Bravely Default Flying Fairy HD Remaster Review

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Genre: RPG

Developer: Cattle Call

Publisher: Square Enix

Release Date: June 5th 2025

Price: $59.95

Available On: Nintendo Switch 2

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Nothing could have prepared me for this review of Bravely Default Flying Fairy HD Remaster on the Nintendo Switch 2. Beforehand, I knew that this game was a remake of a Square Enix game from the Nintendo 3DS. I also knew that, as is the case with most RPGs, is that there are endless ways to approach battles to fit your play-style. However, what I was not prepared for was the length of the journey and the epic proportions and emotions it would put me through. There were many times when I was frustrated, times when I was elated, and dozens of times when I was satisfied. This is a fantastic RPG from the beginning to the end. However, it's a game I do not think I will ever revisit; not because Bravely Default for the Nintendo Switch 2 is a bad game, but rather because it’s one of the most arduous and exhausting games I have played in years.

A FRACTURED WORLD

In the world of Luxendarc, the Crystal Orthodoxy, a religious organisation, maintains order and harmony by tending to the four elemental crystals. When these crystals are mysteriously consumed by darkness, Agnès Oblige, the vestal of the Wind Crystal, is tasked with reawakening all four crystals and saving the world from the darkness. On her journey, she is accompanied by Tiz Arrior, a young boy who is the sole survivor of Norende village after it was destroyed by the darkness. You also have Ringabel, a ladies’ man suffering from amnesia, and Edea Lee, a soldier who betrayed her masters to join Agnès in her odyssey to restore the crystals. Bravely Default has the perfect makings of a Final Fantasy story, which is partly true because the game was originally intended to be a sequel to Final Fantasy: The 4 Heroes of Light.

The four main characters of Bravely Default are a delight, and the writing really shines when the four of them engage in conversations. Every character has a different personality; Tiz is the one who looks out for everyone, Agnès is only concerned with awakening the crystals and does not really consider other options, Ringabel is heroic, despite his clear lust for almost any woman he sees, and Edea is stern and strict when it comes to her attitude towards other characters. Throughout the game, each character reveals more about their lives and past, and it is almost interesting to see where these characters came from.

The story itself is epic, even if the pacing can be a little too slow in the middle. All of the characters are introduced to you straight away in the story, and the entire quest is laid out for you very early into a playthrough. However, each chapter of the game is extremely long, as is the case with most JRPGs. The first chapter of the game is perfectly paced because it gets you accustomed to the combat and characters, and the writing lets you fully understand how high the stakes are. However, when you get to Chapter 3 and onwards, the pacing suffers due to the heavy amount of grinding you have to do in order to beat a particular boss. We will get more into the combat and bosses later, but Bravely Default Flying Fairy HD Remaster suffered from inconsistent pacing and grinding for a huge amount of its playtime.

A CONFRONTING WORLD

There is no denying that Bravely Default: Flying Fairy HD Remaster is absolutely beautiful in both handheld and docked modes on the Switch 2. The pre-rendered backgrounds are works of art, particularly in the larger cities of the map, such as Caldisla. This visual style took me back to the 1990s and pre-rendered backgrounds of PS1 classics like Final Fantasy VII and Resident Evil. It’s a visual style that you don’t often see nowadays. It makes me appreciate the style a lot more whenever I see it.

As well as the visuals, Bravely Default’s voice acting is really good, for the most part. The four main characters all have distinctive voices, not only in how they sound, but also in their tone. Tiz is the character who most players will identify with because he came from a village and was not born into warfare or magic; therefore, he has a rather innocent voice. Ringabel comes across as arrogant, and his voice acting is pompous. He carries a journal that reveals major plot points of the game, and he always likes to gloat and try to flirt with the ladies, despite it failing every time. His voice acting is perfect for the sort of character that Ringabel is. Agnès is a young girl who was effectively born into royalty, and her voice has a very aristocratic and gentle quality. Edea is quite cutting, and due to her upbringing of being a soldier for the main antagonists, she does not suffer fools gladly. Bravely Default’s four main characters are beautifully acted, and the clear distinctions between them make them more memorable.

Something even more memorable than the voice acting is the game’s soundtrack. The music in Bravely Default Flying Fairy HD Remaster is absolutely fantastic. It has echoes of Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest in its soundtrack, but it manages to feel distinct in its much more cosy instrumentation. Some tracks are repeated frequently throughout the game during exploration and combat, but I never grew tired of hearing them. The main theme, as you explore the map, is a beautiful combination of woodwind instruments and drums, accompanied by a lovely melody. The combat music is a lot more in your face, and the intensity adds to the weight of the combat itself, making you feel like every turn you take matters in the long run. The boss battle music is similar to the main combat theme, but the strings are significantly deeper and heavier, making these encounters feel more daunting. Every song in Bravely Default is worthy of being looked at in the years to come as a classic soundtrack of the JRPG genre. If you haven't heard any songs from the game, you should really go have a listen.

