Bravely Default: For the Sequel is an upcoming enhanced version of the original Bravely Default, with over 100 questions and suggestions from fans that is currently shaping up the game. In a recent NicoNico live stream (thanks, NintendoEverything), producer Tomoya Asano and other key developers showed off the game’s additional features, along with a peek at a scene using the game’s English voiceovers.
The video starts out with a comparison between the original version (left) and Bravely Default: For the Sequel (to the right,) using its sped up battle tempo and auto-battle feature, which will be making it easier to level up.
According to the developers, Bravely Default often requires pressing the same buttons during battle, so this will make things a little easier, especially while fighting against monsters that don’t require much thought to fight. Additionally, they’ve also increased the distance between party members and monsters to give battles a more natural look, as some people felt that the range was too close in certain fights.
At around 3:15, we get a closer look at the menu interface of both versions. While it may not seem like a significant change, the devteam has adjusted the tabs on the item menu to be horizontal instead of vertical, as it has a more natural feel to it, especially while you’re using only your left hand to navigate your way through the menu.
As seen in our earlier report, the character interface in the equipment menu has also been updated so you can now see stats to the left of your characters. Changing jobs will now be followed with an option to change your equipment and abilities, to make things easier, and also as a reminder.
Meanwhile, the information display on the job select screen has also been enhanced to be more detailed, as they felt that some descriptions were slightly vague in the original version, which left players uncertain about proceeding with certain classes.
In a recent interview, producer Tomoya Asano shared that during their company playtest, some people challenged themselves by switching the difficulty to hard mode, then disabling the gain of experience and money to see how far they could get. You can take a look at one of their challenges at the 16:00 mark, where they pit an entire party of level 1 characters in their advanced jobs, against a Black Mage enemy.
At 22:50, we get a look at the new party chat feature. In the original version, characters didn’t move during the party chat, nor did they display as much emotion during their conversations. This has been enhanced so they display a little more of their feelings according to what is being said.
The updated Bravely Default will also have an auto-save feature, as an option for players who’d like to have the peace of mind knowing that their progress will always be saved. Alternatively, players who prefer the option of being able to save only when they feel it necessary will be able to disable the feature.
In addition to the regular quests, there will also be a new set of “Tutorial Quests” with objectives such as saving the game on the world map, or look at the help menu during battles. These have been added for the new players, to better understand the features and menus of the game without having to go through a huge list of explanations. Clearing these will net you with small but useful items, such as Phoenix Downs and other items.
At the 26:50 mark, if you’re wondering why the developers are all sharing a good laugh, it is because of the cat that can be seen on the top-right corner of the screen. They humorously share that it was initially designed for the original game, but they weren’t able to put it in. After hearing about the new version, the model designer said “I went through the trouble of making it, so put it in!” and they decided to do so, as they felt that it’d be nicer to have some animals in town.
Finally, we get a look at the configuration options, such as encounter rate adjustment, which lets you scale through a percentage bar. They’ve also added an “Event Viewer” option, that allows you to revisit the events of cleared main scenarios, sub-scenarios, party chat, and cut scenes. You’ll also be able to change the languages in this mode, to check out what the scenes are like in other languages.
To conclude the video, at 31:00 we get to see a sneak peek of a scene with an English voiceover.
Bravely Default: For the Sequel will be available on December 5 in Japan, while Europe will be getting the game later this year. North America will see it in 2014.
