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[Jintor]

Nah, I get where it's coming from and it still feels weird, especially once chapter 5 kicks in. I mean, I know they're 16-bit RPG troping it up or whatever, but when you're mixing your casual boss-killing with all this other more serious stuff [It's weird how the game both acknowledges that you straight up kill most of the bosses, but also kind of avoids dealing with it at all] and still being... weirdly goofy about some stuff and then taking other bits super seriously, and you still look like a chibi pastiche, it's kind of difficult to really roll with it.

I like the journal though, and theorising what the fuck's going on is fun (just started chapter 6)

 

[The Elite]

How often does everyone summon friends in battle?

I try to hold them for boss fights.

 

[duckroll]

I can't say that I'm a huge fan of Bravely Default's story. I think it certainly shows that stuff that works in a visual novel doesn't necessarily also need to work well in an RPG, but calling the writing or the logics awful is way too much. Especially since BD is one of the rare RPGs where the player is supposed to actually use his brain somewhat from the very beginning and come up with his own theories and assumptions for the stuff that's going on in the game. Even though a lot of people seem to completely miss that, since they fail to realize that D's Journal is a vital part of the early game's story and supposed to be read simultaneously to your playthrough.

I know exactly what he's "trying to do" with the story. It doesn't make it any less awful. The writing is bad because it's likes to be long winded without saying anything worthwhile at all, which is a common in Japanese entertainment. It's not limited to visual novels, but obviously when it helps to pad your content with wordswordswords just to make it seem longer, that helps too. That's not good writing, it's clumsy and inefficient. When paired with fully voiced scenes, it just makes everything slower more less tolerable. That's pretty awful.

As for the logic, it's pretty bad. Motivations are very poorly presented, there isn't very good development of the setting that makes the player feel that things were really thought out in detail. There are a lot of words in the game, but quantity is not quality. Nothing is really cohesive or natural. When an entire kingdom is "held random" by a single airship firing cannonballs, and the situation can be resolved by a kid and an unarmed girl simply walking over to it and beating people up, that's just stupid. It doesn't matter if the author has some "point" he wants to make, because making stupid scenarios only to have a point later on doesn't make the scenario any less stupid.

This story does not want the player to use their head, I think it's the reverse, you have to actually not think about most of it to actually enjoy the gameplay. Obviously I've read the journal and I can more or less guess where the story is eventually headed, but with any sort of writing, the execution is more important than the concept, and the execution in the writing is just poor.

You don't have to agree, but don't assume that people who dislike it a lot just "don't get it", because this certainly isn't some paragon of genius writing here.

 

[Massive Duck. C.M.]

BD is definitely more about the gameplay than the story, which works out for me because that's the more important element personally. But what do people really expect from traditional JRPGs anyway? They're not trying to be revolutionary, they're trying to appeal to their main demographic (which is not adults in their late 20s to early 30s, no matter how many of us would like to think so) and hit numbers.

Calling a game out for something it's really not trying to do in the first place seems odd

 

[duckroll]

BD is definitely more about the gameplay than the story, which works out for me because that's the more important element personally. But what do people really expect from traditional JRPGs anyway? They're not trying to be revolutionary, they're trying to appeal to their main demographic (which is not adults in their late 20s to early 30s, no matter how many of us would like to think so) and hit numbers.

Calling a game out for something it's really not trying to do in the first place seems odd

I'm enjoying the game regardless of the awful plot, but someone asked about the characters, so I provided my input. It's called a discussion.

 

[DarkChronic]

While you can make a case against the writing in those terms - internal logic, inconsistency in what audience they aim for, story structure - I must insist that while it is fair to consider the writing guff, it is never less than excellently written guff. Whoever did the translation knows how to turn a phrase, even if the phrase is being turned in the middle of a wild goose chase or ill-considered perv-a-thon. That is, the words as they appear on screen are very well chosen, like top of the range masonry that's been used to construct an outdoor toilet. Knock the building, not the bricks. And for myself, I quite liked the building, too.

Well said, and I agree. I think the writing in this game is better than a lot of recent JRPGs that I've played (or most recent games I've played, to be honest)

 

[DrROBschiz]

Yeah Its a shame

I was sucked in by the gameplay with the demo

So as long as that is good and challenging then Ill be happy.

Would love to see SE get a decent writer on staff at some point though

 

[Basileus777]

I have to agree with Duckroll on the long winded nature of the dialogue. I started skipping scenes in chapter 3 because of how slow moving they are, and it's easy to tell which scenes are going nowhere.

