Bravely Default: Flying Fairy HD Remaster Brings Strategy to Switch

I gotta admit something up front: I never touched Bravely Default on the good ol’ Nintendo 3DS. Yeah, I know, sounds crazy, right? Everyone kept saying it was top-tier RPG stuff, right next to Final Fantasy. But here I was at PAX East 2025, and Square Enix just drops this demo of Bravely Default Flying Fairy HD Remaster outta nowhere. Perfect chance for me to dive in fresh, right? No baggage holding me back.

First off, you’re really hit with the change. Remember the dual screens on the old 3DS? Those are history. Now it’s all about these high-def graphics—just wow. Oh, and the UI’s had a makeover. Chatted with a Square Enix rep (I might have bugged her a bit) about whether they’re gonna do this for the sequel, Bravely Second: End Layer. She was kinda tight-lipped but seemed into the idea. So, maybe I kinda nudged them in that direction? Yeah, right—like they’d listen to me!

Playing this timed demo, though—I mean, RPGs aren’t exactly a hop-in-and-out kinda experience. Loads of dialogue and cutscenes? Yep, I bailed on most of that. But the combat, that’s where the magic is. You got this Brave and Default system, which is kinda mind-blowing. Brave lets you hammer opponents with up to four attacks, but then you’re just sitting there hoping you won’t get whacked. Default is more chill—you defend and save a turn to double down later. Makes for some wild strategy. I, being reckless as usual, just went full Brave, ignoring defense and, yeah, getting smacked pretty hard sometimes. Guess that’s me—dive headfirst into everything.

Didn’t have enough time to mess with the job system, but the game’s already left a mark. Seriously, kicking myself for not playing this on 3DS, but hey, this updated version’s perfect for newbies like me. Mark your calendars—the game and Nintendo Switch 2 drop on June 5. You won’t wanna miss it.