Okay, so here’s the thing. You ever have one of those moments when you’re standing in a game convention, and suddenly you realize – wait, I’ve never played the game everyone’s raving about? Yeah, that was me at PAX East 2025. I’m talking about Bravely Default on the 3DS. (Why did I ignore it? Who knows? Typical me.)
So there I was, wandering around, when bam – Square Enix drops the Bravely Default Flying Fairy HD Remaster on us. Random confession: I dived into this without a clue about the original. Fresh eyes, folks, fresh eyes.
Oh, and the graphics? Wow, they’ve amped them up to some crisp high-def thing because, apparently, those dual screens didn’t make the cut this time. Like, the old look was somehow demoted, and now we’re all about that HD life. I even asked one of the reps there if we might see a similar makeover for Bravely Second: End Layer. She didn’t say much—probably security clearance or whatever—but seemed intrigued. Fingers crossed I sparked an idea.
So, there I was, skipping through dialogue and scenes because timed demos are a whole different beast. But let me tell you, the battle system slapped. We’re talking Brave vs. Default – a strategic tug-of-war. Brave lets you unleash a flurry of attacks but leaves you vulnerable. Default is your defensive buddy, helping you save up turns for a later onslaught. Honestly, I just went Brave all the way, because why not live dangerously?
There’s also this job system going on, which sounds cool, though I didn’t get to fiddle with it—time, folks, time! Even with my haphazard approach, I found myself quite amazed. And if you’re like me—missing the 3DS boat—this is your golden ticket. Circle June 5 on your calendar, because both this gem and the Nintendo Switch 2 are dropping on the same day.
So, yeah, if you’ve never taken the plunge, this might be the perfect storm of awesomeness. Don’t say I didn’t give you a heads-up!
