To impart some idea upon you, dear reader, regarding my obsession with this genre, you must know that the entire reason I bought a Nintendo Switch was to get my hands on those illusive JRPGs that Nintendo always hoards to itself. Yes, there are some good picks on the PC (Trust me I've played them all) you have to pay your toll to the Plumber's House if you want to get your hands on titles like Fire Emblem, The Legend of Zelda and, now, Bravely Default. But are those titles worth the cost of joining the oppressively 'friendly' ecosystem of Nintendo? (And their decidedly 'unfreindly' excessive premium pricing model?) Yes, yes and yes again. To get my hands on the superior characters, storytelling and, sometimes, gameplay, of Japanese Role Playing Games I would say that no price is too high. (Except for buying Google Stadia. That's a price no man should ever have to pay.
As I have alluded to previously, and keeping in the style of Nintendo reveal events, the actual trailer for Bravely Default 2 is frustrating lax on details yet rich with style. (An approach that only a studio as supremely confidant as Nintendo can consistently pull off.) Therefore all we really see are sweeping shots of the box art and a few vistas to sink our teeth into, but that was enough to set off a few fans I noticed. The screens we see are done in that distinct style where the background paintings are isolated in their layers, allowing for sections of the frame to ambiently sway independently from vistas behind it creating this effect that reminds me of a high-budget stage play in a weird way. (Think of the way that painted sets might dangle from hooks and you'll start to see what I mean) Another benefit of isolating layers, or at least this is how this art style was utilized in the original Bravely Default, is that the background layer can be animated if need be. (So you can have clouds rushing by in the distance whilst the forefront stays still.)
I cannot convey enough how my little Grinch hearts positively swells at this sort of art style, and it brings back memories of gorgeous titles like 'Octopath Travellers'. (Although I will admit that I think that game pulled it off slightly better, at least from what we've seen so far.) It's this mixture of static imagery atop animated highlights that hearkens to mind the image of Comic books, without feeling constrained to that thematic styling. (Not to knock 'Telltale's artstyle, it's just been done before and I'm happy for something different.) There is a part of Bravely Default's art that I'm not so keen on, however, and that's the character models themselves. 'Octopath Traveller' utilized stunning artwork poses for their characters which fitted in perfectly with their environment; Default, on the otherhand, uses these ugly-looking 3D models that garishly standout in a manner that I just don't find appealing. Additionally, these character models have gargantuan 'Chibi' heads for some reason and I'm really not gelling with it. (Although that's not a deal-breaker, I suppose.)
If I may commend this title for another wise choice, at the risk of sounding like a total bottom-feeder, I'm actually glad that is was almost insultingly light on story details. I know that sounds like it's an oxymoron, and it really does border there, but let me explain. There's a great many things that Japanese RPG devs have over American devs, consistently better characters, usually a better overall plot and an inexplicably tendency to hook onto your feeling even when you're really trying to keep apathetic; one failing that practically every Japanese RPG developer shares, however, is an actual inability to put together a decent trailer. There is an artistry to advertising, don't ever think otherwise, and the 'trailer' is like the crowing moment of every young game's life-cycle, yet never once have I seen an JRPG trailer that made me feel anything more than sick. (Excluding the 'Persona 5' reveal trailer. That one was so slick I couldn't help but groove to it.)
Now, admittedly, it isn't exactly the fault of the studios themselves. Due to the, societally-implemented, impersonal (or should I say exceedingly-formal) approach to work, I'd imagine that creative directors aren't let anywhere near the cutting room floor for projects like trailers. The only reason why all of Hideo Kojima's trailers are so iconic is because he insists on directing them all and having them cut to his specifications, which is why you can instantly see when there is a TV-Spot trailer that he didn't get his mitts on. The point I'm trying to make is this, Bravely Default 2's trailer focuses on trying to nail the feel of original rather than set-up a story and that is the best possible outcome that we could have hoped for from a JRPG trailer. (Even if it does leave folk like me in the lurch when it comes to speculation for this title.)
There isn't much more to say about this reveal trailer, it was short and to-the-point and it has already firmly sold me on this game. But then, I'm the kind of guy who'll immediately jump on the first vaguely Japanese title that is unfortunate enough to land in my line of sight whenever I'm out the house, so perhaps I'm not the best case study. "'Astral Chain', huh? That's sounds like it has at least 3 devastating betrayals before the end credits!" I can imagine that an individual who's never given the time of day to JRPGs before will simply roll their eyes at the cheesy dialogue and low-poly character models without finding anything to be interested in here, and I think that's a darn shame. We'll just have to find out if Sqaure Enix can pull their socks up for the next trailer and deliver something that proves to the world how deeply special a good JRPG can be.
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