2014: The Year of the RPG: Part 2: Bravely Default

So, as I discussed the other day, 2013 was a pretty dogshit year for RPGs. My assumption is that the console transition killed things for a bit, even on my beloved PC, since PC game release schedules are now beholden to their lesser, malformed console counterparts.

2014, though, looks to be much brighter. Much, much brighter. Almost blinding in its potential.

To kick things off, though, I'll be talking about a 3DS release, which kinda shocks me. I'm not a big handheld gamer, unless we're talking my Surface tablet and the PC games I play on there. I guess my PS Vita is my de facto Final Fantasy 1-9 machine now.

In any case, the thing that caught my eye with Bravely Default was that it was sooo Final Fantasy, and looks to be the really good kind (pre-FFX, but FFXII rocked.)

It's weird, though, because I feel kinda stupid whenever I see these cutesy, squeaky characters, but from what I know of and have seen from the game, it looks like the mechanics and overall story are getting to be pretty bad ass. It's been a while since we've seen Squenix really try to recapture their once-proud pedigree, and since they seem opposed, for whatever reason, to making a proper AAA JRPG, this is as close as we're going to get.

I'll tell ya, too, as much as I've adopted the western RPG as my main genre, a good JRPG (such as the brilliant Lost Odyssey) is refreshing as hell. I still love JRPGs, but haven't found one that I've really loved in a long, long time. It's like they're either trying too hard to be western, or they're so Japanese that I begin to feel sorry for the near-nude squeaking female. Matta fac, every time I play one of those games, I'm reminded of this Onion article.

Anyway, having grown up with Final Fantasy, starting with buying the first one on NES the day it was released when I was in sixth grade, games like this almost look like a chance to reconnect with an old friend. That is precisely what Lost Odyssey was like for me, and I've been eager to find something like that again.

Bravely Default

The visual style actually reminds me of the Final Fantasy III remake from a few years ago.

Final Fantasy III

While I could do without the cutesy super-deformed art style, the thing that really draws me into JRPGs is the presentation and the combat. While the presentation, being on a Nintendo handheld, is going to be jaggy and slightly shit, the combat looks and sounds fantastic. It's your standard turn-based JRPG affair, plus the 'brave' and 'default' options. If you choose 'brave,' you can use four attacks at once, but then you have to wait until the enemy takes four turns before you can go again (so you wanna save this for when you think you can get a knockout) or you can use 'default,' which banks an attack, and skips your turn.

While I'm fairly certain that my time with Lost Odyssey was a one-time event, and that I'll never feel that same way about a JRPG ever again (especially with Final Fantasy being reduced to an action series now), I'm still fairly enthusiastic about Bravely Default. It sounds like a chance for something old to be something new again, and if I'm relegated to the Vita and 3DS being my sole JRPG machines, I can think of worse fates.

Also, for those that enjoy JRPGs, keep an eye on Project Phoenix (which has funded on Kickstarter) and Unsung Story (which still needs your help!) I'm thrilled to see more and more of a JRPG presence on PC!

I'll be back soon.

-Blaine