History VideoGame / BravelyDefaultII

*** The biggest improvement is JP acquisition. In the previous games, it could be an utter slog to level up classes quickly, often forcing players to go against the spirit of the game and focus solely on one or two classes for each character over the course of a playthrough. Here, JP acquisition is a lot faster due to each class level layer having a smaller increase in the JP needed to level up per level. The more salient point, however, is just how much JP each encounter gives you. It is incredibly easy to get a ton of JP just from the starting point because enemies give JP out in spades. You also unlock a feature fairly early in the game that allows you to get treasures while the Switch system is asleep, and some of these treasures are JP orbs.

** Seth ends up poisoned when [[spoiler:he tries to grab the fake Earth Crystal at the top of the tower.]] Once you regain control of the party, checking on his condition has him poisoned.

* BigBad: Adam is the Lord Commander of [[TheEmpire Holograd]] who destroyed Gloria's kingdom to gather the crystals and TakeOverTheWorld to bring an end to all wars. [[spoiler:In truth, he is being manipulated by his right-band woman Edna, who seeks to awaken the [[GreaterScopeVillain Night's Nexus]] and destroy everything due to her hatred of humans, having given people the Asterisks not only to drain the power of the crystals, but to ensure that the Nexus could never be defeated.]]

** Seth ends up poisoned when [[spoiler:he tries to grab the fake Earth Crystal at the top of the tower, but it melts and poisons him.]] Once you regain control of the party, checking on his condition has him poisoned.

** Chapter 4 pits the player against [[TheEmperor Adam]] as he makes his move to TakeOverTheWorld, and his three generals, with special mention for the AxCrazy undead {{Necromancer}} Vigintio, who plans to inflict AFateWorseThanDeath to the entire population of Wiswald (minus Roddy, whom he intends to keep alive so he can [[ForcedToWatch force him to watch]] his loved ones be converted into undead soldiers), and that's ''after'' he's slaughtered every single one of them. All of this to [[RevengeByProxy settle a grudge]] with the late Lady Emma. [[spoiler: Thankfully the party arrives just in time to stop him.]]

* RecurringElement: Like its [[VideoGame/FinalFantasy parent series]], this game is showing a trend of recurring ideas, motifs, and themes with its previous instalments, despite this game being the first divergent narrative in the series.

* HeroicSacrifice: Multiple times. Sir Sloan doesn't make it out of the Prologue doing this to save the party from Adam. [[spoiler: Gwydion]] does the same against Adam during the battle at Rimedhal. Next, [[spoiler: both Gloria and Adelle]] pull these off during the first few endings of the game though in the latter's case, [[spoiler: she
[[IChooseToStay chose to stay sealed off from the human world when she didn't have to]]]]. Finally, [[spoiler:Aileen, the Fairy Queen]] vanishes after sending the heroes off to the true final battle, using her power to send them to the dimension beyond the seas. Her spirit showing up later heavily implied that doing so cost her her life.

[[IChooseToStay chose to stay sealed off from the human world when she didn't have to]]]]. Finally, [[spoiler: Aileen, the Fairy Queen]] vanishes after sending the heroes off to the true final battle, using her power to send them to the dimension beyond the seas. Her spirit showing up later heavily implied that doing so cost her her life.

Hypocrite: In the demo Adelle teases Elvis for being over 30 despite her[[spoiler: being far,far older.]]

* HeroicSacrifice: Multiple times. Sir Sloan doesn't make it out of the Prologue doing this to save the party from Adam. [[spoiler: Gwydion]] does the same against Adam during the battle at Rimedhal. Next, [[spoiler: both Gloria and Adelle]] pull these off during the first few endings of the game though in the latter's case, [[spoiler: she [[IChooseToStay chose to stay sealed off from the human world when she didn't have to]]]]. Finally, [[spoiler: Aileen, the Fairy Queen]] vanishes after sending the heroes off to the true final battle, using her power to send them to the dimension beyond the seas. Her spirit showing up later heavily implied that doing so cost her her life.

