192-659: Bravely Default , known in Japan as Bravely Default: Flying Fairy , is a role-playing video game developed by Silicon Studio for the Nintendo 3DS handheld console . Bravely Default was originally released in 2012 and later rereleased as an expanded edition in 2013 subtitled For the Sequel in Japan. For the Sequel was later released in Europe, Australia, and North America in 2014 simply titled as Bravely Default . This expanded edition used
384-469: A non-playable character , is a character in a game that is not controlled by a player . The term originated in traditional tabletop role-playing games where it applies to characters controlled by the gamemaster or referee rather than by another player. In video games, this usually means a character controlled by the computer (instead of a player) that has a predetermined set of behaviors that potentially will impact gameplay, but will not necessarily be
576-403: A Special Move is performed, the entire party is granted buffs for a limited period. This period is represented with a specific tune that plays over normal battle music. Various elements can be added to Special Moves, such as granting elemental properties, launching status ailments at enemies, recovering HP and MP, and temporary status ailment immunity to the party. The customization of Special Moves
768-450: A big open world , and let you do whatever you like [which makes it] difficult to tell a compelling story." Hironobu Sakaguchi noted that "users like to categorise" WRPGs as "a sort of different style, born from first person shooters." In recent years, some have also criticized WRPGs for becoming less RPG-like, instead with further emphasis on action. Christian Nutt of GameSpy states that, in contrast to JRPGs, WRPGs' greater control over
960-512: A dialogue box, floating text, cutscene , or other means of displaying the NPCs' speech or reaction to the player. NPC speeches of this kind are often designed to give an instant impression of the character of the speaker, providing character vignettes, but they may also advance the story or illuminate the world around the PC. Similar to this is the most common form of storytelling, non-branching dialogue, in which
1152-462: A feature called Abilink. Any Job can be borrowed from available players regardless of their current level. Luxendarc is thrown into chaos when its four elemental crystals are consumed by darkness. Agnès Oblige, vestal of the Wind Crystal, escapes. Meanwhile, a chasm opens below the town of Norende and destroys it. Its sole survivor, Tiz Arrior, investigates the chasm and meets Agnès and her companion,
1344-409: A finite number of points to the attributes of their choice. Gaining experience will also unlock new magic spells for characters that use magic. Some role-playing games also give the player specific skill points , which can be used to unlock a new skill or improve an existing one. This may sometimes be implemented as a skill tree. As with the technology trees seen in strategy video games , learning
1536-516: A first print copy of the game's soundtrack, an artbook, and a themed 3DS protective case. Downloadable content in the form of additional character costumes were made available both through promotional codes and post-release content. An updated edition of the game, titled Bravely Default: For the Sequel , was announced in August 2013 in Weekly Shōnen Jump for a release on December 5 that year. For
1728-545: A gamemaster. Exploring the world is an important aspect of many RPGs. Players will walk through, talking to non-player characters , picking up objects, and avoiding traps. Some games such as NetHack , Diablo , and the FATE series randomize the structure of individual levels, increasing the game's variety and replay value. Role-playing games where players complete quests by exploring randomly generated dungeons and which include permadeath are called roguelikes , named after
1920-449: A greater degree in the early 1990s. As console RPGs became more heavily story-based than their computer counterparts, one of the major differences that emerged during this time was in the portrayal of the characters. Console RPGs often featured intricately related characters who had distinctive personalities and traits, with players assuming the roles of people who cared about each other, fell in love or even had families. Romance in particular
2112-626: A hold as they had in the West due to their cost; there was little market for Western-developed games and there were a few Japanese-developed games for personal computers during this time such as The Black Onyx (1984) which followed the Wizardry / Ultima format. With the release of the low-cost Famicom console (called the Nintendo Entertainment System overseas), a new opportunity arose to bring role-playing games to Japan. Dragon Quest (1986)
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#17328519903452304-805: A large number of Western indie games are modelled after JRPGs, especially those of the 16-bit era , partly due to the RPG Maker game development tools . Another oft-cited difference is the prominence or absence of kawaisa , or "cuteness", in Japanese culture, and different approaches with respect to character aesthetics. WRPGs tend to maintain a serious and gritty tone, whereas JRPG protagonists tend to be designed with an emphasis on aesthetic beauty, and even male characters are often young, androgynous , shōnen or bishōnen in appearance. JRPGs often have cute characters, juxtaposed with more mature themes and situations; and many modern JRPGs feature characters designed in
