so many of them are inventive and stylish twists on the usual job system catalogue while also allowing significant fashion personalization between the individual characters, and not just across the gendered lines.
It absolutely needs improvement, even just swapping the color schemes would have helped, and stands out all the more for being the only horned up bit of the game so far (possibly overall?).
I can't deny that the overall design registers as "rad" for me, though.
I can't deny that the overall design registers as "rad" for me, though.
I'm 82 hours deep in this game with no desire to stop anytime soon. So far I haven't quite been able to penetrate the non-story boss fights, but they're also everything I want out of boss fights in this game: between 3 and 4 targets who all have specialized roles to play, at end-game power levels. I'm kind of at a point where I have to decide multiple things: a) Do I want to grind, or keep trying these fights to figure out which ones I might actually be able to beat? b) If I decide to grind, do I want to go after stat boosters or JP orbs or just general JP/EXP at the strongest dungeon I have access to?
How does Gambler's specialty work? I'd been resisting using it because I assumed a character would fall behind - which I'd hate. (though time and orbs will fix this) I'd rather everyone lag on the same schedule. It seems that's how it works but I haven't been paying attention. Anyway, I waited until I had JP Up and Up on a character to use it. (I won't generally have that equipped and will just use it for this/orb leveling) Its money->damage skill has made the last two boss fights (shield/paint) much more bearable. I don't have much money now, but I have 3-10 days of working/idle gametime to replenish that.
Is there any rhyme or reason to when sidequests appear? I’ve been revising areas after every major plot advancement, just in case, and in chapter 4, I found one in the desert that was brand new... in order to kill some nothing-hard trash monsters in exchange for a shield I wouldn’t even waste my time selling as vendor trash.
And immediately after that, I unlocked another side quest that had me fighting a boss that wiped out my entire party before I could take a single turn
And immediately after that, I unlocked another side quest that had me fighting a boss that wiped out my entire party before I could take a single turn
Haven't used it, but alls I know is that sometimes 300 JP will become 4500 JP.
The sidequest you found in the desert seems to open up in chapter 2. There's no rhyme or reason to when they become available, nor is there any indication, but once you can access them they remain accessible (give or take plot events that temporarily restrict access to locations).
I like to take my time with games. To wit, I'm 90 hours deep and getting underway with chapter 6, and I just cleared a sidequest (one whose difficulty level, I think, was mislabeled) that ended with a boss whose fight for the first time required me to dip into the really creative strategies.
There are other strategies that I can see working, but this is the one I could assemble with what I had.
Based on this experience, the game is good.
D-Vergr's main gimmick is that he summons a bunch of really fast little adds who can inflict Charm and also perform a weak attack that significantly delays your turn. He himself blasts you with area effect Dark attacks and occasionally sacrifices one of the bugs to do a single-target, non-elemental attack that breaks the damage cap. If more than a single party member is down, the delay attacks will buy the boss enough time to finish charging up 3 BP and party wipe you before you can do anything.
Naturally, my first order of business was to make sure my whole team was immune to Charm. But the lynchpin of my strategy was to put Gloria in Shieldmaster with Dual Shields and Auto Guard, and gear to give her Dark absorption. With Seth as a Spiritmaster, I kept Reraise up on as much of the party as I could, but things really got going once I realized that I shouldn't heal him above critical health, so that Guard Ally would trigger reliably as well. Gloria literally never got to take a single turn the entire fight, but she was the most important team member by far, keeping the team alive by tanking all of the delay attacks while Elvis and Gloria whittled the big man down. There was still danger because the boss had a move that could one-shot anyone in the party, but only used it rarely.
Naturally, my first order of business was to make sure my whole team was immune to Charm. But the lynchpin of my strategy was to put Gloria in Shieldmaster with Dual Shields and Auto Guard, and gear to give her Dark absorption. With Seth as a Spiritmaster, I kept Reraise up on as much of the party as I could, but things really got going once I realized that I shouldn't heal him above critical health, so that Guard Ally would trigger reliably as well. Gloria literally never got to take a single turn the entire fight, but she was the most important team member by far, keeping the team alive by tanking all of the delay attacks while Elvis and Gloria whittled the big man down. There was still danger because the boss had a move that could one-shot anyone in the party, but only used it rarely.
