Bravely Default Demo

I was about to wash dishes, but the sink needs washed even more than the dishes do, so I'm letting it soak in magic cleaning magic. So I'm taking this time to quickly talk to you about the Bravely Default demo.

Bravely Default is a tactical turn-based rpg from Square Enix, for the Nintendo 3DS. It isn't even released yet, but the demo is turning heads.

The thing that Bravely Default wants to present to you as new & shiny is the 'brave' & 'default' elements of the battles. It's basically the ability to hold back a turn (or multiple) to do something more powerful later. It is pretty nifty. But not really life-altering. I don't need life-altering in a turn-based rpg though, they are my favorite. Also, I'm sure it'll be a more significant factor later in the game.

There's also a facet of rebuilding a town, which is pretty much just an add-on but I think it's a fascinating feature with a lot of potential. You can gather workers via Street Pass to help your projects go faster, or you can just plug away with the one lonely worker they grant you to begin. You can also use/help your friends in battle. So social! Much depth! Wow! It feels nice to me that they put a lot of attention into optional features.

The art & music are really beautiful. Allow me to be that girl for a moment: Not only is your team half male & half female, but any character can be any job, & all of the outfits are super cool without being overly sexualized. The ladies' most exaggerated features are their hips & thighs, which I think is so much fun. Everyone wears great hats & boots & has wacky hair-- it's definitely not one of those "here's a warrior, there's a ninja, oh look BOOBS that one is a girl" sort of scenario.

There are one or two things that took me a little while to really figure out, but it's pretty intuitive overall. It's a bit bland at the very beginning, but rewarding when you start leveling up, unlocking more skills, being able to afford more stuff, & gaining the confidence to explore more areas.

Verdict: I want this game. I am going to play the life out of this demo.