Nintendo is certainly not stingy when it comes to last-second surprises. The release of new games without notice - Panzer Dragoon Remake is the closest example - as well as the publication of more or less relevant content literally out of nowhere costituiscono strategy that for years have characterized the imposing marketing machine of large N.
Needless to say, the lightning-fast release of a demo version of Bravely Default II on Nintendo eShop, announced through a Nintendo Direct Mini released without a minimum of notice, fully falls within the modus operandi of the strategists placed at the head of the sales department of the Super Mario house. A however unexpected gift for the gamer, at the end of the fair.
Unveiled with great fanfare during the last The Game Awards last December through a short teaser, Bravely Default II seems to embody the wet dream of every JRPG lover right now. There are realities within which we would fight, just to be completely immersed in them; well, the universe painted by Bravely Default II is one of those universes for which it would be worth losing a few teeth and getting multiple fractures of the nasal septum.
The world outlined by Team Asano seems to be luxuriant with exotic details, punctuating each of its constituent elements through almost expressionistic stylistic choices, especially in the search for colors for the backgrounds. The mix between two-dimensional dreams and 3D art is strengthened by the presence of tasty protagonists, halfway between a super deformed Japanese style and something richer and more characterized.
Classicizing the plot: in a reality sadly on the edge of the abyss, the history draws its incipit from the pillage of four crystals responsible for the balance of the universe, corresponding to elements such as Water, Fire, Earth and Wind, and from the subsequent destruction of the Musa family, the only one able to protect such precious objects. And that's right in the noble guise of Princess Gloria, a member of the family who survived the above devastation, who the gamer will be called to set sail for adventure.
The demo is set in the sun city of Savalon and its immediate surroundings. The play area, which can be explored with your team of four characters, is quite large, allowing you to juggle affably with both world map, both with i dungeon. The impression is that of being in front of a game with an epic, challenging breath, which however does not differ from what has already been appreciated in the past. Not that this is bad, mind you.
I enemies are fully visible on the map (no random encounters), while the real fights are regulated according to the usual shift system of the whole series, offering the user to use, in the face of a fuck and a half of attacks and various skills, the commands Brave e Default.
For those who were unaware of the peculiar combat system of the saga, know that each protagonist of Bravely Default can decide to invest, in battle, Brave Points that allow you to act several times within the same turn, providing a maximum of four performable actions. This suggestive mechanism, also exploited by the enemy scum, constitutes the classic cross and delight for a gamer called to support this possibility, being careful not to overdo it.
Whenever a Brave Point is used through the Brave command, a special counter sees its loot of points decreased by one unit and, if the delta between Brave Points spent and acquired is less than zero, your character would be literally enslaved to the ravenous jaws of the enemies, forcing him to be patient for a number of turns equal to enough BP to reset the counter. Conversely, performing a Default maneuver will allow you to assume a defensive stance and accumulate additional BP.
The Job System, in which to customize the class to which your character belongs, granting him totally unique characteristics. Note that only five classes can be selected in this demo version. Each character must be forcibly attributed one main class, which also defines the attack characteristics, plus one secondary class. It goes without saying that this feature will allow you to create essentially endless playful customization strategies.
Still lacking a precise release date, Bravely Default II seems to have all the qualities we would have liked to find in its binary kit. Artistically delightful, playfully massive, the new creature of the team that has already helped to create, right on Nintendo Switch, that little pearl that responds to the name of Octopath Traveler, is preparing to set fire to a year that, next-gen aside, really looks like foreshadowing lust for lovers of Japanese role-playing games.
► Bravely Default II is an RPG type game developed by Claytechworks Co. Ltd. Team Asano and published by Nintendo for Nintendo Switch, the video game was released on 31/12/2020
