I noticed some new quirks, such as White Mages gaining MP every turn during daytime battles while Black Mages gain MP every turn during nighttime battles. Though many of the Jobs in the demo are gonna be familiar to fans, that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Mixing and matching abilities from various Jobs is a highlight, and you can come up with some devastating combos. It’s very fun, well organized and nuanced. The big reason I was so hyped to play this demo of Bravely Default II is cause the combat is consistently incredible in these games. Cause whether or not the cast here is the most original, I do love playing this series. But I sincerely hope I’m proven wrong once I’ve explored more of this delightful game. Paired with his strong accent, it’s more than a little off-putting. Though that could be because I imagine someone very different when I hear that name. And though I think there’s potential in Seth, Adelle, Gloria and Elvis, I’m not sure about them. It’s a hard act to make characters more enjoyable than the likes of Edea and Ringabel. Having said all that, there’s something I need to get off my chest – I’m not sure I love the main cast in Bravely Default II. It’s all compelling, and I’m legitimately curious where this tale will go, and how it might diverge from the first two games. The demo also reveals some details about the lost kingdom of Musa, where team member Gloria hails from as princess. Which only makes it all the more tragic when she turns on you. She’s compassionate and understanding, and will do everything she can to help wayward animals and humans alike. Orpheus is an arrogant dandy with more power than sense, but the Beastmaster Anihal actually made me care for her. If you’ve guessed the Bard and Beastmaster are the boss fights, you guessed correctly. Meanwhile the Beastmaster is a young girl under the thumb of the Thief, who is willing to do anything to repay her debt. The Bard is named Orpheus, and he’s using his music to mind control the populace into obedience. It also becomes clear there’s a conspiracy of scoundrels taking advantage of events, including the same Thief from the first demo, along with a Bard and Beastmaster. We learn more about the drowned desert town of Savalon, where a stolen Crystal is making the waters rise to unheard of depths.
#ORPHEUS BRAVELY DEFAULT 2 FULL#
This is essentially a full slice of an early chapter of the game. One thing I liked about this demo was that it gives more of the context of what’s happening. And yes, there’s another boss fight afterwards that makes the first one look simple. Things start pretty easy, but my first boss battle forced me to regroup and come up with a new strategy. Thankfully, this demo really toned the difficulty down to a more manageable level. But Square Enix and Claytechworks took the fan criticism to heart, and made things more manageable. I was destroyed by bands of 3 or more foes, and that’s not even talking about the boss fight against a sneaky Thief.
A lot of folks, myself included, felt that demo was just too difficult. If you haven’t played the previous Bravely Default II demo, trust me when I tell you it was intensely tough.
And that’s definitely the case in this demo. But I’m game to enjoy a familiar pattern, so long as it’s well made. More than anything, I just didn’t know how much more blood could be wrung out of this stone. I kind of thought it was all over after End Layer, but I’m happy to be proven wrong. Having said all that, I must admit I’m a little surprised that we’re even getting a Bravely Default II. I still feel the original Bravely Default game really brought old school into the mainstream again, and managed to marry old and new school in a challenging RPG package.
#ORPHEUS BRAVELY DEFAULT 2 SERIES#
But I really wanted to make sure I set aside a little bit of time for a series I’m rather fond of.
I manage to keep myself rather busy with coverage of a ton of games, after all. At first, I wasn’t sure I’d have the time to play the final demo for Bravely Default II.