Bravely Default (BD) makes first time in almost every respect, whether sound or graphics, a very good impression, but allows unfortunately some rough Patzer, the person the title "Top Game" deny the game for me. I share my review, as usual, in sub-items for a better overview.
Graphics:
The most powerful for me point in BD, which is why I want to run first, and why BD one of my few 3DS games is where I almost continuously in 3D spiele.Die until it stops mixture of (hand-drawn?) On old-fashioned trimmed backgrounds and 3D models in the foreground is on full.
Whether it is an engineering feat ala Final Fantasy with HD and sharp textures, is beside the point, because the Artdesign white front to convince to back and makes a high-quality artistic impression.
In addition, in the individual towns or villages a certain versatility can be seen.
Time you are in a lying to a commercial port town with a castle in the background, sometimes in an adjacent to lava flows village with majestic statues next to the main gate, then in a small hut with a front garden, where a (I say now) "lone hermit "lives and so on immediately.
And the time in the dark and even in broad daylight, even dynamically.
I'll have to confer the benefit of the game really.
And the 3D effect you have not spilled this time, but padded how not say all 3DS games by himself können.Es is not simply shifted the entire image in the background and thus a pseudo-3D effect suggests that under no circumstances provide a broader perspective, as unfortunately many do 3DS games like this, but it is clearly to identify what is near and what is far away.
Especially in the fighting a treat. Trees are located immediately adjacent to the battlefield, however, mountains have receded into the distance. Looks great. A small but beautiful gimmick: you're in a town or village on the road and do not move the player character, pans away the camera and leaves the place to meet all the 3D screen. Here, the 3D effect is also best to wear. You really have the feeling of looking directly into a diorama. So you can even estimate the kingdom Caldisla how far the mountains are located in the background of the city.
What I in turn did not like (minor only) are the character models per se. Because sometimes I had problems, they even regarded as human beings, simply because they look through their animated eyes and -Münder like dolls. Especially in group discussions among team members but has somewhat disturbed me. Of course, is a matter of taste and just my own opinion, but just to warn you, to what you admits you. A little more realism would not really hurt.
Even a small negative point from me: the characters have their own during a fight never direct physical contact with the opponents, not even when physical hits. Clear wanted one with BD pursue the classical pathway and make the game true to the RPG classics, but I know enough old and beautiful RPG's that the could be better. At Golden Sun's has indeed working fine, what for me still is the best ever published RPG the way and the absolute pinnacle represents (perhaps so as a game-tip for you: -D). Although as I said just little things, but as so often there are just the little things that make up much ^^.
Sound:
Also one of the stronger points in BD, in which one has, however, already allows greater blunder. First of the positive things. The individual pieces are sometimes really terrific. For example, the BGM during the normal battles with monsters, which you already know from the demo. Which has a very epic touch and gives one the feeling of being able to achieve anything in this game. In addition, each city has (if I have it right in memory) your own background music. Very commendable. And at night there is in this, as it should be otherwise, absolute silence. The only sound that can be heard is that of the cricket that you can hear at night. Very well done.
However, it has committed a fundamental error, which is also my criticism of the Sound: The music is repeated continuously, the entire game over. For the fighting in the open area there is only one background melody, completely regardless of whether the fight in the forest, in a cave, in a castle or taking place elsewhere. This has sometimes forced me in leveling, completely mute the sound, simply because I partly hours of Level sessions just could not hear the battle music! A bit of variation or diversity could play really gutgetan. The same runs through raid bosses and dungeons. I can so on the spot just to remind me 2 BGM's that will be played when you are traveling in a dungeon. That's at the plethora of dungeons that you have to traverse, quite simply too little. Just at the Endbossen. Also, since I can count the number of pieces that play in the background, at a half hands. This is also at the number of bosses that need to defeat it, far too little. And the Golden Sun was even then more than 10 years ago. Since every boss got donated own BGM that was partly terrific.
Gameplay:
I refrain, list all possibilities offered by the game. The others have already done well enough, so I'll be right to my mind the gameplay.
A great strength: I know of no other offline RPG as BD, in which players can help each other so much. The system even surpasses that of Demon's Souls on PS3. If you eg. In a heated battle, launching a last powerful attack and thinks "Hmmm, could it also help other players", no problem. Per "Send" to allow players who have access to the Internet for the 3DS, send each other said attacks. This is true even for players who you have encountered on the road via StreetPass (which I have encountered to date, unfortunately no one who plays BD :-(). Also in the construction of the village, a small "avocation" during the game, other players are having included. Each encountered via StreetPass BD Player is automatically assigned to the village as a worker, which automatically speeds up the reconstruction of the village in some cases substantially, which in turn offers some playful small but extraordinary advantages.
What I did not like, is the number of jobs or "classes".
Yes, you heard right :-), because I think some of them were definitely unnecessary. So there are for almost every genre of classes several jobs. There are a schadenausteilenden magician multiple jobs, for the healing mage several jobs for the Supporter several jobs for the fast with a dagger several jobs, etc .. So at the beginning you learn already the job of the black magician, later, however, several magicians Jobs, which play basically the same and differ only in a few small things. One used just swords instead rods and the other uses just other types of spells, which are called differently, but basically the same effect, namely to make damage or bring about a state. The fighting would be much more fun and tactical, if you had given the players more freedom. While many are of the opinion that the high number of jobs makes (24 in number) for more tactical depth, I mean the opposite: precisely this one has the players a little taken the liberty to make his characters, simply because the different skills has spread across too many jobs. The system of Golden Sun and Final Fantasy 7 has given me as much better liked.
