History VideoGame / BravelyDefault

* TheTeam:
** TheHero, TheLeader, and TheHeart: Agnès Oblige works as a combination of all three. She's the hero as the main character, she's the one who has the final say in group decisions (Tiz is just the more talkative one) and she's the heart because, in the end, she's the one who is keeping them all glued together.
** TheLancer, TheHeart, and TheFace: Tiz Arrior works as all three. He's the one most likely to take charge when Agnès can't, his emotions and his love for his friends makes him the heart, and he's the face in that, when the chips are down and talking is needed, he's the one who will do the talking.
** TheSmartGuy: Surprisingly, despite his nature, Ringabel fits the criteria needed. He's the one piloting your ship, and multiple situations are resolved because of his quick thinking. For example, when [[spoiler:Konoe pretends to be a dead maid in the Goodman household]], he's the only one who finds that there is [[spoiler:something off about the corpse.]] Also, he's the entire reason [[spoiler:Edea was able to avoid being experimented on by De Rosa, as he was able to find the secret passage based on where he last saw De Rosa.]] Fittingly enough, Ringabel also has [[GameplayAndStoryIntegration the highest base intelligence stat of all four characters.]]
** TheBigGuy: Edea fits this as, while she's by no means ''stupid'', she herself admits she sees the world in black and white, and she is usually the first to try brute forcing something. Thankfully for her, brute force usually works. Like Ringabel, this is also reflected in her stats: she has the highest base strength, making her the most suited for jobs that rely mainly on brute physical force.

''Bravely Default'' (subtitled ''Flying Fairy'' in Japan and ''Where the Fairy Flies'' everywhere else) is an EasternRPG for UsefulNotes/Nintendo3DS developed by Silicon Studio, written by Naotaka Hayashi[[note]]of ''VisualNovel/SteinsGate'' fame[[/note]], scored by Revo[[note]]of Music/SoundHorizon fame[[/note]] and published by Creator/SquareEnix. While it [[WhatCouldHaveBeen started]] as sequel to ''[[VideoGame/FinalFantasyThe4HeroesOfLight Final Fantasy: The 4 Heroes of Light]]'', the game serves as a SpiritualSuccessor to the ''Franchise/FinalFantasy'' as a whole, particularly ''FF I'' through ''VI''. ''Bravely Default'' is notable for adding a new layer of strategy to the usual turn-based RPG fare with the [[TitleDrop eponymous Bravely Default]] battle system. By using "Brave", you can spend up to 4 turns immediately. "Default" meanwhile allows you to bank your current turn for use later.

''Bravely Default'' (subtitled ''Flying Fairy'' in Japan and ''Where the Fairy Flies'' everywhere else) is an EasternRPG for UsefulNotes/Nintendo3DS developed by Silicon Studio, written by Naotaka Hayashi[[note]]of ''VisualNovel/SteinsGate'' fame[[/note]], scored by Revo[[note]]of Music/SoundHorizon fame[[/note]] and published by Creator/SquareEnix. While it [[WhatCouldHaveBeen started]] as sequel to ''[[VideoGame/FinalFantasyThe4HeroesOfLight Final Fantasy: The 4 Heroes of Light]]'', the game serves as a SpiritualSuccessor to the [[RunningGag groin-ticklingly popular]] ''Franchise/FinalFantasy'' as a whole, particularly ''FF I'' through ''VI''. ''Bravely Default'' is notable for adding a new layer of strategy to the usual turn-based RPG fare with the [[TitleDrop eponymous Bravely Default]] battle system. By using "Brave", you can spend up to 4 turns immediately. "Default" meanwhile allows you to bank your current turn for use later.

* FiveSecondForeshadowing: After defeating Dark Knight Alternis Dim, [[spoiler:the action is broken, once again, by the cutscene where Tiz receives an asterisk. Cut to the sample space where the party samples their Dark Knight looks, you've got Tiz, Agnès, Alternis, Edea- ]][[CastAsAMask WAIT, WHAT?!]]

** Edea and [[FairySexy Airy]], especially in the [=FMV=]s. The former [[DefectorFromDecadence sort of]] falls into EvilIsSexy [[spoiler: and ''[[BitchInSheepsClothing especially]]'' the latter]].
** Then there's the infamous Bravo Bikini scene in Florem....

