Why Bravely Default may be the most important game of the decade

However, the true, lasting success of Bravely Default is showing Square Enix that there is still a demand for original franchises. After going five years between The World Ends With You and it, Square Enix is already stirring its brain and has been involved with three original projects over the last two years. Not only is it making original franchises on traditional consoles again, it is forming entirely new studios to helm them!

The best and most high profile of these attempts was the creation of Tokyo RPG Factory and its JRPG I Am Setsuna, another throwback to the olden days of JRPGs. This one, unlike Bravely Default, was clearly made on a shoestring budget and had to deliver double fold on the heart to make up for its technical shortcomings. I did just that, finding an audience who loved its endearing presentation and deceptively deep combat.

While not a financial hit, the JRPG audience came through and propped it up on a pedestal, and Square Enix responded with a new studio and two new franchises.

First is the one I’m most excited for. Project Octopath Traveler stole my heart when Square Enix showed it off on during the Nintendo Switch’s reveal video earlier in January. I’ll be daydreaming about this title until I see more or finally play it.

We also have today’s announcement of “Project Prelude Run,” and it is following many of the same steps that I Am Setsuna took. Square Enix creates a new studio, begins hiring with the promise of creating a JRPG, and then leaves us in waiting mode, wondering what it could be working on this time. If it’s a success, maybe we get more new games!

Hopefully, this cycle becomes a trend for the company, one which leads to wholly new and exciting adventures. Two new IPs from Square Enix, and to think half a decade ago we couldn’t even get one! These new games don’t necessarily have to be like games from the 90s to be successful, but Square Enix’s creative spirit does. Remember, that was an era when the company was being its most brazen, sinking massive funding into games like Xenogears, Vagrant Story, and Parasite Eve, games that lacked name recognition and games that other publishers wouldn’t even consider taking risks on nowadays.

But, as Bravely Default proved, if you ring in the classic JRPGs, its audience will follow. Square Enix has a whole new goldmine it is sitting on, and it took a handheld game that barely even made it stateside to light it all up.

And we still need SaGa: Scarlet Grace.The JRPG faithful and I won’t forget it exists, Square Enix!

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Article source: https://www.technobuffalo.com/2017/02/26/bravely-default-most-important-game-of-the-decade/