What a little displeased me, were the partly deserted cities. Since a large number beautiful to sighted places like towns and villages was on offer, and then I can count the number of NPCs that I can address, almost on one hand. Part, not to say, almost always, they consist of a single area, which I then either again move back to the world map or a usually can enter SINGLE entered in actuality building on which, however, does not include the shops and inns. One can find an inn or a Itemladen eg., So no one enters the building, but the business will run a separate window from. Although nothing is great harm, but little has been gnawing at the atmosphere. When I am thinking of the better delivery and partly majestic flavored city areas in Final Fantasy 9, I find the power of BD compared to very weak. It's gone by, unfortunately, lost potential. In addition, the free world is unfortunately a fallacy. For I am obliged to follow the story and seek the next Handlungsort. Should you nevertheless dare to come into an area that has nothing to do with the story, the group will promptly stopped by Agnes: "Ohh, here we not lead our mission towards, let us turn back." What shoud that? As one would have a world map also can save the same if I can not do anything anyway, except drive the story.
The biggest for me gripe: The dungeons, often the centerpiece of a RPG's. Because these same almost like peas in a pod, and honestly. From start to finish it only applies to dungeons that practically only the theme differs from the previous one and is structured as a kind of labyrinth. Times a maze in a castle, even in a meadow, now in marshland, sometimes in the woods, sometimes in a vulkanänlichem area, etc. and immediately. After a while I'm just proceed to the always same way: enemies rate decreased to 0%, and simply by running only the boss and go casually opened the chests. This is like almost a mortal sin for a RPG. If in a RPG wake the Erkunderdrang in a not exactly the dungeons?
Puzzles unfortunately anything but the speech be, because this really only made it to press levers in different places to open a gate, whose whereabouts is known to me. As you'd also like me can gain access. What do you call something again? Oh, artificially protracted :).
When it comes to puzzles in RPGs the west nose has the Japanese definitely forward, and in all matters. And also because the highly acclaimed by myself Golden Sun has already given an example of how it's done right :).
Incidentally, if you're wondering why I always place the comparison with Golden Sun: If already fans and supporters believe that Bravely Default was done true to the classic RPG's, then it should be like the comparison with these leave and perhaps can even withstand :-).
Story & Characters:
Unfortunately, my biggest gripe. With the only plus point, however, I want to start, because this will surprise you with security. It is none other than the person ring Abel ^^. Where even told by fans of the series that they partly went the machismo of his nerves, so I think that that was exactly amusing to him. So depressing the situation or the talks also and so depressing the mood, his witty comments which mainly Edea went on my nerves, and his constant obsession with women ("Ohh, a new place. Do you think the women here are nice and are also my feet? ") were always very exhilarating and have let me one time or another chuckle. It did not go as typical of Japanese games, below the belt or was too racy, but it was just funny and had charm. Even the mystery of his person and origin as well as to his lost memory have kept me on my toes. The other 3 (or 4 with Airy, fairy Agnes') were for me, unfortunately, stereotypes, one of which has gone through with the possible exception of Agnes no real character development.
Now for the story. This has given me to make a long story short, did not like. That starts with the staging very minimalistic. For example, there is some point during the match between 2 parties a great war. It is then a few times on the battlefield, but seen in the background only a handful of soldiers. That runs through the whole story each section, which has messed up my little atmosphere. I never really had the feeling that they are stuck in a war. Rather in a slugfest between 2 villages. Even I had not at any time in the game the view that I'll be there now practically followed the entire game over by armies and even a whole country, should actually be in the greatest danger.
So never came in me the feeling to be in a serious, dangerous situation, what should be the case, according to story but. That was for me the atmosphere killer number 1. Also, do not tear a story from the stool, if you have already played many other RPG's. So I had until the end, unfortunately, not a single eureka moment. Only the end left a little lasting impression, everything before that was not really the truth. There was basically no real twist in the game and you could already guess from the beginning, under which the 4 main characters will form a romance after time. That was really not surprising. Only the secret ring Abel and in what relation he stood times to Edea has generated a certain tension.
Furthermore, is virtually not at all to the opponent (the very numerous occurrence) received. Worse, they disappear just as quickly from the scene, as they have emerged. So you will during the game of Edeas former home followed, including from people they used to stand very close. These have NEVER bekomen her up for the first meeting to face. Then it does the same to have a fight with this ....... and that's it. Either they die (some even without video sequence, after the battle, they are simply no longer there). Or they disappear forever from the scene So perish the numerous enemies of our heroes only to pure extras without personality and deeper background that serve only to be defeated by me. Incidentally, I found it funny that Edea had no qualms slay their former comrades and friends in rows. Thus, the story has lost much credibility.
As an attentive player who misses no dialogue, no quest and not a party conversation, you can guess from the middle of the game even, who is the real culprit. I do not want to reveal too much, only so much: The "revelation" at the end was not surprising to me, because I had guessed before. Prefer not to spoil, only this: Should you from mid of the game even at one of the characters in the game have a "funny feeling", then you is probably right.
Conclusion: In terms of graphics and Artstyle Bravely Default is really terrific and can be counted among the most beautiful 3DS games, but where for RPG's essentials, namely the story and the dungeons, it fails unfortunately simply completely. Sure Bravely Default is not a bad game and makes many things right, but whether it is justified to call it one of the best RPG's of recent years? I think, but it has unfortunately very stupid blunder allowed.
