Bravely Default: Flying Fairy - HD Remaster

Nearly fifteen years ago, Square worked on a game that was very nearly a sequel to the DS game Final Fantasy: The Four Heroes of Light, which was eventually spun off into its new IP called Bravely Default on the 3DS. As with most things, it’s been long enough that it’s time for an eventual remaster, and that’s what we have here with Bravely Default: Flying Fairy HD Remaster.

Bravely Default Flying Fairy HD Remaster is a gloriously traditional JRPG, with compelling combat, fun new minigames and many hours of content.

Bravely Default, the incredible first installment in the Bravely series returns, remastered in high definition. Relive the tale of the warriors of light on their quest to awaken the crystals. Enjoy strategic battles featuring the unique Brave and Default commands and over 20 different jobs. Plus modern gameplay enhancements and all-new minigames! Switch version reviewed. Review copy provided by company for testing purposes.

An unassuming but essential bit of art preservation, Bravely Default Flying Fairy HD Remaster is an excellent way to experience one of the best RPGs of the 21st century. Team Asano’s love letter to the genre remains a fresh and engaging medley of systems and theme, even if the new Switch 2 minigames add little to the already wonderful experience.

Bravely Default Flying Fairy is a great game, and while this HD Remaster cleans things up a bit its efforts often feel lacking. It looks better in some ways, but the same in others and plays better in some ways but worse in others. If you enjoy experimenting with character builds, it’s a great time, but it’s still going to take some grinding to get there. If you can persist through the grind, you’ll find the same diamond in the rough that the game was on the 3DS.

Bravely Default Flying Fairy HD Remaster is an excellent RPG launch title that has now been given a second life through the Switch 2. Maybe with some refinements and fixes, this Phoenix Down’d game will be remembered again as one of the greats.

Bravely Default Flying Fairy HD Remaster is a good port, and it holds up well a decade-plus later thanks to some incredible gameplay choices, excellent music, and exciting twists midway through.

Bravely Default: Flying Fairy HD Remaster is a bold yet respectful return to one of the most iconic cult JRPGs, now enhanced for the Nintendo Switch 2. As a remaster of the original 2012 3DS title, it retains the charm, strategy, and storytelling that made it beloved, while modernizing the experience with HD visuals, new mini-games, and extensive quality-of-life improvements, making it more accessible and modern for today’s audience.

The 2010s was an interesting decade for Square Enix. While the publisher’s HD releases saw an increased focus on action, its handheld titles focused on traditional and experimental RPG mechanics. Out of this era came Bravely Default, a 3DS RPG title that harkened back to the first three Final Fantasy titles where four young adults were chosen by a crystal to save the world. The game proved extremely popular, spawning a sequel and spin-offs across the 3DS, Switch and PC. While fans await a potential third sequel, Square Enix and developer Cattle Call aim to reinvigorate the franchise at the lau...

Bravely Default: Flying Fairy HD Remaster is a solid update of one of Square’s finest modern turn-based RPGs. Its combination of a flexible job system, dynamic combat, and unexpectedly interesting story makes for an adventure that no fans of the JRPG genre will want to miss out on, especially any such fans that enjoyed Team Asano’s more recent work on the Octopath Traveler duology. That in mind, there isn’t really anything new in this remaster that justifies the price of a double dip—if you already put a lot of time into this one on the 3DS back in the day, I’d caution you to first consider ju...

But if you’ve never played this game before, that’s a whole different story. Bravely Default is a fantastic RPG, one that’s easily worth your time and attention. The job and combat systems alone are worth the price of entry. Everything else, the charming graphics, the clever dialogue, and the catchy music, is icing on a delicious cake. I wish the visuals felt more worthy of the Nintendo Switch 2, but they still look better than ever before. If you’ve played the original, I’m not sure if you want the remaster. But if you haven’t, you simply can’t miss Bravely Default Flying Fairy HD Remaster.

Bravely Default was a game that revelled in genre tropes. The result of Square Enix doing what it does best, this 2012 turn-based RPG for 3DS was the kind of thing you’d expect if you grew up on a diet of early Final Fantasy. Such is the overlap that I had to go and look up whether this was ever planned as a Final Fantasy title — it turns out it was, as a sequel to DS game The Four Warriors of Light.