*** If the player is a fan of using StandardStatusEffects, they'll be happy to know that the game will tell you if an enemy is immune to a specific condition each time you try it. This is a lifesaver for boss fights, as a lot of them can be made easier by poison and it helps to know when poison ''isn't'' a potential answer to a problem.

The reveal trailer can be found [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=516GnLC82WM here]], and the Nintendo Direct trailer can be found [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aqJ9_mz7iS0 here]]. The first playable demo for the game was released on March 26th, 2020; this demo was removed, but a Final Demo which incorporated changes based on feedback from the first demo emerged in its place on December 17th, 2020. The full game was released on February 26, 2021. A PC version released via UsefulNotes/{{Steam}} is set to come out on September 2, 2021.

The reveal trailer can be found [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=516GnLC82WM here]], and the Nintendo Direct trailer can be found [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aqJ9_mz7iS0 here]]. The first playable demo for the game was released on March 26th, 2020; this demo was removed, but a Final Demo which incorporated changes based on feedback from the first demo emerged in its place on December 17th, 2020. The full game was released on February 26, 2021.

** The game warns you that entering the Flying Fortress is a PointOfNoReturn, which means you'll be trapped in a dungeon with no shop to buy supplies from. [[spoiler:It turns out that Adam brought some wealthy Holograders to come aboard as a good chance for business, with one of them providing shop services next to a save point to boot. Ironically still, the shop is ''right across the room where you fight Adam''.]] Egregiously, in the same chapter, the player is screwed from buying anything during the revisit to Wiswald due to [[spoiler:Vigintio having kidnapped the entire town.]]

* InfinityPlusOneSword: At the end of the game, you unlock [[spoiler:the Halls of Tribulation, where you can refight all of the previous Asterisk-bearers (plus Lady Emma). All of them save Horten drop extremely powerful weapons that grant the player all of the passives of their respective classes, greatly expanding your tactical flexibility.]]
** Special mentions goes to [[spoiler: the Bravebearer, an Infinity+1 Job which combines utterly overpowered abilities with great stat boosts. And in a more traditional term, the Sword of Light, which is not only one of the most powerful weapons stat-wise but gives you ''5 skill slots'' worth of the Bravebearer's awesome passive skills.]]

* HeelFaceTurn: Quite a few of the Asterisk bearers do so once defeated: Dag and Selene become a pair of errant heroes who are rather heroic and selfless behind their respective bluster and aloofness, Shirley becomes content to run the gambling hall, Anihal realizes her error in blindly following Bernard (not that she was that antagonistic to begin with), Orpheus eagerly accepts a chance to have a honest job as an entertainer, Gladys joins the fight to defend Rimedhal (though at the cost of her life when she's backstabbed in revenge for the fairy hunts), and Lonsdale seeks atonement for the deaths at his hands from under Adam's command.

* BadassBookworm: Throughout both demos, Elvis is characterized as a scholar studying the Asterisks who is also perfectly capable of lighting things on fire whenever you need to with his magic. Gameplay-wise, he obviously becomes this in one or more of many ways as he's as capable of using the Asterisks as the rest of the party. His teacher Edna and colleagues Roddy and Lily also qualify.

*** While classes won't level up past 12 [[spoiler: until you clear the Halls of Tribulation in chapters 6 and 7]], the excess JP you get **will** be counted when [[spoiler: the class level cap is raised to 15]], giving you instant access to all of the new skills if you kept playing as that class even after mastering it.

* BadassBookworm: Throughout both demos, Elvis is characterized as a scholar studying the Asterisks who is also perfectly capable of lighting things on fire whenever you need to with his magic.

* NonStandardGameOver: Defeating [[HopelessBossFight Adam in the prologue]] triggers one. [[spoiler:Upon learning of Adam's defeat, Edna takes the Asterisks and departs to attack a new world, [[TheFourthWallWillNotProtectYou implied to be our own]].]] The credits then rapidly play with the GameOver music in the background, and the game informs you that you have to lose to Adam to continue the story.