Last week I opened up a
new series on Bravely Default, and I
started things out pretty positive.
This is key to keep in mind, because it’s all downhill from here. This second
post will focus on the writing of the game, and will feature MINOR SPOILERS.
Specifically, I’ll be going into various details of the story and spoiling some
mid-game side quests. However, all the major plot twists and late-game story
will be saved for a third and final post. It’ll take some effort to avoid
talking about them, but they deserve their own time to shine (or, uh, the
opposite of shine. Absorb light?). Let’s dive right in with a basic overview of
the story.
Stop Me If You’ve Heard This One Before
The writing in Bravely
Default isn’t terrible. It has some neat ideas and there’s some untapped potential,
but the execution is questionable from the moment you open the game. It begins with
a couple brief cutscenes that, even in retrospect, contribute absolutely
nothing. This video shows
the introductory scenes, but the actually important ones start at 2:30, with
one scene for each main character. They’re about as generic as they come (though
the music remains excellent throughout).
First we have Anges
(pronounced ahn-yes), a serious shrine maiden stereotype spouting overwrought
dialogue about a crystal of the four elements. Next we have Ringabel, a dashing
rogue who’s also a womanizer and amnesiac. Third up is Edea, a headstrong
daughter to a major political power. Finally we have Tiz, a simple farm boy
from a sleepy village that’s instantly blown to bits along with his brother.
Sound familiar? It should, if you’ve played literally
any JRPG ever made. This is the type of set-up you’d give to a parody of JRPGs, but Bravely Default
plays this premise completely straight for much of the game. You’re four
extremely generic protagonists following along a generic plot to re-light four (generic)
magic crystals.
Also, you reawaken the
crystals with a quick-time event. Wa-hoa, Bravely Default, save some innovation
for the rest of us!