2496-588: A life support tank as the mysterious Magnolia Arch rescues him. According to producer Tomoya Asano, Bravely Default began development as a sequel to Final Fantasy: The 4 Heroes of Light (2009), and would have been part of the Final Fantasy franchise. After completing The 4 Heroes of Light , Asano considered what he wanted to do next. Despite having the option to developing something within Square Enix's core franchises, he wanted to do something new, establishing
2688-634: A little box doesn't mean it belongs there." Nick Doerr of Joystiq criticizes the claim that JRPGs are "too linear", pointing out that non-linear JRPGs are not uncommon—for instance, the Romancing SaGa series. Likewise, Rowan Kaiser of Joystiq points out that linear WRPGs were common in the 1990s, and argues that many of the often mentioned differences between Eastern and Western games are stereotypes that are generally "not true" and "never was", pointing to classic examples like Lands of Lore and Betrayal at Krondor that were more narrative-focused than
2880-423: A major challenge in order to progress to the next area, and this structure can be compared to the boss characters at the end of levels in action games . The player typically must complete a linear sequence of certain quests in order to reach the end of the game's story. Many RPGs also often allow the player to seek out optional side-quests and character interactions. Quests of this sort can be found by talking to
3072-459: A mixed class, such as a fighter who can cast simple spells. Characters will also have a range of physical attributes such as dexterity and strength, which affect a player's performance in combat. Mental attributes such as intelligence may affect a player's ability to perform and learn spells, while social attributes such as charisma may limit the player's choices while conversing with non-player characters. These attribute systems often strongly resemble
3264-593: A mysterious journal in his possession; and Edea Lee, a defector of a large army bent on capturing Agnès. Together, the party aims to reclaim the four crystals from the darkness and confront a greater evil along the way. Starting development as an action role-playing sequel to Final Fantasy: The 4 Heroes of Light , it retained elements from the Final Fantasy series while having its own story and gameplay elements. The producer of The 4 Heroes of Light , Tomoya Asano, returned to produce Bravely Default . The story's writer
3456-436: A new brand. During this initial phase, the original development team reached out to Silicon Studio , whose previous work was mostly related to development middleware. Silicon Studio developed a well-received demo for the project and were assigned to develop the game. Despite moving away from the Final Fantasy series, it retained a battle system and world setting in common with many Final Fantasy games. According to Asano, this
3648-477: A new world, Bravely Default II , was released worldwide in 2021 on the Nintendo Switch . The Bravely series has shipped over 3 million copies by November 2021. Bravely Default is a role-playing video game which features a party of four characters navigating the fantasy world of Luxendarc. Navigation in towns, dungeons, and the world map environments are presented in an angled, third-person overhead view:
3840-419: A non-player character, and there may be no penalty for abandoning or ignoring these quests other than a missed opportunity or reward. Players can find loot (such as clothing, weapons, and armor) throughout the game world and collect it. Players can trade items for currency and better equipment. Trade takes place while interacting with certain friendly non-player characters, such as shopkeepers, and often uses
4032-615: A non-player character. These games often feature a day-night cycle with a time scheduling system that provides context and relevance to character interactions, allowing players to choose when and if to interact with certain characters, which in turn influences their responses during later conversations. In 2023, Replica Studios unveiled its AI -developed NPCs for the Unreal Engine 5 , in cooperation with OpenAI , which enable players to have an interactive conversation with unplayable characters. "NPC streaming"— livestreaming while mimicking
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#17328519903454224-466: A number of user-configurable settings. Fallout Tactics: Brotherhood of Steel and Arcanum: Of Steamworks and Magick Obscura offered players the option to play in either turn-based or RTwP mode via a configuration setting. The latter also offered a "fast turn-based" mode, though all three of the game's modes were criticized for being poorly balanced and oversimplified. Early Ultima games featured timed turns: they were strictly turn-based, but if
4416-462: A parallel Alternis Dim who got dragged into the group's original world, and slowly regains his memories he witnesses his world's group being killed by Airy after turning into a monster, revealing her true intentions to link all the parallel worlds for her master, the demon Ouroboros, to conquer the Celestial Realm. Should Agnès destroy a crystal, Airy attacks them in a fit of rage before fleeing to
4608-442: A particular action will increase. Many role-playing games allow players to play as an evil character. Although robbing and murdering indiscriminately may make it easier to get money, there are usually consequences in that other characters will become uncooperative or even hostile towards the player. Thus, these games allow players to make moral choices, but force players to live with the consequences of their actions. Games often let
