An old-school RPG, off the hunt for hyperrealism, but with a solid story – something like that is still being produced today. The latest video game of its kind is called “Bravely Default II” and was released for the Nintendo Switch on February 26th.

The story revolves around a sailor who is stranded in a country he does not know after a storm. There he learns from a princess that the world is about to get out of joint because the crystals of the forces of nature, fire, water, earth and wind have been lost after a war.

So the sailor goes to retrieve the crystals with sword and magic. He meets people who help him with his mission and finally commands a group of four who have set themselves the goal of saving the world.

The world of “Bravely Default II” is heartily stylized. The graphic design is good enough to allow the player to easily immerse himself in the fantasy world. Conversations within your own group ensure that the characters are nicely tangible. More discerning people can, however, come across the occasionally simple and clichéd impact. Incidentally, the tone is only available in Japanese or English (but with a great and appropriate variety of accents). At least the subtitles are in good German.

Successful combat system

The combat system is basically clean and manageable. There are different character classes, weapons and spells that you can acquire.

Unusual and challenging, on the other hand, is a special feature that gave the game its name. In turn-based fights, you have the option of defending yourself and doing nothing (default); an additional train is available for this the next time (Brave). This brings life and an additional tactical element to the otherwise common linear combat systems.

In addition, you can also borrow future moves, for example to quickly put an end to a battered opponent. But that can be eye-catching if you do not manage to flatten the enemy and are then forced to suspend without defending while the enemy fires his full broadside. The background music to the game is basically pleasant and oscillates between Spanish-Moorish tootling and the typical beat madness of Japanese video games. It takes getting used to, however, the often completely unsuitable musical accompaniment of the dialogues.

The bottom line is that “Bravely Default II” is a rock-solid role-playing game. It scores with its combat system and anyone who overlooks the slight weaknesses in the narrative receives tens of hours of good entertainment.

The game became the “Wiener
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