* InstantExpert: The player characters can use any new weapon as soon as they get them, although their efficiency with each type depends on their current job and abilities.

** The game features {{optional boss}}es from ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyThe4HeroesOfLight''
** Hidden in one of the dungeons, [[spoiler:The Adventurer and Faithful Fox]] can be fought.

* LightIsNotGood: Holly Whyte is a WhiteMage and [[spoiler:the first time around]] a complete sadist. She threatens that when she captures Agnès she'll [[BreakTheCutie have her beaten to within an inch of her life and then heal her, over and over, until her mind snaps]] while [[ExactWords keeping her word]] to Tiz that Agnès won't be killed.

* StatusEffects: Charm, Poison, Sleep, Stop, Confuse, Blind, Paralyze, Silence, Berserk and a new one named Dread, which prevents the use of Brave and Default. Poison, Silence, and Blind are the only ones that persist until cured (the rest randomly wear off at the end of a turn, and unconditionally wear off at the end of a battle). Paralyze and Stop are virtually identical except their manner of curing differs (Esuna for Paralyze and Dispel for Stop). In an excellent [[SubvertedTrope subversion]] of UselessUsefulSpell, just about every boss in the game can be afflicted with at least one status ailment. The usual stereotype of Poison damage being useless on {{Mook}}s is also mitigated by the Arcanist's Exterminate ability, which hits anything afflicted with Poison ForMassiveDamage.
* StealthPun: As a Templar, Braev likes to use defensive moves. So Braev Lee Defaults.

* DoesNotLikeShoes:
** The girls' Ranger outfits only have leather ankle bracelets, leaving the feet bare. Same goes for the Ranger Artemia, whose outfit is identical to Edea's.
** Ditto for the girls' Spell Fencer outfits, with gold bracelets instead of leather.

* WakeUpCallBoss: The first few bosses can be difficult considering you don't have many jobs or commands to use (though one of which is, thankfully, free HP recovery), and you're probably just getting used to the game's Brave and Default system. The Temple Bosses in particular are very nasty the first time you meet them, because you won't have many options to deal with their numerous party-wide attacks.

* AllTheWorldsAreAStage: BonusDungeon "The Dimension's Hasp", an illusory realm conjured by [[spoiler:Sage Yulyana]]. Each floor is a replica of a past area, specifically: Vestment Cave, Harena Ruins, the Wind Temple, Mount Fragmentum, the Witherwood, Florem Gardens, Starkfort, the Underflow, Central Command and Everlast Tower. Most of these areas are also where you met [[spoiler:the Adventurer]], who is the dungeon's BonusBoss.

** If the BonusBoss, [[spoiler:the Adventurer]], loses her companion, they'll always resummon them and then sit there. No matter how many times you kill their ally, or how much BP they have.

* BonusBoss:
** Aside from the cameo bosses mentioned below, players can receive Nemeses, optional bosses obtained and fought via Norende. These include the Demon Lords from ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyThe4HeroesOfLight'', as well as two Level 99 Ba'al monsters that seem to serve as a ''Bravely Second'' tie-in.
** You can fight [[spoiler:the Adventurer and her fox]] in the BonusDungeon, also like in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyThe4HeroesOfLight''.

*** The FinalBoss is defeated by [[spoiler:everyone on your 3DS friend list who also have a copy of the game helping you by destroying the part of Ouroboros attacking their world.]]

** Holly Whyte can use healing magic to restore her allie's HP or her own. The same applies for her appearance in ''Second''.
** Victor S. Court can cast healing magic to restore his allie's HP or his own.
** When battling The Adventurer and The Comrade, the latter can cast Curaga when the HP of either of them is low. The Adventurer can also use Call Comrade to revive The Comrade should the latter be defeated the previous turn.

* RenovatingThePlayerHeadquarters: A little ways into the game, the player begins reconstruction efforts on the protagonist's DoomedHometown. As population increases through the game's Streetpass and Spotpass features, more villagers can be assigned to quicken the pace of facility reconstruction, on such buildings as general stores and armour shops, some of which contain items not found in the main game, like the part shop, allowing you to customize your party's LimitBreak abilities. This sidequest is also the player's ticket to Streetpass/Spotpass-delivered BonusBoss encounters, called Nemeses.

