Bravely Default Flying Fairy HD Remaster Brings Strategy to the Switch

Whoa, so there I was at PAX East 2025, right? And honestly, I never touched Bravely Default on the 3DS—yep, you read that right. I mean, wasn’t everyone raving about it back in the day? It was like, “Hey, it’s almost as rad as Final Fantasy!” or whatever. Anyway, I got lucky (or something) because Square Enix decided to throw a surprise my way with a demo of Bravely Default Flying Fairy HD Remaster. Perfect timing, I guess, considering my past self completely snubbed the original.

So, first things first: you’re gonna notice the lack of those nifty dual screens. Have a moment of silence, maybe? But they cranked the graphics up to high-def—oh yeah, and the UI is all fresh and new. I kinda nudged the Square Enix rep, asking if they’d spruce up the sequel too. She seemed to vibe with the idea but gave me that “I can’t reveal anything” look.

Now, playtime was brief and chaotic—not exactly how RPGs should be enjoyed, right? So I breezed past loads of dialogue and those cutscenes everyone seems to love. Whatever, I dove into the combat headfirst. And this battle system? Totally unique! Get this: you have Brave and Default modes. Brave lets you spam attacks—like four in one go—but you’re left totally vulnerable afterwards. And Default? Defend yourself while banking turns for later. Maybe it sounds weird, but it’s all about striking a balance. I, of course, threw strategy out the window, going full Brave mode like a lunatic. Probably not the smartest, but hey, it was fun.

Didn’t get to mess with the job system—something to look forward to, though. Honestly, skipping the original seems downright silly now because this HD version looks so promising. It’s a second chance for folks like me who missed the 3DS train. Mark your calendars for June 5 when it hits the Nintendo Switch 2, along with the console launch. Don’t miss out!