4800-483: A particular skill in the tree will unlock more powerful skills deeper in the tree. Three different systems of rewarding the player characters for solving the tasks in the game can be set apart: the experience system (also known as the "level-based" system), the training system (also known as the "skill-based" system) and the skill-point system (also known as "level-free" system) Older games often separated combat into its own mode of gameplay, distinct from exploring
4992-581: A positive-feedback cycle that is central to most role-playing games: The player grows in power, allowing them to overcome more difficult challenges, and gain even more power. This is part of the appeal of the genre, where players experience growing from an ordinary person into a superhero with amazing powers. Whereas other games give the player these powers immediately, the player in a role-playing game will choose their powers and skills as they gain experience. Role-playing games usually measure progress by counting experience points and character levels. Experience
5184-692: A pseudo-3D layout. This style was meant to emulate classic picture books. Finalization of the art style took a long period, going through extensive trial and error. Designs for many of the secondary characters were handled by other artists: Atsushi Ōkubo , who had most notably worked on the Soul Eater manga series, designed Einheria and the Valkyrie job outfits. Erutus Profiteur and the Merchant job designed by Hideki Ishikawa, whose work included character designs for Lord of Vermilion arcade game series. Kamiizumi and
5376-402: A result, Japanese-style role-playing games are held in disdain by some Western gamers, leading to the term "JRPG" being held in the pejorative. Some observers have also speculated that JRPGs are stagnating or declining in both quality and popularity, including remarks by BioWare co-founder Greg Zeschuk and writing director Daniel Erickson that JRPGs are stagnating—and that Final Fantasy XIII
5568-418: A sentence being within a 22-character limit, and to not overrun into multiple dialogue boxes. The main character designer and art director was Akihiko Yoshida , whose previous notable works include Final Fantasy Tactics and Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together . In contrast to much of his previous artwork, Yoshida created the game's artwork using a stronger design and coloring style. His artwork for Agnès
5760-442: A side-scrolling view. Most notably since Ultima Underworld (1992), role-playing games started implementing true three-dimensional (3D) graphics, where players typically navigate the game world from a first or third-person perspective. However, an isometric or aerial top-down perspective is common in party-based RPGs, in order to give the player a clear view of their entire party and their surroundings. Role-playing games require
5952-490: A single paragraph) spread across 13 booklets, while the second contains 50,000 paragraphs spread across 14 booklets. Most of the games from this era are turn-based, although Dungeon Master and its imitators have real-time combat. Other classic titles from this era include The Bard's Tale (1985), Wasteland (1988), the start of the Might and Magic (1986–2014) series and the continuing Ultima (1981–1999) series. Later, in
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6144-630: A single turn with no cost. Bravely Second requires Sleep Points, or SP, a currency which is either replenished while the Nintendo 3DS is in sleep mode or through buying regenerative SP Drinks through microtransactions . Battle speed during combat can be sped up or returned to normal at the player's discretion. Tied into the battle system is a Job system : beginning with the Freelancer, the party can gain additional Jobs by obtaining gems called "asterisks" from defeated human bosses. Twenty-four Jobs can be found in
6336-463: A single turn. When the BP gauge is into negative figures, they must wait for the BP counter to reach zero before they can act again. BP are naturally recovered once per turn. Alternately, any party member can Default, which reduces the damage taken by enemy strikes and accumulates BP. An additional power is "Bravely Second", an ability which freezes time for the enemy, allowing a party member to move four times in
6528-409: A smaller set of possible actions, since computers can't engage in imaginative acting comparable to a skilled human gamemaster. In exchange, the typical role-playing video game may have storyline branches, user interfaces, and stylized cutscenes and gameplay to offer a more direct storytelling mechanism. Characterization of non-player characters in video games is often handled using a dialog tree . Saying
6720-415: A specialized trading screen. Purchased items go into the player's inventory. Some games turn inventory management into a logistical challenge by limiting the size of the player's inventory, thus forcing the player to decide what they must carry at the time. This can be done by limiting the maximum weight that a player can carry, by employing a system of arranging items in a virtual space, or by simply limiting
6912-463: A spell, as ammunition is consumed by a gun, most games offer players a finite amount of mana which can be spent on any spell. Mana is restored by resting or by consuming potions. Characters can also gain other non-magical skills, which stay with the character for as long as the character lives. Role-playing games may have the player focus only on a single character throughout the game; the character may be joined by computer-controlled allies outside of
7104-414: A turn for later use, or create loan points to act multiple times in a current turn. The concept of "D's Journal", which would offer players deeper insights into the world and characters of Bravely Default , was inspired by a similar system from Higurashi When They Cry . During the late stages of the game's development, the team had to make several last-minute tweaks and changes to ensure the game delivered
