With Bravely Default now available worldwide, it's naturally no surprise that the sequel is already confirmed for Japan, ensuring a likely scenario that gamers in the West will have to patiently await localisation news as those in the homeland of Square Enix enjoy the follow-up. The version that hit the West was indeed the "for the Sequel" iteration that was the second arrival in Japan, however, so those that have picked it up do have an idea of the direction the series will follow in its full sequel.
With the new title on the way, producer Tomoya Asano had a chat with Siliconera on a few points around the style and design of the game. Unsurprisingly, turn-based combat will remain as per the latest release, while Asano-san reiterated that the focus of the game would once again be driven by story, even with the world being expanded.
Originally, showing exploration more naturally is not something we put importance on because [the game] consists of deformed characters walking on a deformed map. However, having symbol encounters [enemies aren't visible on the map] is convenient in that it allows players to engage in battles at their own pace. The adjustable encounter rate accomplishes this.
Bravely Second expands Luxendarc, but it might be slightly different than an ‘RPG with an expansive world you can explore'. Rather, it will basically be like Bravely Default in that it will be driven by the story. Thought processes change depending on the goal of the game, and with Bravely, the thought process is that characters are there for the gameplay and the world is there for the characters.
This perhaps gives the experience some focus, even accounting for a larger world, sub-quests and other areas to explore. Are you a fan of this philosophy, where characters and story drive gameplay, perhaps rather than simply throwing up an enormous world as the primary driving force? Let us know what you think in the comments below.
[source siliconera.com]
Comments 36
As long as there is still some exploration. Some additional story focus might actually be nice.
Put more than 42 hours so far into BD... I am probably close to beating it. A really good story would be nice. I don't really like how...repetitive the game got in the second half...
@ChronoPower: yeah, I agree with that. I enjoyed the game, but I got a bit fed up of repeating the same process over and over for what seemed like a really long time.
It hasn't put me off buying the sequel, however.
Took me 80 hours to beat, looking forward to the sequel
Logged 60 hrs so far.. most time I've ever invested in a game
They really need to improve exploration. I don't want give away anything with a spoiler but doubling back so many times is really a lazy way to go about making a game. The game starts out great and then sputters a bit. That's all I want to say without giving away much more.
Don't get me wrong, I do like the game. However for the first half of the game I would have told you this is one of the best RPG's made. But, then vthe second half hits and really starts going downhill instead of staying good or getting better. Its a good experience for sure that all RPG players will love. Experienced RPG players may get a little frustrated with the way the second half of the game plays out. Still its an above average RPG and in no way bad. It just seems they need more content for the back half of the game I instead of recycling old content is all I'm saying.
Sooooooooooooooo hyped.
I'm about 25 hours and loving it. The last half dozen RPGs I've played didn't hold my attention, so this is great. And I really love the ability to turn off encounters entirely. I rarely do it, but it's a great feature, especially when going through an area with weak enemies where battles are of no benefit. Looking forward to the sequel.
@Nareva Your right turning off encounters should be in every RPG from here on out its my favorite option. You grind when you want too. Its very nice. The amount of game customization is staggering and really makes the game shine for sure.
@Nareva I agree.
Being able to control the encounter rate, battle speed, and having auto battle was a great addition. I hope they keep that. constant random battles tends to get annoying.
The focus on story-driven progress and exploration is nice, but I hope that the new game will have a better plot and more original characters. Some events had way too obvious outcomes, and the entire party was just walking cliché, which is really sad considering how great the visuals look.
@Nareva
I was thinking on buying this one, but with that you convinced me. I hate when you cannot explore because you get a fight every two steps. Or the opposite when you want to grind and no battles appear for around a minute.
I liked the first one but i'm in no rush to play a sequel, unless it turns out amazing i doubt i'll be picking it up.
Haven't finish it yet but I'll be looking forward to the sequel too once I finish Brave Default.
I want to play it but I have too many JRPG's I'm playing right now (EO: Millenium Girl, SMT IV, Fire Emblem)
@Windy
To be fair, they were playing off of... uh... a certain theory, so changing the second half wouldn't have made sense. It was SUPPOSED to be that way.
I really love BD but the world could be a bit more of a whole it didn't gave me the same sense of greatness i had from the worlds i've seen in breath of fire 1 to 4 or Chrono trigger or Terranigma.
I really love the job system but by all means change the darn hunter costumes.
Dispite the shortcomings of a not so immersive(but greatly presented) world and some really grind heavy parts this game deserves it's sequel.
I'm 60hrs into the first game and loving it. Main annoyance for me is the damage cap, which kind of forces you into using certain classes towards the end. Seems a bit cheeky that you can only remove it through Bravely Second!
I'm planning on getting this soon. I think the series has a lot of potential.
BD is good, but it's a bit linear. I really like the battle system, and the jobs system is great too.
This game is amazing. I have 48 hours on this one and I'm happy we finally got a true RPG. No complaints if you like rpgs put this in your library immediately. No excuses
Currently enjoying very much Braverly Default. Keep it up
For the sequel they need to fix two things. Firstly the bad looking chibi styled graphics that look like pixelated mess that they keep them for some strange reason since 4 heroes of light. Also they should not censor the plot in the localization. I enjoy jrpg games but the possibility of censorship holds me back and I have not bought the game yet.
@McHaggis
SPOILERS FORM THE GAME FOLLOW
lol, I had heard somewhere it goes downhill a bit before I played it, and as I was going through I kind of thought of how it would go downhill... my main guess was I would have to repeat the same dungeons/bosses over again but I brushed off that thought, thinking they wouldn't do that.
Then I was all like..... oh....they did do that.
And then again.
AND THEN AGAIN!!!
But I will still definitely get the sequel.
As long as they don't fool us again with the same kind of b******t they did on Bravely Default after chapter four (cheap!)...
@McHaggis @ChronoPower There's actually multiple endings for the game. If you're repeating things over and over again you might be going for the
SPOILERS*********************************************************************************
Bad ending
END SPOILERS**************************************************************************
I honestly didn't consider getting this game but was saving my money for Chrono Trigger DS and then thought it would be nice to play a current title for a change, and so I picked it up and haven't put it down. I just finished the introduction level and started chapter one (I'm a slow gamer) and it's beautiful.
Just started playing the demo and I got hooked! Played it for 6 hours straight. I'm impressed and I'll buy it soon.
I can`t wait for SECOND!!! I really do expect to see a western release this year.
Enjoying the hell outta this game. Bring on the second!
@DimetriWarrior I know it was. It was just a little frustrating to me and seemed to me to be a short cut to finishing the game instead of expanding on a broader area. Its really a small problem in a good game. I just hope in the next game it doesn't play out the same way. There is a whole Island area in the Northeast of the map which is absolutely barren. They might have added a dungeon there or some extra content. This game was very enjoyable and I don't want to to give to much away with my complaint because its part of the game. Like I said anyone who likes JRPG's will enjoy this game a lot especially the first half of the game its absolutely great.
Awwwwwwwwwwww snaaaaaaaaap
@Windy There's Susano-o on that island later on.
So long as they don't break any of the core things I loved, the sequel will be fantastic! Great game so far, I havn't gotten time to play as much as I'd like.
@Ernest_The_Crab: nope, to get the good ending, you have to do what @ChronoPower says. You can get the bad ending much earlier (from around Chapter 5 or 6, I think).
i wish more game creators had this same thought process where character and story development
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