I couldn’t bravely prepare me to the full default weight: flying the Fairy HD Remaster on the Nintendo Switch 2. I knew it was originally an enhancement to the re-release of a cult-flavored square Enix RPG on 3DS. I knew there was a tactical turn-based battle, branching strategies, and a job system built to allow you to experiment infinitely. What I wasn’t expecting was how emotional and time-consuming epics were.
Over my time, this game has put me on a roller coaster. A moment of pure victory, a stretch of frustration in shattering, and dozens of small victories that remind me of why I love the genre. Finally, I was moved, exhausted and convinced that this was one of the most rewarding-but-demanding-jrpgs I’ve played in years.
A familiar story told with all my heart
The adventure unfolds in Luxendarc, a picturesque world directed by Crystal Orthodox. When darkness envelops these sacred relics, the duty to restore them falls to the duty of Agnaise, a container of wind. She was wiped off the map by Tiz Ariol, the village’s only survivor. Ringabel, a disastrous amnesia with a theatrical talent. And Edare Lee is a soldier who fights to fight for greater profits from her empire.
This is a heroic story that saves the classic Final Fantasy style world. This is surprising given that Default bravely began developing as a successor to Final Fantasy. What enhances this is how well the character is written and expressed.
Tiz is a moral compass, serious and deeply human. Agnès is loyal, but stubborn, and often times he has time to clash with others. Lingebel is all about dignity, infidelity, hidden depths. EDEA is dull, practical, sharp and amazed, shaped by military development.
Their group chemistry is at the heart of the game. Jokes during downtime add warmth and humor, but dramatic moments carry real weight as you get to know these people. And as the story unfolds, the backstory deepens, the relationship changes, and the stakes rise beyond simply “saving the crystal.”
Pacing: From smooth sailing to heavy grinding
The early chapters are joy. Chapter 1 in particular strikes the perfect balance between introducing mechanics, being able to explore and giving them a high stakes flavour. By Chapter 2, the game is in full swing, a stable plot is revealed, and the boss fights its tests, but is not overwhelmed.
However, from Chapter 3 onwards, pacing will be dramatically slower. Certain bosses are fully punished because they need to crush levels, search for specific jobs, and unleash niche abilities before they can maintain their chances. It’s not uncommon for JRPGs to demand a bit of crushing, but they can bravely push this by default to a point where the momentum of the story stalls for hours at a time. By the time the credits rolled, I felt the bone length more than my save file.
Visual: Modern Polish nostalgia
In both handheld and docking modes, the default is bravely gorgeous. Pre-rendered backgrounds, especially major cities like Caldisra, avoid the pictorial appeal of PS1 classics like Final Fantasy VII and Resident Evil. All street corners and boulders feel like part of a diorama, paying attention to the lighting and texture that brings the world to life.
That said, the character model tells a different story. It’s serviceable, but there’s no detailed details you’d expect from the Switch 2 only. The face is as unexpressive as possible, and I feel that the model is closer to a polished 3DS asset than a completely modern remake. It does not break the contract, but it creates strange inconsistencies between the lush environment and the people who live in them.
Voice Acting and Music: Winning Combo
The voices played here are top notch. Each lead’s voice suits its personality, like gloves. The gentle sincerity of Tiz, the refined nobility of Agnaise, the gorgeous majesty of Limbel, and the cut-out imperative tone of Edea. Performance helps to sell emotional beats, and even side conversations feel like meaningful interactions rather than fillers.
The soundtrack is nothing but spectacular. The echoes of Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest are woven into their own identity. The exploration track is warm and charming, carried by woodwind instruments and gentle percussion. The battle theme is propulsive, with an urgent rhythm that is tense even in minor battles. And the boss theme? They are heavy, dark, pulsating with a sense of true danger. This is one of the JRPG soundtracks I’d like to revisit after the credit roll.
Battle: brave, default, conquest
At its core, the brave defaults to a turn-based RPG, but its brave/default mechanic is the master stroke of design.
By default, you can defend for the turn, take damages and bank brave points (BP). Brave allows you to chain multiple actions in one turn through BP.
You can gamble BP that is not an early burst of attack, but doing so will not allow you to rotate multiple times. This is a beautifully balanced push-pull system that foresees and punishes recklessness.
Overlaid on this is a job system that offers combat style buffets. Black Mages Rain Rain Elemental Fury, the Hunter picks up enemies from range and countless other jobs bring unique perks and skills. As your job level up, they unlock support abilities that can be equipped across roles that stack bonuses, resistances and special effects to suit your playstyle. The experiments that this encourages are one of the game’s greatest strengths.
Items and special attacks add more layers. Certain consumables can destroy enemies with the weaknesses of the right elements, but special weapon-based moves must meet certain conditions, such as defaulting the set number of times before unleashing them. You can also modify the special to target a specific enemy type to prepare you for a surgical strike against a later game threat.
Switch 2 Extra and Mini Game
This HD remaster adds some lighter conversions unique to Switch 2.
Luxencheer Rhythm Catch: Joy-Con-Controlled Rhythm Challenge to hit your music in time. Ringabel’s Panic Cruise: Star Fox 64’s nodded railway airship sequence, enemy shoots, modify valves, and management elevation
Neither mini-game is a show stopper, but it is a welcome change in pace, offering a light be moment during the heavier beats of the main quest.
Where it wobbles
Two main issues bravely bring default back to totally great.
Grind – The progression of the later chapters can feel like an endurance test. If your boss asks for a skill set for a particular job and the job is locked behind a side quest, you are looking at a detour for a few hours before attempting a fight again. An outdated character model – The environment is beautiful, but the character model is behind the details, taking away the emotional scenes of its full influence.
Final thoughts
Bravely Default: Flying Fairy HD Remaster is a loving return to RPG styles we don’t see often enough. The battles are deep and satisfying, the characters are memorable, and the soundtrack is directed towards genre classic status.
That pacing stumbles, especially in later chapters with lots of grinds, and the visual doesn’t always push Switch 2 into the limit. But for those who are trying to invest their time, the rewards are immeasurable.
For $59.95 in Australia, it’s a generous package filled with content. If you are craving JRPGs that respect old-fashioned sensibilities while adding modern convenience, this is worth your commitment.
4 stars (out of 5)
Highlights: Amazing story and voice performance. Gorgeous visuals; addictive gameplay.
Low light: Smashing for hours makes it lo arrogant and the character model still feels a little outdated.
Developer: Silicon Studio/Cow Call
Publisher: Square Enix
Platform: Nintendo Switch 2
Available: Now
Reviews conducted on the Switch using release code provided by the publisher.