7296-562: A type of livestream that allows users to participate in and shape the content they are viewing in real time. It has become widely popular as influencers and users of social media platforms such as TikTok utilize livestreams to act as non-player characters. "Viewers in NPC live streams take on the role of puppeteers, influencing the creator's next move." This phenomenon has been on a rise as viewers are actively involved in what they are watching, by purchasing digital "gifts" and sending them directly to
7488-824: Is an example of a game series that has advanced from non-branching ( Ultima III: Exodus and earlier) to branching dialogue (from Ultima IV: Quest of the Avatar and on). Other role-playing games with branching dialogues include Cosmic Soldier , Megami Tensei , Fire Emblem , Metal Max , Langrisser , SaGa , Ogre Battle , Chrono , Star Ocean , Sakura Wars , Mass Effect , Dragon Age , Radiant Historia , and several Dragon Quest and Final Fantasy games. Certain video game genres revolve almost entirely around interactions with non-player characters, including visual novels such as Ace Attorney and dating sims such as Tokimeki Memorial , usually featuring complex branching dialogues and often presenting
7680-404: Is directly tied to the creation of specialist shops during the reconstruction of Norende. Experience points acquired at the end of a battle enable characters and their assigned Jobs to level up, unlocking new abilities and boosting character stats such as available HP and MP. Bonuses are gained if the party fulfilled certain conditions. Job abilities and levels can be borrowed from online friends, in
7872-456: Is general consensus that the more "real" the NPCs feel, the more fun players will have interacting with them in character. In some games and in some circumstances, a player who is without a player character can temporarily take control of an NPC. Reasons for this vary, but often arise from the player not maintaining a PC within the group and playing the NPC for a session or from the player's PC being unable to act for some time (for example, because
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8064-504: Is kept in balance by four elemental crystals protected by the Crystal Orthodoxy, a religious group with influence across the world. The story follows the adventures of four protagonists: Agnès Oblige, vestal of the Wind Crystal, who was forced out of her duties after the crystals were consumed by darkness; Tiz Arrior, the sole survivor from a destroyed village caused by the crystals' blight; Ringabel, an amnesiac wanderer trying to uncover
8256-496: Is largely predefined for the sake of telling a specific story, many role-playing games make use of a character creation screen. This allows players to choose their character's sex, their race or species, and their character class. Although many of these traits are cosmetic, there are functional aspects as well. Character classes will have different abilities and strengths. Common classes include fighters, spellcasters, thieves with stealth abilities, and clerics with healing abilities, or
8448-405: Is multiple-choice roleplaying. When talking to an NPC, the player is presented with a list of dialogue options, and may choose between them. Each choice may result in a different response from the NPC. These choices may affect the course of the game, as well as the conversation. At the least, they provide a reference point to the player of their character's relationship with the game world. Ultima
8640-492: Is not even really an RPG; criticisms regarding seemingly nebulous justifications by some Japanese designers for newly changed (or, alternately, newly un-changed) features of recent titles; calls among some gaming journalists to "fix" JRPGs' problems; as well as claims that some recent titles such as Front Mission Evolved are beginning to attempt—and failing to—imitate Western titles. In an article for PSM3 , Brittany Vincent of RPGFan.com felt that "developers have mired
8832-484: Is notable for introducing automapping and in-game scrolls providing hints and background information. They also released Pool of Radiance in 1988, the first of several " Gold Box " CRPGs based on the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons rules . These games feature a first-person display for movement, combined with an overhead tactical display for combat. One common feature of RPGs from this era, which Matt Barton calls
9024-621: Is often rooted in speculative fiction (i.e. fantasy or science fiction ), which allows players to do things they cannot do in real life and helps players suspend their disbelief about the rapid character growth. To a lesser extent, settings closer to the present day or near future are possible. The story often provides much of the entertainment in the game. Because these games have strong storylines, they can often make effective use of recorded dialog and voiceover narration. Players of these games tend to appreciate long cutscenes more than players of faster action games . While most games advance
9216-399: Is some debate about how much work a gamemaster should put into an important NPC's statistics; some players prefer to have every NPC completely defined with stats, skills, and gear, while others define only what is immediately necessary and fill in the rest as the game proceeds. There is also some debate regarding the importance of fully defined NPCs in any given role-playing game (RPG), but it