There are other strategies that I can see working, but this is the one I could assemble with what I had.
Based on this experience, the game is good.
Chapter 3's boss wiped me when it had 25 percent of its hp or so. I suppose I did make a mistake in not immediately resetting after using magnifying glass to slightly optimize my party a bit more. It's not really the game's fault I keep playing it.
The final asterisk is satisfyingly strong, and proved to be the key not only to the most effective combos, but also the most efficient way to get the JP needed to use them. Really cool outfit, too. I overdid it a bit, though, and the trials went from intimidatingly difficult to formalities that I can now grind for drops if I want (seems worth it).
I'll probably end up playing New Game+ within a year, retaining asterisks, job levels, and items, but not experience levels. The only question is whether I'll try to go through the whole thing with EXP gains turned off. I managed to complete that challenge - most of the way, at least - in the last two games, but having big numbers seems to be more important in this game, especially speed to ensure that high-level enemies don't just automatically get more turns than I can mitigate, and weight limit to allow me to actually equip the best toys. Disabling EXP gain takes up an accessory slot, too.
But first I gotta actually finish the dang thing.
I'll probably end up playing New Game+ within a year, retaining asterisks, job levels, and items, but not experience levels. The only question is whether I'll try to go through the whole thing with EXP gains turned off. I managed to complete that challenge - most of the way, at least - in the last two games, but having big numbers seems to be more important in this game, especially speed to ensure that high-level enemies don't just automatically get more turns than I can mitigate, and weight limit to allow me to actually equip the best toys. Disabling EXP gain takes up an accessory slot, too.
But first I gotta actually finish the dang thing.
So, Chapter 2 question: I just got the Earth Crystal and was about to head out to the next main city, but then I noticed that to the west of Wiswald there are 2 dungeons I haven't explored yet away from where the main quest is taking me. Will the main story take me back there later, or are these simply optional areas I could explore now for things?
The lower-level one has an associated sidequest that will be available soon if it isn't already, and the higher-level one is plot-related. In general, every dungeon has something in a town, either a sidequest or a plotline, that will send you there.
Sidequests open up in each town in every chapter, as far as I can tell.
Sidequests open up in each town in every chapter, as far as I can tell.
I beat the final boss, unlocked New Game+, and also finished off the superboss (though I didn't steal from them). I'm going to take a good long break first, but I'm looking forward to NG+, where I'll bump up the difficulty, and reset experience levels but keep all asterisks, job levels, and items. Doing that was a lot of fun in the preceding games, because you need a whole different set of combos when all your numbers are still small.
I'll also refrain from taking advantage of the game's strongest combo, HP/MP Convertor (Red Mage 15) + Ultima Sword (Hellblade 13), because I was definitely feeling like I had made it so whatever enemies were doing almost completely stopped mattering.
I think Claytechworks has done something really remarkable here. Although they stood on the shoulders of giants and the product is a throwback, for a newly formed team to release a game with such confidence, polish, and size is very impressive. Square Enix must have had a great deal of faith in them. Or perhaps it was simply a gamble that paid off better than Tokyo RPG Factory. Bravely Default II will undoubtedly be on my shortlist for "game of the year," and it's a game I can recommend unreservedly to anyone who doesn't dislike the genre itself.
I'll also refrain from taking advantage of the game's strongest combo, HP/MP Convertor (Red Mage 15) + Ultima Sword (Hellblade 13), because I was definitely feeling like I had made it so whatever enemies were doing almost completely stopped mattering.
I think Claytechworks has done something really remarkable here. Although they stood on the shoulders of giants and the product is a throwback, for a newly formed team to release a game with such confidence, polish, and size is very impressive. Square Enix must have had a great deal of faith in them. Or perhaps it was simply a gamble that paid off better than Tokyo RPG Factory. Bravely Default II will undoubtedly be on my shortlist for "game of the year," and it's a game I can recommend unreservedly to anyone who doesn't dislike the genre itself.
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