In the wake of the deliciously obsolete Final Fantasy: The 4 Heroes of Light , the return to the roots of the saga continues with another spin-off, even if it does not take its name. It is also courageous to deprive oneself of such a popular title - its prestige was it more and more dehorned - a fortiori for a name so mysterious to the looks of engrish . Exactly Bravely Default does not lack bravery, since behind its apparent traditionalism, this work aims to represent an alternative vision of Final Fantasy , even a modern incarnation of the JRPG old-school.
Imagine that after the fifth episode, Final Fantasy has kept its heroic fantasy universe, rather than venturing into steampunk, and that the saga has remained faithful to its class system. Going even further, what would have happened if the iconic character designer Yoshitaka Amano had been replaced by Akihiko Yoshida? There is no question of rewriting the story two decades later, however following this assumption, Final Fantasy VI might have looked like Bravely Default. The latter begins indeed in a similar way, past the sumptuous introductory kinematic: a young lady named Agnès Oblige contemplates the gaping chasm left by a curse that threatens to plunge the world of Luxendarc in the dark, which she counts prevent. Stalked by the army, our fugitive is soon joined by a young knight serving, Tiz Arrior, whose village was destroyed during the disaster and hopes to rebuild.
Mode 7 revisited
The dark color palette is also reminiscent of Final Fantasy VI, like the parallaxes used to enhance environments. Even the journeys on the map evoke this ultimate 16-bit iteration, especially as they are accompanied by an epic orchestral music led by the pure sound of a flute. Nevertheless, the landscapes here consist of polygons, while the scenery of the places visited result from a clever superposition of elements in 2D. The cities have also been the subject of a very particular care, if not very vast, since they extend only on some paintings that seem hand drawn, thus forming theaters of a splendor without equal on 3DS. And 3D stereoscopic self naturally gives relief to the whole, through perspective effects and subtle details, such as the clouds overhanging these regions or the reflections of the water. Undoubtedly, the realization is one of the achievements on the machine, both aesthetically and technologically, but its delicacy allows to exalt a sweet scent of yesteryear.
"Kefkaïen"?
Despite the familiar air of the aircraft, this epic quickly distances itself from that of Final Fantasy VI to get closer to previous opus and in particular the fifth, the frame revolving essentially around sacred crystals. Bravely Defaultis therefore a classicism, to the point of ostensibly making derision the stereotypes used for the background of the main protagonists. They do not lack personality, however, as the optional discussions underline, although they are never gratified dubbing, unlike major scenes. In this regard, we have the opportunity to opt at any time for Japanese or English, significantly sweeter but still in harmony with the candid tone of the story. Despite a grandiloquent trend, Bravely DefaultMaliciously relies on humor to mitigate the ambient dramaturgy, which increases until the (true) conclusion, absolutely fairy. And the crystalline partition of Revo, marked Celtic accents, makes it more touching and unforgettable, as long as one lives for a long time with these melodies.
Multi Class
If you really need to find something to criticize the narration, even quibble, it is to systematically use the additional quests to introduce additional classes. As a result, it is possible to miss some jobs, in addition to the clarification of the screenwritings provided by the same occasion. Some will see a strength, others a weakness, in any case it is an undeniable margin of freedom. Ditto for the versatility of the four heroes who are able to take all classes and change at will, their initial characteristics being identical. However, they specialize gradually, as class levels are distinct from that of the character. In addition, each of them retains access to a second discipline accompanied by previously acquired support skills, with astonishing key combinations (a white mage with vampire skills for example). What to make the happiness of the amateurs of micro management...
Local cooperation
The originality in the management skills does not stop there, since we can downright recover those learned by the characters of our friends (or botslack of better). Of course, this mentoring system strongly encourages sympathy with other players encountered through the StreetPass. This function also makes it possible to rebuild the town of Norende more quickly, while benefiting from a surplus of manpower. Because the work continues when the console is in standby, the duration to restore the roads or develop the shops decreasing proportionally according to the number of recruited workers. A great way to get very valuable items, especially for shaping special moves. These are indeed customizable, whether their name, the associated message or their composition. The selection of elementary effects, according to the enemies that one expects to face, authorizes the developing extremely powerful techniques. Especially since the whole team enjoys various bonuses following their outbreak with fanfare, to the point of reversing the course of hostilities. Added to this is the possibility of using the secret boots transmitted by friends, and vice versa, which increases the affinities with our comrades.