 

[Shengar]

BD is definitely more about the gameplay than the story, which works out for me because that's the more important element personally. But what do people really expect from traditional JRPGs anyway? They're not trying to be revolutionary, they're trying to appeal to their main demographic (which is not adults in their late 20s to early 30s, no matter how many of us would like to think so) and hit numbers.

Calling a game out for something it's really not trying to do in the first place seems odd

Acknowledging a game weakness doesn't make you less loving it. I said that Pokemon have godawful story, while Nier have crappy, lacking gameplay but I still love them nonetheless. Also it's not like duckroll judge the game as lacking overall because of the story, He just plain point out that the writing is awful, and why.

 

[Massive Duck. C.M.]

I'm enjoying the game regardless of the awful plot, but someone asked about the characters, so I provided my input. It's called a discussion.

I'd be interested to know what JRPGs you feel have good writing and/or stories.

 

[Magnus]

This has been sealed up in my bag waiting to get cracked into since last Thursday. Amusingly, the FFVI port on iOS has consumed me on my transit since then.

When I finally get into this this week, what should I be expecting? Temper my expectations, GAF. For months people have heralded this as the second coming of FF - is it so? I'm not getting that impression from a cursory read of some posts.

 

[DrROBschiz]

I'd be interested to know what JRPGs you feel have good writing and/or stories.

Very Few actually....

Im trying to think of a JRPG story that has held up over time. I guess FF6, Chrono Trigger, Persona3-4 all hold up well

They aren't masterpieces of writing but they dont offend me now that I am older and more picky lol

I dunno there are probably more

 

[Animekatt]

I have Ringabel as a

Spoiler

Ranger

. I love the class, but the outfit is too ridiculous in cutscenes.

 

[Cikay]

I have to agree with Duckroll on the long winded nature of the dialogue. I started skipping scenes in chapter 3 because of how slow moving they are, and it's easy to tell which scenes are going nowhere.

Yes, in terms of writing BD sadly isn't a Final Fantasy better than Final Fantasy
The cutscenes are soooo long and boring. Some of them like the one in Ancheim (Chapter 1) after

Spoiler

restoring the wind crystal

were really a pain to watch for me.

Also, the dungeons are bland and uninteresting (at least these corridors aren't as long as FF13's).

 

[DrROBschiz]

Yes, in terms of writing BD sadly isn't a Final Fantasy better than Final Fantasy
The cutscenes are soooo long and boring. Some of them like the one in Ancheim (Chapter 1) after

Spoiler

restoring the wind crystal

were really a pain to watch for me.

Also, the dungeons are bland and uninteresting (at least these corridors aren't as long as FF13's).

Ouch now the dungeons arent good?

I mean As long as they have tons of great fights and lots of treasure...

 

[spiritfox]

I'd be interested to know what JRPGs you feel have good writing and/or stories.

Etrian Odyssey, cause there's barely any story.

I mostly play RPGs for their mechanics, so stories, especially bad ones, just get in the way. Most Atlus RPGs at least deviate from the standard JRPG tropes, maybe that's why their games are my favorites.

 

[DrROBschiz]

Etrian Odyssey, cause there's barely any story.

I mostly play RPGs for their mechanics, so stories, especially bad ones, just get in the way. Most Atlus RPGs at least deviate from the standard JRPG tropes, maybe that's why their games are my favorites.

Same here for the most part

Most RPGS in general could use a hearty dose of Subtlety and Humility.

Some people just go text/lore/drama heavy to a fault

 

[Shengar]

Very Few actually....

Im trying to think of a JRPG story that has held up over time. I guess FF6, Chrono Trigger, Persona3-4 all hold up well

They aren't masterpieces of writing but they dont offend me now that I am older and more picky lol

I dunno there are probably more

Persona 4 main story have consistency in it, which kinda rare while 3 is actually a mess. Most problem that I found apparently is many JRPGs is that they often disrupt the pace by placing huge infodump out of nowhere.

 

[Lord Ghirahim]

Just got these.

DLC fiesta ;//

 

[Forkball]

Edea gets knocked out.
Tiz defeats boss during same turn.

... MY JOB POINTS

 

[Massive Duck. C.M.]

Ouch now the dungeons arent good?

I mean As long as they have tons of great fights and lots of treasure...

Uh...lol

I'll admit BD has it's faults (I blast through cutscenes too) but I'm still enjoying the overall package.

My favorite stories in recent (or not so recent) years are FFX and P4.

