Bravely Default

Did You Know?

• The game's success prompted Square Enix to reconsider its strategy of developing titles tailored for Western markets rather than focusing on the Japanese market.
• A manga titled Bravely Default: Flying Fairy began serialization online through Famitsu, with two compilation volumes released in 2015 and 2016.
• Music from the game was featured in Theatrhythm Final Fantasy as downloadable content.

Development

Producer Tomoya Asano stated that Bravely Default began development as a sequel to Final Fantasy: The 4 Heroes of Light and would have been part of the Final Fantasy franchise. After completing that game, Asano voluntarily established a new intellectual property rather than developing something within Square Enix's core franchises. The original development team reached out to Silicon Studio, whose previous work was mostly development middleware; Silicon Studio developed a well-received demo and was assigned to develop the game. Despite moving away from the Final Fantasy series, the game retained a battle system and world setting common to many Final Fantasy games, which Asano described as both a leftover of the project's original form and a conscious choice for familiarity. The storytelling and gameplay were heavily influenced by western video games and television series, with Asano calling the result a Japanese RPG with American content thrown in. The main challenge was making a traditional RPG without overloading it with nostalgic elements, though nostalgic features were added for genre veterans and newcomers. Asano wanted to bring together what he considered the three core elements of RPGs: battles, growth, and connection.

Release

Bravely Default was first announced in September 2011 under its original Japanese title as part of Nintendo's 2012 lineup for the 3DS. Between February and September 2012, five different demos were released through Nintendo eShop, each showcasing different characters and systems. The demos were developed alongside the main game as stand-alone experiences and provided feedback for gameplay adjustments. Each demo included an AR movie featuring one of the main cast. The game released on October 11, 2012, published by Square Enix. A collector's edition was sold exclusively through Square Enix's online store, including an AR poster, a first print copy of the soundtrack, an artbook, and a themed 3DS protective case. Downloadable content in the form of additional character costumes was made available through promotional codes and post-release content. An updated edition titled For the Sequel was announced in August 2013 for a December 5 release that year, featuring over a hundred improvements including additional save slots, difficulty levels, auto saving, new subevent scenes, the Bravely Second ability, and subtitles in multiple languages. Many alterations were based on questionnaires after the original version's release. Staff described For the Sequel as a trial version for its sequel, already in development after the game's success.

Reception

Bravely Default earned generally favorable scores from Metacritic, with OpenCritic noting that 81% of critics recommended it. Its HD remaster, Flying Fairy HD Remaster, also received generally favorable reviews on Metacritic, and 89% of critics on OpenCritic recommended that version. Critics broadly praised the story, though opinions varied. Famitsu gave it high marks without detailing why. Edge Magazine described the narrative as rich and detailed, appreciating its twists on genre conventions and darker moments, but felt the writing quality undermined the experience. Andrew Fitch of Electronic Gaming Monthly called the story and characters enjoyable, even stellar at times. Ben Moore of GameTrailers said the story avoided risks despite interesting twists. Game Informer’s Jeff Marchiafava found the story and characters cliché-ridden and the dialogue overly wordy, though late-game developments improved things. Simon Parkin of Eurogamer praised the game’s self-awareness and subtle subversion of tropes. GameSpot’s John Robertson was quite negative, saying it never recovered from a poor start. IGN’s David Evans liked the characters but noted pacing issues. Polygon’s Danielle Riendeau called the story a pastiche of tropes. Official Nintendo Magazine’s Chandra Nair found the story and character development extremely impressive.