Faculties of adaptation
The notion of cooperation is reinforced, even in this form asynchronous and in fact not invasive. Thanks to these brilliant self-help mechanisms, it is not necessarily necessary to play the Stakhanovists in job learning and leveling, let alone with the resources offered by the stalls of Norende without having to lift the little finger. If by chance a Boss is recalcitrant, there are always alternative solutions, even if only a providential object hidden in the same dungeon, or an outrageously effective technique that one has the opportunity to assimilate during a secondary quest nearby. The challenge is therefore perfectly balanced, at least for gamers somewhat seasoned. And this version revised and corrected compared to the first Japanese version does not forget the neophytes. From the difficulty to the frequency of the random fights while passing by the XPs and the money harvested (or not), everything is configurable.Bravely Default offers an à la carte experience, to avoid anyone being put off by its relative harshness.
Piece of bravery
As its name suggests, this RPG requires some bravery, an approach that is the foundation of the gameplay. The fights take place in a classic way, turn by turn, however you can take up to four in advance, or skip one, and this for each character. These are respectively the " Brave " and " Default " commands , associated with a capital of " Brave Points""reset at the beginning of each battle, obviously this principle encourages unrestrained attack at the start, as it is exhilarating to watch his warriors speed up enemies by beating four times in succession, especially since XP bonuses reward a victory Immediately, obtained by keeping the team unscathed, however, it is not long to suffer violent backlashes against the tougher opponents, because they have the heavy hand and do not mind to use spells that alter the status. Like the action points of The 4 Heroes of Light , it is necessary to manage the maneuvers with caution, at the risk of being with flocks deprived during several turns if necessary.
No one is without default
This is where the choice of " Default " makes sense: not only is the damage significantly reduced, but the additional spin put in reserve then allows a stinging counterattack. These devastating prospects apply in both camps. It is therefore necessary to carefully establish its strategy according to that of the opponents and their characteristics, indications helping fortunately to guess their plans. Thus, the double-edged mechanics of Bravely Defaultdemand for anticipation and reflection to organize the operations on several tours, moreover with the methods dedicated expressly to exploit it. In short, this system of combat upsets the rules of the genre, the abuses raised (not to say encouraged) are even integral, so that a certain balance remains in its daring excesses. This revisited declension is going to give the possibility to take a break in the middle of the hostilities and to take actions in addition, a " Bravely Second " out of time, activated thanks to the "Points of Sleep" (maximized with three ). These regenerate while the console remains in standby or when you consume drinks purchased via micro transactions,
Colossal
Completely disproportionate, this option is only interesting against the colossi, also specially added for this vintage. These incredibly twisted creatures arrive at Norende without warning, via the Internet or StreetPass, and are the ultimate challenge for hard-nosed adventurers. The herd of creatures is renewed as we succeed in defeating them or others replace them (unless we decide to protect them), which maintains the impression of the persistence of this universe. Of course, this further lengthens the lifespan that briskly exceeds sixty hours, not to mention the time spent reading the "Journal de D". This enigmatic book brings together an encyclopaedic volume of information about the characters, objects, thecutscenes , except for the rare sequences using augmented reality cards. These intriguing interludes testify to the quest for perfection here implemented. All the features of the console are used, but with a care and a singularity that are similar to craftsmanship. We are far from the technological bidding company today, including in terms of RPG. Bravely Defaultdraws its essence from the roots of the genre, and infuses modern ideas, even phenomenally bold, without ever betraying its traditional values. Should we consider him the last survivor of a discipline in perdition, like a samurai, or the instigator of his future rebirth? Even the Journal de D does not say it. However, in either case, it is difficult to imagine that the JRPG could find a more glorious representative.
Bravely Default is based on the foundations of the JRPG, but instead of becoming bogged down in a reassuring conservatism, this work opens intelligently to modernity to fit in with its era and build up far more ambitious concepts. Evidenced by the plot that takes irony not the clichés of the genre, to better surprise later. Similarly, the staging is based on the simplicity of dialogue often accompanied by dubbing, rather than a battalion of kinematics without soul. Finally the realization combines the finesse of 2D and the relief of 3D to offer a show of beauty, which seems to be shaped by hand. However it is through the mechanics of gameplay that Bravely Defaultshowcases its bravery, whether it is the flexibility of management skills, notions of cooperation and persistence of the universe introduced by network functions cleverly exploited, or combat system of course. Its double-edged principle overturns the rules of turn-based, a step pushed to its climax in the endgame. Bravely Defaut is not only an exceptional JRPG brought to the clouds by the exacerbated expectation of followers in search of pure fantasy, but indeed the contemporary quintessence of this discipline.
| WE LIKE | WE DO NOT LIKE |
|---|---|
| * The splendid marriage between 2D and 3D. | * The declination of enemies in different colors. |
| * The crystalline partition of Revo. | * The option "Bravely Second" superfluous (especially via micro transaction). |
| * The sweet scent of yesteryear. | |
| * The prodigious combat mechanics. | |
| * The challenge à la carte. | |
| * The endgame accomplished | |
| * The modularity of classes. | |
| * The original integration of social functions. |
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