Now that Bravely Default 2 is about to release, a new generation of RPG fans can experience the series on the Nintendo Switch. With two demos already out, players can get a better understanding of what the game has to offer. Players may also notice parallels to Final Fantasy games - especially older FF titles - and there's actually a pretty good reason for this.
Releasing near the end of February, Bravely Default 2 is one of the most anticipated RPGs of 2021. With classic turn-based combat, an interesting and fun job system, and a cutesy fantasy art style, there's a lot to love about the game. Players new to the series may be wondering why the game feels so similar to classic Final Fantasy titles, especially considering both series come from Square Enix.
It's not just the style and tone of the games that feel so similar. Some spells and items are pulled straight from the Final Fantasy franchise, while Bravely Default 2's job classes look and feel similar to those found in Final Fantasy 3 and Final Fantasy 5. Story elements in Bravely Default games, especially elemental crystals, also feel as if they're ripped straight from Final Fantasy's playbook. And if this all feels too similar, that's because these similarities are not coincidental at all.
How Bravely Default Started Off As A Final Fantasy Spin-Off
Several team members behind the Bravely Default games also worked on the Final Fantasy 3 remake for the Nintendo DS, and created the FF spin-off game, Final Fantasy: The 4 Heroes of Light. It's why a lot of the art, tone, and style feels so similar. Not too long after Bravely Default released internationally, producer Tomoya Asano confirmed to GameSpot that the game had started out as a sequel to The 4 Heroes of Light before becoming its own IP.
So, if Bravely Default 2 feels a lot like a classic Final Fantasy game, that's completely intentional. Ultimately, Bravely Default became its own Square Enix franchise. This was probably for the best, given just how many Final Fantasy spin-offs exist already, and due to the fact that Bravely Default's combat systems and side mechanics (like town-building) created a game with its own distinguishing attributes outside of the Final Fantasy series.
Since Bravely Default 2 has yet to release, it remains to be seen if there are any easter eggs or callbacks to Final Fantasy titles. Mostly, though, it's the names of items, spells, and jobs that feel so similar in Bravely Default games, but that's probably because the series started out as a sequel to a spin-off, Final Fantasy: The 4 Heroes of Light.
Source: GameSpot