Or, in another case, there are some side quests that are fully-voiced and centre around filling out character backstories or relationships. The key thing here, however, is that not all the character depth is explicitly forced upon the player.įor example, passing various milestones in the story will trigger an option to use the ‘Party Chat’ which plays out an interaction between some party members that bears some tangential relevance to the current predicament while filling out a bit of their personalities.

Details such as Elvis’s deep-seated affinity for taverns and alcohol help to give each character dimension, while the one-on-one interactions between party members reinforce the actual ‘team’ aspect. A lot of what makes this payoff so worthwhile is the well-written party characters and the easy chemistry they share with each other. It’s a slow start, then, but one which proves itself to be worth it if you stick it out. As you collect more crystals, new truths and new foes come to light to mix things up, and the story generally gets much more interesting as these additional layers are introduced. Naturally, things don’t exactly progress in a straight line. Bravely Default II is a classic-style JRPG through and through, but one that includes modern conveniences where needed to ensure a smooth and engaging experience. Now, Bravely Default II has come along to continue that dream, and in this regard it most certainly succeeds. What originally began as a Final Fantasy spin-off took on its own identity one formed around refining and championing the concepts of early '90s JRPGs. Even so, a large contingent of fans have demanded a return to games that align with those relatively simplistic roots, and it’s this push that led to the creation of the Bravely Default series on the 3DS.

For example, its biggest franchise – Final Fantasy – has long since left behind its humble origins as a turn-based RPG and embraced increasingly more grandiose and experimental ideas on both the storytelling and gameplay fronts.

Square Enix has always been one of the biggest names in the RPG genre, but it’s been interesting to see how the company has changed its design philosophies with the times.

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