Bravely Default

Sometimes the best innovation hides in a return to the roots. Bravely Default took the classic structure of a Japanese RPG in the style of the early Final Fantasy games and breathed fresh life into it through a clever battle system and distinctive presentation, which made it one of the most beloved titles on the Nintendo 3DS.

The heart of the game is turn-based combat built on the pair of commands Brave and Default, after which the game is named. Using Default, a character banks its turn and defends, while thanks to Brave it can act several times in a round ahead of schedule, albeit at the cost of borrowing future actions. This mechanic adds a layer of tactical risk and reward to battles. It's complemented by an extensive job system, in which characters switch between dozens of professions and combine their abilities into countless builds.

Bravely Default was developed by Silicon Studio and published by Square Enix; Tomoya Asano contributed to the design and Revo composed the music. The game came out in Japan in 2012 and reached the West in 2013 and 2014 respectively. Visually it stands out with hand-painted, watercolor town backdrops that lend the world a fairy-tale fragility.

Culturally, Bravely Default showed that there was still strong demand for the traditional JRPG and revived a genre many considered to be fading. Critics and players alike received the title very warmly, and the game became a commercial success that convinced Square Enix of the brand's viability.

Its success led to the sequel Bravely Second: End Layer and later to the standalone installment Bravely Default II for the Nintendo Switch. The series thus built its own firm place in the modern JRPG.

Why play it: For anyone longing for an honest, beautiful-looking Japanese RPG with an inventive battle system, Bravely Default is one of the best choices on the 3DS.