9408-406: Is usually divided so that each game location is an opportunity to reveal a new chapter in the story. Pen-and-paper role-playing games typically involve a player called the gamemaster (or GM for short) who can dynamically create the story, setting, and rules, and react to a player's choices. In role-playing video games, the computer performs the function of the gamemaster. This offers the player
9600-451: Is usually earned by defeating enemies in combat, with some games offering experience for completing certain quests or conversations. Experience becomes a form of score , and accumulating a certain amount of experience will cause the character's level to go up. This is called "levelling up", and gives the player an opportunity to raise their character(s)'s attributes. Many RPGs allow players to choose how to improve their character, by allocating
9792-579: The Dungeons & Dragons ruleset. Some role-playing games make use of magical powers , or equivalents such as psychic powers or advanced technology. These abilities are confined to specific characters such as mages, spellcasters, or magic-users. In games where the player controls multiple characters, these magic-users usually complement the physical strength of other classes. Magic can be used to attack, defend, or temporarily change an enemy or ally's attributes. While some games allow players to gradually consume
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#17328519903459984-537: The Nintendo DS have had more original and experimental Japanese RPGs released in recent years. Western RPGs have also received criticism in recent years. They remain less popular in Japan, where, until recently, Western games in general had a negative reputation. In Japan, where the vast majority of early console role-playing video games originate, Western RPGs remain largely unknown. The developer Motomu Toriyama criticized Western RPGs, stating that they "dump you in
10176-409: The Nintendo Switch . Two years prior to the game's announcement on Christmas Day 2017, character designer Akihiko Yoshida posted an image on Twitter of Edea holding a pair of Joy-Con controllers. Additionally after Octopath Traveler sold over 1 million copies, the occasion was celebrated with another illustration on Twitter, with the pose assumed by the eight party members strongly resembling Airy from
10368-703: The Sharp X1 computer in 1983 and later ported to the MSX in 1984, the NES in 1985 and the Sharp X68000 as New Bokosuka Wars . The game laid the foundations for the tactical role-playing game genre, or "simulation RPG" genre as it is known in Japan. It was also an early example of a real-time , action role-playing game . In 1986, Chunsoft created the NES title Dragon Quest (called Dragon Warrior in North America until
10560-500: The Ultima series, employed duplicates of the miniatures combat system traditionally used in the early role-playing games . Representations of the player characters and monsters would move around an arena modeled after the surrounding terrain, attacking any enemies that are sufficiently close. Earlier role-playing video games used a two-dimensional top-down view or tile-based first-person view. Early action-based role-playing games often used
10752-405: The artificial intelligence and scripted behavior of computer-controlled non-player characters . The premise of many role-playing games tasks the player with saving the world, or whichever level of society is threatened. There are often twists and turns as the story progresses, such as the surprise appearance of estranged relatives, or enemies who become friends or vice versa. The game world
10944-500: The eighth game ), which drew inspiration from computer RPGs Ultima and Wizardry and is regarded as the template for future Japanese role-playing video games released since then. Also in 1986 The Legend of Zelda was released for the NES , while not generally considered an RPG itself did inspire many aspects of future action-RPGs. In 1987, the genre came into its own with the release of several highly influential console RPGs distinguishing themselves from computer RPGs, including
11136-436: The " Golden Age " of computer RPGs, is the use of numbered "paragraphs" printed in the manual or adjunct booklets, containing the game's lengthier texts; the player can be directed to read a certain paragraph, instead of being shown the text on screen. The ultimate exemplar of this approach is Sir-Tech 's Star Saga trilogy (of which only two games were released); the first game contains 888 "textlets" (usually much longer than
11328-416: The 1980 video game Rogue . The game's story is often mapped onto exploration, where each chapter of the story is mapped onto a different location. RPGs usually allow players to return to previously visited locations. Usually, there is nothing left to do there, although some locations change throughout the story and offer the player new things to do in response. Players must acquire enough power to overcome
11520-422: The 1990s, and became known for being more heavily story and character-based, American computer RPGs began to face criticism for having characters devoid of personality or background, due to representing avatars which the player uses to interact with the world, in contrast to Japanese console RPGs which depicted characters with distinctive personalities. American computer RPGs were thus criticized for lacking "more of
11712-408: The 3DS cartridge's storage space limitations, these ultimately proved to be minimal. The game's title represented the game's main theme of self-reliance: not blindly following the will of others, and following your own will. "Bravely" symbolized courage, while "Default" symbolized denial. The subtitle was one of many proposed by the team, and was chosen by Asano after it helped give an official name to
