Back when Bravely Default was released back in 2012, it was often heralded as the Final Fantasy game that fans had been waiting for. A throwback to the days where 16 bit RPGs were king, and we didn’t need lavish visuals all of the bells and whistles that come with a modern RPG these days. All we need was a great story, an engaging battle system, and endearing characters.
Here we are now a mere 10 days away from its sequel, Bravely Second, and reviews have already dropped, with early indications showing that while it may not have the same impact as the original game, Bravely Second remains a solid RPG that is elevated, or some might even say saved, by its combat.
In fact the combat is the one nearly universal subject of praise when it comes to Bravely Second.
“Combat is still a dream, and better, in fact, than the original. The Brave and Default system return, allowing the opportunity to stock up turns for some crazy combos. So why is it better? The addition of new jobs like the Catmancer and Necromancer bring the total to 30, which creates an insane amount of possibilities for party composition,” said Chris Carter in his review for Destructoid.
Both the IGN and Gamespot reviews claim that it’s the combat that make up for a lot of the shortcomings in Bravely Second’s narrative.
“Given that it’s based in the same world, with some of the same characters and even returning locations, it does pay to have played through Bravely Default before starting the journey here. Honestly, though, even with the foundation of the first game embedded in your memory, it’s a terrible plot,” said John Robertson of IGN.
For more takes on Bravely Second: End Layer, check below for a selection of reviews from various sites.
4.5 / 5.0
TheSixthAxis
9 / 10
Game Revolution
4.5/5
GamesBeat
90 / 100
NintendoWorldReport
8.5 / 10.0
Metro GameCentral
8 / 10
Lazygamer
8.0 / 10.0
IGN
7.1 / 10.0
Destructoid
7.0 / 10.0
GamesRadar+
3.5/5
GameSpot
7 / 10