FFXII would be up there too if not for Vaan

 

[DrROBschiz]

Uh...lol

I'll admit BD has it's faults (I blast through cutscenes too) but I'm still enjoying the overall package.

My favorite stories in recent (or not so recent) years are FFX and P4.

FFXII would be up there too if not for Vaan

Oh yeah. Love the Ivalice world and how it was done

FFT and 12 were great. Though FFT might be the best story out of all of them up until the end

 

[Cikay]

Ouch now the dungeons arent good?

They are nearly all alike but with a different skin (cave, forest, temple). Very poor level-design, no puzzles, just empty corridors leading to a chest or to the stairs to the next floor.
I found them quite boring, and the dungeon music is always the same which after a few hours becomes annoying...

 

[Mr. Wonderful]

This game really is the spiritual successor to "The World Ends with You", in that it actually moves the JRPG genre forward with all its social features and options. It's too bad it's taken 7 years or whatever for this to happen again.

 

[DrROBschiz]

They are nearly all alike but with a different skin (cave, forest, temple). Very poor level-design, no puzzles, just empty corridors leading to a chest or to the stairs to the next floor.
I found them quite boring, and the dungeon music is always the same which after a few hours becomes annoying...

Well shit

Thats a damn shame. I mean Im gonna beat the game but cmon... what happened to the JRPG

 

[JetBlackPanda]

I see we have turned the "things I hate" corner in the OT!

 

[Adam Prime]

I dunno guys, this game is pretty good but I can't wait for Trails in the Sky Second Chapter...

So is this games sequel already done in Japan, or in development?

 

[Shengar]

I see we have turned the "things I hate" corner in the OT!

Is "criticize" a new way to spell "hate" these days?

 

[DrROBschiz]

I see we have turned the "things I hate" corner in the OT!

Well the Demo hooked me enough to snag a cheap 3DS (70 bucks aint bad) and the game.

I love job systems, and customizable equipment and ability building.

I guess the crappy story and dungeons wont kill it for me as long as the battles are fun. Plus I LOVE Akihiko Yoshida's art.

Gonna put some serious time in a put my own impressions when i can

 

[Cikay]

Well shit

Thats a damn shame. I mean Im gonna beat the game but cmon... what happened to the JRPG

Don't worry thanks to the excellent battles and job system the game is still fun to play. Just don't expect a masterpiece with a great game-design like Chrono Cross or other Square games of the golden age...

 

[E92 M3]

It was supposed to be called Final Fantasy but they dropped it because they now have a policy where only shitty overdesigned games can be called Final Fantasy.

In their twisted view of reality they think that they're actually protecting the integrity of the Final Fantasy brand, rather than running it into the ground. That's so adorable of them.

The irony is that this game is better off without "Final Fantasy" in the title and honestly would be the best FF in years if it had the title.

however.. we get Lightning returns to carry that torch.

Hmm, that's interesting. I would definitely get this game if I had the time. Looks a good old fashion JRPG that I haven't played in ages.

 

[Animekatt]

Edea gets knocked out.
Tiz defeats boss during same turn.

... MY JOB POINTS

When that happens, I just HAVE to start the fight over. Everyone needs to get their exp/jp...

 

[spiritfox]

I see we have turned the "things I hate" corner in the OT!

Well let's talk about what we like!

I like the music! And the art! And the battle system! More exclamation marks!

Well the Demo hooked me enough to snag a cheap 3DS (70 bucks aint bad) and the game.

I love job systems, and customizable equipment and ability building.

I guess the crappy story and dungeons wont kill it for me as long as the battles are fun. Plus I LOVE Akihiko Yoshida's art.

Gonna put some serious time in a put my own impressions when i can

Yoshida was the best artist in SE. Should have locked him up when they had the chance. Oh well, if it means more Yoshida games I would say it's a gain for all of us.

 

[Massive Duck. C.M.]

It seems like the bulk of the effort went into battle and social elements.

 

[georly]

I have this same issue. Anyone have any ideas?

Maybe they didn't activate streetpass from within the game? Seems odd, but could be.

It's really annoying. I've now 'home passed' (home street pass relay setup) 11 people who, in mii plaza, say they've been playing bravely default. STILL no actual bravely default passes. Does it just not work over relay? It works when I *ACTUALLY* pass people in real life, but all relay passes don't give me bravely default.

Has anyone been able to bravely default pass over a streetpass relay? I mean, what are the odds that all 11 of them hadn't enabled the streetpass feature?