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#173285199034511904-553: The 3DS, alongside titles such as Monster Hunter 4 and Fire Emblem Awakening . Between February and September 2012, five different demos were released through Nintendo eShop . The first demo featured Agnès and demonstrated character control. The second, released in March, featured the character Tiz and town exploration. The third demo, released in June, showcased the battle system and introduced Edea. The fourth demo, released in August, featured
12096-532: The Dark Aurora and being defeated there, warning the group Ouroboros is still a threat. Should all crystals be awakened, Airy reveals her true intentions and gains her true form in the Dark Aurora. After defeating her, Ouroboros devours her. Tiz learns his life is kept by a being of the Celestial Realm. Ouroboros consumes worlds to regain strength, but the parallel versions of the party break the Ouroboros' link, allowing
12288-422: The PC is injured or in another location). Although these characters are still designed and normally controlled by the gamemaster, when players are given the opportunity to temporarily control these non-player characters, it gives them another perspective on the plot of the game. Some systems, such as Nobilis , encourage this in their rules. Many game systems have rules for characters sustaining positive allies in
12480-406: The PC's choices. The term "non-player character" is also used in video games to describe entities not under the direct control of a player. The term carries a connotation that the character is not hostile towards players; hostile characters are referred to as enemies, mobs , or creeps. NPC behavior in computer games is usually scripted and automatic, triggered by certain actions or dialogue with
12672-448: The PCs enter these locations or perform certain actions. Combat options typically involve positioning characters, selecting which enemy to attack, and exercising special skills such as casting spells. In a classical turn-based system, only one character may act at a time; all other characters remain still, with a few exceptions that may involve the use of special abilities. The order in which
12864-608: The Ravager and Menzoberranzan , transferred the AD&;D license to several different developers, and eventually gave it to BioWare , who used it in Baldur's Gate (1998) and several later games. By the 2000s, 3D engines had become dominant. The earliest RPG on a console was Dragonstomper on the Atari 2600 in 1982. Another early RPG on a console was Bokosuka Wars , originally released for
13056-463: The Sequel was intended as a "trial version" for its sequel, already in development after the success of Bravely Default . Prior to any official announcement of its Western release, Bravely Default was cited by multiple journalists as a game that should be localized for Western markets. In October 2012, Asano stated that there were no plans to localize the game, but that fans should continue inquiring so that their wishes were made clear. A localization
13248-450: The Sequel was stated to have over a hundred different improvements and adjustments: these included additional save slots, additional difficulty levels, auto saving options, the addition of new subevent scenes, new gameplay elements such as the "Bravely Second" ability, and subtitles in multiple languages. Many of these alterations were based on questionnaires sent out by the company after the original version's release. According to staff, For
13440-574: The Summoner Job, characters can use summoned monsters to launch attacks that deal high damage on all enemies. Friend characters can also be summoned from other players' games: the more a friend summon is used, the more effective their actions become. Descriptions of defeated enemies, along with story recaps and descriptions of locations, weapons, and Jobs are included in an item called D's Journal. Within certain conditions, characters can perform Special Moves, customizable powerful moves tied to Jobs: after
13632-859: The Swordmaster job were designed by Dorin Makoto, who had most notably worked on the Sengoku Basara series. Red Mage Flore DeRossa and the Red Mage job was designed by Take, who worked on the Katanagatari light novel series. Qada and the Salve Maker job were designed by Midori Foo, an artist who had worked on multiple light novels and online games. Bravely Default was first announced in September 2011 under its original Japanese title as part of Nintendo's 2012 lineup for
13824-515: The Tension stat used in the Dragon Quest series, but designer Kensuke Nakahara wanted something more exciting for players. He was also annoyed that the majority of bosses in both Dragon Quest and Final Fantasy got two or more actions per turn while player characters only got one each. After some consideration, Nakahara decided on a system where characters could bank points by not taking actions during
14016-745: The UK, a collector's edition was created including the soundtrack, an artbook, and over thirty AR cards. The UK edition also included a figurine of Agnès. It was also released in South Korea on April 16, although it was not localized into Korean , placing it in contrast with other Nintendo releases such as Shin Megami Tensei IV . The localization itself was handled by Bill Black and his company Binari Sonori, whose previous work included Demons' Score for Square Enix and World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade for Blizzard Entertainment . Another key staff member