TAKE FIRE OR HOLD FIRE

Bravely Default Flying Fairy HD Remaster is a turn-based RPG in a very traditional sense. It feels old-school in its approach; each character takes a turn to attack the enemy with a variety of different attacks, healing or defensive ailments. However, calling the combat old-school is not a criticism at all, because it is incredibly satisfying and challenging. This is due to the Brave and Default mechanic, the same system that gives the game its name. A Default stance is a shielded position where you do not attack on a particular turn, but you take less damage from an enemy attack. After performing a Default stance, you gain a Brave Point or BP. A Brave Point is a mechanic that allows you to use more than one more during a turn. For example, if you have one BP, you could perform a healing move on your first turn, and on your second turn, you could perform an attack. It’s a system that seems simple when you first learn it, but utilising it is absolutely essential during 90% of combat encounters.

Throughout the main story, you will unlock different Jobs for characters. Jobs are different combat styles that can be equipped to any of your characters. For example, one Job is Black Magic, and their main attacks utilise different elemental attacks on enemies, such as attacking with fire, water or wind. Another Job is the Hunter, who favours using a Bow during combat. When equipped with their favoured weapon, they have significantly better strength and attack power. Every Job has a standard attack and a magic attack, which you can use during combat. As you upgrade your character and Jobs with XP, your health and magic power will increase. However, you are often encouraged in the game to experiment with all the different Jobs at your disposal to upgrade your character and unlock various support abilities. Support abilities are charms that you can unlock as you increase the level of a specific Job. They can be as simple as giving you 10% more health, or they can make you more resistant to damage, or let you use a weapon with two hands to inflict more damage. There are so many different ways to play Bravely Default Flying Fairy HD Remaster, and the huge amount of player freedom is one of the biggest selling points of the game.

You not only have your main attacks and magic attacks to use in combat, but you also have different items and special attacks. Items can be potions to fill up your health and magic, or they can be attacks that inflict a huge amount of damage. The latter items can be a huge lifesaver against bosses who have an elemental weakness. Whichever character of mine has a weaker main attack, I would let them attack with these items, and it greatly increased my chances of winning the battle. The special attacks, on the other hand, can be absolutely devastating when you take the time to experiment with them. Special attacks are unique to different weapons, and each class of weapon has their own unique special attacks. The special attacks have certain stipulations you must abide by in order to unlock them and use them in combat. For example, to use a particular special attack, you may have to default at least 10 times during combat. Once you unlock a special attack, you can modify it to inflict a particular elemental damage, as well as pick a particular enemy type to inflict more damage on. You can often predict what sort of enemies will appear in a dungeon near the end of a chapter, and you really have to pay attention to the combat and different enemies you encounter in order to make full use of the special attacks. Bravely Default Flying Fairy HD Remaster is a game that massively rewards you for paying attention to the combat and enemies, and you feel a huge level of satisfaction if you go that extra mile.

Unique to the Switch 2 version of Bravely Default are the mouse controls in the mini-games. There are two different kinds of mini-games that you unlock once you reach Florem. The first mini-game is Luxencheer Rhythm Catch, a musical stage where you use the two Joy-Cons like a mouse to guide the cursors into specific areas in time with the music's beat. These stages are a nice addition to the game, and the brilliant soundtrack is an added bonus to these sections. The second mini-game, Ringabel’s Panic Cruise, is a bit more stressful. You control an airship and have to multitask different actions as you control the airship through a course. You will be attacking enemies, steering the ship, fixing valves and controlling the altitude during this mini-game. Ringabel’s Panic Cruise gave me vibes of Star Fox 64, with its on-rails style of gameplay. Neither of these mini-games is anything groundbreaking, but they’re a fun change of pace for the game.

MISSED ATTACKS

I have really enjoyed my time with Bravely Default Flying Fairy HD Remaster, but there are some areas where the game could have been improved. Most of the game’s visual fidelity is amazing and the game performs at a consistent 60 frames per second in both handheld and docked mode. However, the game’s character models are quite dated. I understand that this is a remaster of a Nintendo 3DS game, so it is not a huge fault. However, considering this remaster is exclusive to the Nintendo Switch 2, I do not feel that the console is being pushed with this game, especially in the character models. The character models appear to be from 20 years ago, and I think a little more detailing in them would have made the characters’ emotions shine a lot more.

My main problem with Bravely Default, however, is how much grinding you have to do to progress. This issue became clear as I reached the end of Chapter 3. A particular boss in that area was killing all of my party members in a few turns, and I didn’t understand what I was doing wrong. I eventually looked up some tips for the boss, and every strategy I found told me I needed to find a specific Job and upgrade a character with it until I unlocked a move that makes you invulnerable to all attacks. This Job was locked behind a side mission, so I had to spend a couple of hours completing it, then another couple of hours upgrading all my characters with this Job. Bravely Default’s progression often leads into this during the second half of the story, and it can make the story lose a lot of its pace as a result. The game is certainly long already, but the required grinding makes it feel even longer as a result. It’s a shame because Bravely Default has a fantastic story, but I was exhausted by the time I finished it due to the pacing.

BRAVELY DEFAULT FLYING FAIRY HD REMASTER: REVIEW VERDICT

Bravely Default Flying Fairy HD Remaster for the Nintendo Switch 2 is a great JRPG that I recommend to any Switch 2 owners. The combat is fantastic, as are the visuals, soundtrack, characters, acting, controls and mini-games. The game’s pacing is inconsistent, especially from the third chapter onwards, and the character models could have done with a bit more detail. However, despite these hiccups, I thoroughly enjoyed my time with Bravely Default, and at $59.95, it’s a good price for Australians, especially with the amount of content you get.