 

[DrROBschiz]

It seems like the bulk of the effort went into battle and social elements.

Which is good cause battles/character building are the most important parts to me

That said its nice to have quality from all angles ya know. Especially if you have played a game that hits on all levels

 

[JetBlackPanda]

Guys I was joking, there is this life cycle of threads and I think it's funny. People are allowed to feel however they want. Lol

I really enjoy this game, the story isn't a master piece but not many role playing games stories aren't anyways. I think it serves its purpose and is engaging enough. I would love this game based on mechanics alone.

 

[georly]

How often does everyone summon friends in battle?

I try to hold them for boss fights.

I only use them for the norende fights. I feel like using them for the story is cheating.

 

[Easy_D]

They are nearly all alike but with a different skin (cave, forest, temple). Very poor level-design, no puzzles, just empty corridors leading to a chest or to the stairs to the next floor.
I found them quite boring, and the dungeon music is always the same which after a few hours becomes annoying...

Reminds me of FF 3 on the DS that regard.

 

[ys45]

Finally got the game yesterday and Played a good 3 hours .
Currently lvl 10 , I was having issue in the

Spoiler

ruins

until i changed the job of 2 characters to Monk

If anyone want to add me here's my FC : 3179-6166-1943
Send me a private message for your FC and i will add you .

 

[Geoff9920]

I love the side quests in this game. They do a great job of adding more substance to what's going on and - for me at least - are far more interesting that what's going on in the main story. The quest that gets you the Red Mage job was surprisingly dark.

 

[Massive Duck. C.M.]

I only use them for the norende fights. I feel like using them for the story is cheating.

One of my friends currently has a 6-digit attack registered so yeah...lol

 

[Glass Rebel]

It seems like the bulk of the effort went into battle and social elements.

If you count the job system to combat and add Ringabel's journal, then I agree.

 

[watershed]

Ouch now the dungeons arent good?

I mean As long as they have tons of great fights and lots of treasure...

The dungeons are really boring. The visuals and layout are mostly boring, especially compared to the other locations which are beautiful. But the dungeons are really only about fighting anyways so I don't mind too much.

 

[JetBlackPanda]

I don't get the dungeon being boring part. Everyone including me loves Persona 3 and 4 and the dungeons in that game are even worse design wise. I don't know maybe I'm crazy.

 

[DrROBschiz]

I don't get the dungeon being boring part. Everyone including me loves Persona 3 and 4 and the dungeons in that game are even worse design wise. I don't know maybe I'm crazy.

I think it just means the dungeons are done in an oldschool way

It would be nice for dungeons to be more organic with layers, puzzles, landmarks and handcrafted charm

I understand what people are referring to and would love to see a resurgence of Designed Dungeons

I guess building environmentally focused dungeons is hard and time consuming.

 

[Proven]

So last night I said I hit my first wall at the early Chapter 2 sidequest

Spoiler

Summoner

boss. I thought I'd have to grind, so I put the game down and came up with a battle strategy and planned to do the grinding the next day.

The next day comes, and as a hail mary to avoid grinding I just switch Tiz to Thief to help boost his speed up and let him use a bow again. I get through the Summoner without having to use a single Summon Friend skill (and I had planned to use one too, but the boss died to the character in the turn order right before I would have used it, heh).

Feels good. Also, I was wrong about before; apparently I'm closer to 20 hours than I am to 10 hours. Fun game.

 

[Shengar]

I don't get the dungeon being boring part. Everyone including me loves Persona 3 and 4 and the dungeons in that game are even worse design wise. I don't know maybe I'm crazy.

Those who praise Persona 3 and 4 usually loathe their godawful dungeon design. I never seen anyone praise it. Though for me personally never bothered by it.

 

[DrROBschiz]

Those who praise Persona 3 and 4 also loathe their godawful dungeon design though. I never seen anyone praise it. Though for me personally never bothered by it.

I think a lot of games get away with it if the battles are fun and you get distracted with the hunt for treasure, building characters, etc...

Addictive Mechanics make for good distraction away from cheap design in other areas it seems

 

[Cikay]

The dungeons are really boring. The visuals and layout are mostly boring, especially compared to the other locations which are beautiful. But the dungeons are really only about fighting anyways so I don't mind too much.

Yes it's too bad that outside of the towns (and some screens at the end of dungeons), the visuals are generic. I wish all the locations of the game were hand drawn, like in SaGa Frontier 2 or Legend of Mana. When the game was announced I thought it would be the case, but well... it's already cool to have these gorgeous towns !