14208-582: The ability to pause the game and issue orders to all characters under his/her control; when the game is unpaused, all characters follow the orders they were given. This "real-time with pause" system ( RTwP ) has been particularly popular in games designed by BioWare . The most famous RTwP engine is the Infinity Engine . Other names for "real-time with pause" include "active pause" and "semi real-time". Tactical RPG maker Apeiron named their system Smart Pause Mode (SPM) because it would automatically pause based on
14400-428: The ability to summon friends' characters into battle as a summon, and the "Abilink" option which allowed players to borrow each other's job levels. The initial versions of these functions were not as elaborate as they would become in the final product. Norende Village was initially displayed on a single screen, but at a suggestion from Asano it was enlarged so players needed to slide the display around. The summoning option
14592-561: The actors' performances: these included making Ringabel more flirtatious, and adjusting Edea's growl of rage between language versions. The game uses both the English and Japanese dubs, along with subtitles in multiple languages. The Western localization of the game contains censorship related to some sexually suggestive material in the original game: the ages of the main characters were increased to no longer be underage by Western standards, with 15-year-olds being changed to be 18-year-olds, and two of
14784-437: The ambitious scope of Final Fantasy VII raised the possibilities for the genre, with its dozens of minigames and much higher production values. The latter includes innovations such as the use of 3D characters on pre-rendered backgrounds, battles viewed from multiple different angles rather than a single angle, and for the first time full-motion CGI video seamlessly blended into the gameplay, effectively integrated throughout
14976-429: The battle and Job systems held up throughout the entire game, and like Moore found the social systems enjoyable. Nair was positive about the depth and strategy the gameplay opened up, despite criticizing the number of options increasing the amount of time spent in battle. Both Evans and Robertson praised the battle system and general gameplay, with Robertson calling the former innovative within the genre. Riendeau found that
15168-450: The battle mechanics and multiple user-friendly features. Halestorm shared the positive opinions of other reviewers on the battle system, alongside praising the game's amount and quality of content. Many reviewers positively compared the gameplay and style to earlier Final Fantasy games. Multiple Western reviewers commented negatively on the repetitive late-game section. The graphics and presentation garnered mixed opinions. Famitsu praised
15360-466: The battle system's depth and quality gave her feelings of elation when she successfully killed opponents, but also saw the need to grind for experience emerging during the later stages of the game negatively impacted the experience. Parkin referred to the Brave and Default mechanics as the game's "central - and brilliant - conceit". Fuller, while finding the microtransactions a "waste of money", he greatly enjoyed
15552-451: The behaviors of an NPC—became popular on TikTok in 2023 and was largely popularized by livestreamer Pinkydoll . On the Internet, the term NPC is often used as an insult to suggest that some people are unable to form thoughts or opinions of their own. Such people are often characterized as being similar to NPC Wojak , who is a grey-faced, expressionless Internet meme . NPC streaming is
15744-443: The best possible performance. Due to the game's chosen mechanics, balancing the game became a major part of later development. The core concept of Bravely Default was defined by Asano as "everyone can play", as he wanted to bring positive elements from the growing social game market into Bravely Default . The social gameplay was made up of three different elements: the ability to employ StreetPass friends to help reconstruct Norende,
15936-535: The category," pointing to Chrono Trigger (which he also worked on) and the Mana games. He further noted that there have been "other games similar to the style of Chrono Trigger ," but that "it's probably because the games weren't localised and didn't reach the Western audience." Xeno series director Tetsuya Takahashi , in reference to Xenoblade Chronicles , stated that "I don't know when exactly people started using
16128-457: The character Airy: prior to this point, she had gone unnamed and was generally referred to as a " Navi character". The subtitle was also a coded reference to Airy's true agenda and the game's deliberate removal from the Final Fantasy series. The key words created for the initial draft scenario were "large hole", referring to the Great Chasm beneath Norende, and "parallel world", which referred to
16320-452: The character Ringabel and demonstrated the job and character customization systems. The fifth and final demo, released in September, included features from all the previous demos and included elements such as Friend Summons, and the Abilink and Norende reconstruction social elements. With the release of the fifth demo, the sale of the other demos was discontinued. The demos were developed alongside
16512-448: The character at an effectiveness determined by that character's numeric attributes. Often these attributes increase each time a character gains a level , and a character's level goes up each time the player accumulates a certain amount of experience. Role-playing video games also typically attempt to offer more complex and dynamic character interaction than what is found in other video game genres. This usually involves additional focus on
