Can Bravely Default Flying Fairy HD Remaster give the classic 3DS RPG a new lease of life?
Considering it’s a game previously locked away on the Nintendo 3DS, Bravely Default understandably feels like it should be a bigger fish in the JRPG arena. It certainly has all the credentials.
Taking inspiration from the classic Final Fantasy tales of crystals and Warriors of Light (and being a Square Enix joint), Bravely Default was a perfect pocket JRPG that made effective use of the 3DS’s technology and performed well in both critical and commercial terms. It even went on to inspire the modern Octopath Traveler series, creating a legacy of its own.
As ever, availability, or a lack of it, has muddied the waters of remembrance, and while there are plenty of people who loved Bravely Default, and clearly many who played it (more than 3 million, in fact), it does deserve a wider, modern appreciation.
Enter the launch of Nintendo Switch 2 and an HD Remaster dubbed Bravely Default Flying Fairy. The same portable gem, a new portable channel. Only it comes with some nifty enhancements to encourage players old and new to visit the newly renovated Luxendarc.
I alluded to the story being somewhat familiar to Final Fantasy fans with its crystals and all that, and that’s part of its charm. A young man named Tiz loses his entire village one day when a great chasm swallows it, bringing terrible darkness to the world of Luxendarc. This darkness consumes the four elemental crystals responsible for bringing light to the world.
Not long after this great tragedy befalls Tiz, he stumbles upon Agnes, who has had the job of tending to those crystals as a vestal. With both their lives ruined by the recent disaster, fate brings them together to attempt to seal the chasm and break the crystals out of their dark confines. Standard fantasy fare delivered with the sweeping elevated drama we’ve come to expect of the JRPG genre.
The familiarity does nothing to sour what a magical experience Bravely Default’s story was and still is. The framework may be off the shelf, but it’s the love and attention given to what’s held within it that matters most, and Bravely Default forges its own strong identity in that.
For the time and format, Bravely Default’s world was enchanting, but with this HD Remaster, it receives a visual touch-up that retains much of its original charm. The fixed perspectives show off the handpainted stylings of cities, towns, and beyond that make up for the lost visual depth the 3DS version could have provided with its occasionally brilliant 3D system. each new screen you find yourself on is a little treat for the eyes. Given Clair Obscur has revived interest in the idea of world map traversal, Bravely Default’s own is also a welcome reminder of why it rocks.
The cutesy character models may have been something of a necessity back in the original game, but time has been favorable to that Chibi-style design, and Bravely Default Flying Fairy’s overhauled look doesn’t detract from the adorable, expressive little buggers, even if they might feel a tad sparse by modern standards.
Despite Bravely Default Flying fairy harkening back to a simpler time, it does have a pretty big ace up its sleeve that expands player freedom in terms of combat.
Bravely Default Flying Fairy HD Remaster Review: Why Don’t You Get a Job?
The jobs system offers 20 roles for any party member to pick from. These jobs are essential classes such as Mage and Knight. Each job comes with its own specific fighting style and set of abilities to be mastered, so not only can you mix and match what your party members can do in a broader sense, but you can also tweak them further to form interesting, complimentary fusions when the whole party goes into battle.
Importantly, it’s not treated like there’s a ‘wrong’ answer. Sure, there are fights you would be better off pairing the right job with the right character for maximum effect, but it’s hardly impossible to get the same result with another build. Creating a team becomes a game in itself, and I certainly spent a lot of my playtime twiddling and tweaking the party’s skilsets to see what devastating concoctions I could come up with.
Then there’s the battles themselves. Bravely Default Flying Fairy is naturally turn-based and follows the usual structure of that, but its Brave and Default tactics add an interesting wrinkle to proceedings. Each character has a set amount of action points each turn, but smartly, you can react to a situation by either conserving a turn and guarding against damage (Default) or throwing in some extra hits (Brave). Each comes with a downside, of course. Brave means you start the next turn with one less action point, which likely means not moving at all. Default means you will not be able to attack for any turn you choose it for. Evaluating any given encounter is crucial in determining whether to use Brave, Default, or neither. There’s an Examine move that lets you scope an enemy’s stats (for the price of an action point), and that often helps set the standard for your tactics going forward.
It overhauls a simple turn-based RPG format and adds extra layers of unscripted drama. Successfully storing up Brave Points by using Default, and then unleashing a flurry of devastating attacks on the right enemy is incredibly thrilling. It actually makes battles feel more like they’re part of the story. Understandably, I found it difficult to return to the standard style. More of this kind of thing, please.
There’s been a few tweaks to how the game works, which is understandable given we’re back to one screen, and some fresh quality-of-life changes. Fast-Forward can push you through certain parts a bit quicker if you so wish; some extra minigames have been thrown in for variety, and existing features such as Encounter Rate (which, unsurprisingly, tailors your rate of enemy encounters to your liking) and a revised version of the network features from the original which allows you to add your friend’s party members to your game.
Bravely Default Flying Fairy HD Remaster may not be the bells and whistles launch RPG some might have wanted for the Switch 2, but it deserves your time. It’s well-suited to the handheld mode of Switch 2, and it gives you a sweeping fantasy tale with jobs and a battle system that drag you into an adventure with real identity.
Score: 8/10
Developer: Square Enix
Publisher: Square Enix
Reviewed on: Nintendo Switch 2
Bravely Default Flying Fairy HD Remaster review code purchased by review author.
Bravely Default Flying Fairy HD Remaster is available now on Nintendo Switch 2.