* SuperDeformed: Outside the opening cutscenes, pretty much everyone is rendered about 3 heads tall. This also becomes an easy way for you to tell who's a good guy and who's a bad guy, as the good guys are always shown to be short and a little simple-looking, while the bad guys are the ones who strangely tower above everyone else in the world. There are exceptions for both sides: for the good side, you have Datz and Mazher Lee; for the bad side, you have the even more so SuperDeformed Victoria [[spoiler:who only really looks like that because she's an ill girl whom got affected by banned alchemy practices]] and Alternis Dim [[spoiler:because he's literally Ringabel from a paralell world]].

** The game features {{bonus boss}}es from ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyThe4HeroesOfLight''

* BlackAndGreyMorality: The Eisenberg civil war is this, as Agnès points out. The Shieldbearers are sympathetic and claim to be the land's defenders, but they need to conscript people and kill as an inevitable part of war. The Swordbearers, on the other hand, are out to use Eisenberg's strength to start conquering surrounding territories and have the backing of Eternia, who does lovely things like ''gas hundreds of thousands of troops and civilians at once''.

''Flying Fairy'' was released in Japan in October 11, 2012, with an UpdatedRerelease, ''For The Sequel'', released on December 5, 2013. That version was then released as ''Where The Fairy Flies'' in Europe on December 6, 2013 and in North American on February 7, 2014.

Since then the game has been followed by a browser {{Spinoff}}, ''Bravely Default: Praying Brage'', a mobile spinoff, ''Bravely Default: Fairy's Effect'', and a 3DS direct sequel, ''VideoGame/BravelySecond''. ''VideoGame/BravelyDefaultII'', a new installment set in an entirely new world, was released on UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch in 2021.

* EverythingsBetterWithSpinning: Combine Piracy skills with a bow and arrow, and the character will pirouette, flip, and spin-jump while launching arrows.

* GratuitousEnglish: The title, which makes close to zero sense in English. According to Wiki/TheOtherWiki, [[WordOfGod Naotaka Hayashi]], the game's writer, has stated that the title means "have courage and renounce the promises and responsibilities that are expected of you." The game makes it something of a [[TitleDrop title drop]], in that the more unique aspects of the battle system are named 'Brave' and 'Default', which is to attack or defend.

* YouShouldntKnowThisAlready: After you see the cutscene of Heinkel and Owen fighting, Owen's entry in Ringabel's journal will say [[spoiler:he died in the fight.]] Keep in mind that character entries are penned in by Ringabel, so unlike D's Enigmatic Writings they ''don't'' predict the future.

* SuperDeformed: Outside the opening cutscenes, pretty much everyone is rendered about 3 heads tall. This also becomes an easy way for you to tell who's a good guy and who's a bad guy, as the good guys are always shown to be short and a little simple-looking, while the bad guys are the ones who strangely tower above everyone else in the world. There are exceptions for both sides: for the good side, you have Datz and Mazher Lee; for the bad side, you have the even more so SuperDeformed Victoria [[spoiler:who only really looks like that because she's an IllGirl whom got affected by banned alchemy practices]] and Alternis Dim [[spoiler:because he's literally Ringabel from a paralell world]].

** Grapp Keep in chapter 3 is a small dungeon that contains nothing but undead enemies. If you turn up encounters to 100%, equip your party with sage staffs (which cast Raise when used as an item), and [[ReviveKillsZombie sic them on the enemies there]], you can pump up weak jobs to level 9 in as little as half an hour. This seems intentionally designed as well, with a DifficultySpike in Chapter 3 accompanied with several new and powerful jobs available.

* DifficultySpike: Around Chapter 3, fights with the Jobmasters get markedly more difficult and require a sound strategy to win (usually developed after some TrialAndErrorGameplay). It makes sense, since SortingAlgorithmOfEvil is in place and the higher-up leaders of Eternia are leaders for a [[AsskickingEqualsAuthority reason]].