Square Enix has spoken about why they decided to bring the original Bravely Default game back to life on the Nintendo Switch 2. As part of an extensive interview. Bravely Default Producer Naofumi Matsushita and Bravely Series General Producer Tomoya Asano answered this exact question. They state that they really wanted to do something special to celebrate the series 10th anniversary and what better thing to do than bring the game back to life with HD visuals and quality of life features. Read on for the full explanation.
The game is now back on Nintendo Switch 2 as BRAVELY DEFUALT FLYING FAIRY HD Remaster – but why did you want to return to this title?
Asano-san: Around Spring 2022, we talked within the team about the upcoming 10th anniversary of the series and what we could do to please our fans.
Masashi Takahashi, the assistant producer of the original game, became especially emotional during the discussion, saying, “Come on, it’s the 10th anniversary!” (laughs).
We considered various things, including creating a new title or a remake, but we settled on the goal making the first title playable in today’s gaming environment.
I tried asking Matsushita-san: “It’s the 10th anniversary in six months, do you think it’s possible?”, but obviously it wasn’t (laughs). While adjusting the development schedule, it overlapped with the release of the Nintendo Switch 2, so we were blessed in terms of timing.
Matsushita-san: Around the time when we were discussing all that, it was announced that the Nintendo 3DS eShop would be discontinued in March 2023. So, I was tasked with dealing with that, and the considerable response from both Japanese and western fans that they didn’t want it to close and still wanted to use the online functionality.
I was so moved that there are still many passionate fans who want to play the game and thought that it would be amazing if we could release a title to satisfy them. We couldn’t make it in time for the 10th anniversary (laughs). But I renewed my determination to develop the remaster.
Thanks to Greatsong1 for sending in the news tip!
Too bad it’s a game key card. Would’ve picked it up if it was a real physical game since I absolutely love the first BD. I’ll just stick with my 3DS copy for now.
You do realize they are not going to take away your digital games, right? Like you can STILL download Wii, 3DS, etc. titles even as of today.
What?? It is not possible to do as you describe. Your statement is inaccurate.
I think people are scared about the possibility of it getting taken away, even if the chances of it happening are incredibly slim. 20 years later and you can still download games you’ve purchased on an old console, and it’s way more convenient than having to rummage through 20 years worth of a game collection, and it would only get worse as the years further progress. It’s only manageable if your collection is small. It eventually gets to the point where it takes up too much space, and browsing through a digital library is both more sleek and convenient.
I have a pretty sizable collection of physical games (~750). It’s not at all inconvenient to look through and find a game to pop into one of my many consoles. I’d say it’s actually far more convenient to find what I want because I can look at all of them at once. With a digital library you have to look through each console you want, and the ordering of the games may not suit your preferences. Plus, you get to actually hold it in your hand, or let a friend borrow it. Good times all around.
I get that not everyone wants to have a couple shelving units full of games (or any other collectible for that matter). And a preference for not having to get off the couch to swap out a game is perfectly fine. So I’m all for letting people have digital games. But it shouldn’t be forced on everyone else just because some people think it’s more convenient for them.
I’m sorry to say, but this is a woefully ignorant comment. First, just because something hasn’t happened yet, that doesn’t mean it never will. Can you guarantee that they won’t take my games away someday? They can literally just revoke my license to play it. They can remove it from their servers and make it impossible to redownload. But nobody is gonna break down my door and take my copy of Ocarina of Time out of my N64. That baby’s mine.
Second, even just looking at Nintendo, the days for the Wii shop are numbered. From their support site:
https://en-americas-support.nintendo.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/27560/~/wii-shop-channel-discontinuation
“Can users still play WiiWare games that they already purchased?
Yes. The ability to re-download WiiWare and Virtual Console games will also stop at some point. We will announce specific details as that time approaches.”
Outside of Nintendo, there are pretty of well-known examples of gamers getting screwed. Bungie basically deleted Destiny 2. Playstation has removed purchased movies from people’s libraries. They also revoked the Stellar Blade demo from people’s consoles (this is a huge red flag) because they accidentally released it too early. I could go on, but I think I’ve already said enough.
Again, I just point this out because you’re literally not buying something because of an issue that has demonstrably not actually happened in 20 years, despite your side saying “I am not buying because they will take my games away and I want preservation!” when the reality is that 20 years later, you can STILL download them.
Tbh id assume Nintendo Switch 3 will be a thing….Switch 4….etc or something built from the switch hardeware.
So i agree Downloadable games are going no where.
Unless they make the next one not backwards compatible but that’d be dumb cause they spend so much time building switch online and switch itself is the best idea they can do going forward. if we get dedicated handhelds and consoles again, the console will need a hard sell.
Switch DS would be an easy next system idea though
Why are you letting a game key card prevent you from playing the game? You guys are so weird.
Some people actually like owning their stuff, you may as well just own digital at this rate which is preferable.
or do you defend Nintendo flipping the switch on whether people should have Internet to play a Mario game?
Real gamers enjoy playing games regardless of their format. You guys are so stuck in the past that it’s sad.
I would still like to play it beyond the expiry, no enjoyment beyond that. 🤣
I’m not. I own the game on 3DS and it’s wonderful.
Just buy a used switch and buy a digital version unless it’s switch 2 only then you’ll need quite a bit to buy both I finished bravely default and octopath traveler put 1550 hours into that game
I just hope at some point.We get bravely default 3
It’s just the lame localized version in hd
I’ll stick to the undub, I’m not looking forward to future games if they’re gonna be as bad as the sequel or apart from what they originally envisioned.
How is BD compared to like Final Fantasy? It looks good and looks like a Final Fantasy game. But, I am not certain at this time. I need to know more about it and how it plays.
You should definitely look up some gameplay of it. Personally, I think Bravely Default 1 is one of the best games Square Enix has put out in the last 15 years. Probably my favorite 3DS game. It’s got an absolutely killer soundtrack and the combat is sooooo good!
A lot of people complain about “the second half” being too repetitive, but it’s really more like the last 1/4 of the game (even shorter if you choose to skip most of the optional stuff). Personally, I had no issue with it because I loved the combat and figuring out cool class combos so much and the extra bits of lore are kinda neat.
IMO, Bravely Second (the sequel to the first game, also on 3DS) wasn’t nearly as good (bad music, bad writing, changing the pronunciation of one of the main characters’ names for a stupid joke), aside from the combat being a very slight improvement. And I think Bravely Default II is utter garbage for how they changed the combat system, but most people that play it seem to like it and that’s okay with me.
By the time you get 40 or above age you will have being sick or dead in the family, once that time comes (10, 20 summers left) you will care less about moving objects on a screen. The whole collecting is nonsense, we already have Nintendo musea around the world. Your collection is an illusion and holds you back from enjoying the future, the ease of digital. Nintendo will 100% give you access to their games your whole life long, no worries.
The above comment is as creepy as it is wrong. Nobody talks like that. As you get older, less and less things are important. Eventually, your hobbies are all you will have left.
A large part of physical copies is that you can pass them on to your children. Some are already doing this with their NES and SNES games.
Digital is backwards, a regressive thing. It harms any media where physical copies are valuable: video games, movies, music, books, etc. A digital future is a dystopian future.