16704-710: The character remains still, the camera zooms out to a distant view. These environments are displayed on the top screen of the Nintendo 3DS system, while the bottom screen displays maps of environments, party stats and other information such as item menus. On the world map, a day-night cycle alters the types of enemies present, and after a certain point in the story an airship can be used to speed up travel and access previously inaccessible areas. In towns, players can interact with non-playable characters (NPCs), purchase items or magic at specialized shops, buy or sell weapons and equipment at an armory, or rest at an inn to restore health points (HP) and magic points (MP). In all environments,
16896-643: The characters act is usually dependent on their attributes, such as speed or agility. This system rewards strategic planning more than quickness. It also points to the fact that realism in games is a means to the end of immersion in the game world, not an end in itself. A turn-based system makes it possible, for example, to run within range of an opponent and kill them before they get a chance to act, or duck out from behind hard cover, fire, and retreat back without an opponent being able to fire, which are of course both impossibilities. However, tactical possibilities have been created by this unreality that did not exist before;
17088-415: The characters for their strength, but found that the story's pacing struggled at times. Danielle Riendeau of Polygon , despite finding many characters appealing, called the story "more like a pastiche of tropes than its own unique take [on the genre]". Chandra Nair of Official Nintendo Magazine called story and character development "extremely impressive", while Bradly Halestorm of Hardcore Gamer found
17280-456: The characters within a tile-based graphics system . Dragon Quest was highly successful in Japan, leading to further entries in the series and other titles such as Final Fantasy that followed the same simplifications made in RPGs for Dragon Quest . Because of these differences, the role-playing genre began to be classified into two fairly distinct styles: computer RPG and console RPG . By
17472-408: The development and customization of playable characters has come at the expense of plot and gameplay, resulting in what he felt was generic dialogue, lack of character development within the narrative and weaker battle systems. He also states that WRPGs tend to focus more on the underlying rules governing the battle system rather than on the experience itself. Tom Battey of Edge Magazine noted that
17664-467: The dialogue "excessively wordy" despite the late-game developments improving on both aspects. Simon Parkin, writing for Eurogamer , found the story less "unusual" than other aspects, but praised its willingness to send itself up and enjoyed Hayashi's subtle subversion of genre tropes. GameSpot ' s John Robertson was fairly negative, saying that it started out poorly and never managed to throw off that initial impression. David Evans of IGN praised
17856-459: The dialogue was the need to create jokes that would not work in Japanese, such as Agnès commenting on finding a "lucky charm". The subtitle " Flying Fairy " was removed for the Western release as it might have given a false impression of family-friendly content due to different cultural perceptions to Japan. The English voice actors were chosen to sound as similar as possible to their Japanese counterparts, and adjustments were made to characters through
18048-520: The earliest role-playing video games on a microcomputer was Dungeon n Dragons , written by Peter Trefonas and published by CLOAD (1980). This early game, published for a TRS-80 Model 1, is just 16K long and includes a limited word parser command line, character generation, a store to purchase equipment, combat, traps to solve, and a dungeon to explore. Other contemporaneous CRPGs (Computer Role Playing Games) were Temple of Apshai , Odyssey: The Compleat Apventure and Akalabeth: World of Doom ,
18240-437: The early 2000s, the distinction between platforms became less pronounced as the same games appeared on both console and computer, but stylistic differences between Western role-playing games (WRPGs) and Japanese role-playing games (JRPGs) remained, rooted in the earlier distinctions. Though sharing fundamental premises, WRPGs tend to feature darker graphics, older characters, and a greater focus on roaming freedom, realism, and
18432-431: The equipped weapon, using magic, or using an item. The party also has the option to escape from most battles. Two new options to the battle system are the Brave and Default options. Brave Points (BP) dictate the number of actions a character or enemy can take within a turn, along with being needed for the execution of certain abilities. Party members can utilize BP down into negative figures, enabling up to four actions within
18624-553: The fairy Airy. The group is attacked by forces of the Duchy of Eternia, who seek to prevent Agnès from awakening the crystals. After defeating the forces, Tiz travels with Agnès as her protector. Back to Caldisla, the group is joined by Ringabel, an amnesiac vagabond with a mysterious book, and Edea Lee, a soldier who defects her army. Airy instructs the group how to awaken the crystals, and the first three crystals are successfully awakened while having Eternia's forces on their trail. As they seek
18816-413: The female playable characters' costumes were altered to make them less revealing. The story was met with positive reviews. Famitsu was highly positive about the story, although the reviewers did not go into specifics. Edge Magazine called the narrative "rich and detailed", enjoying the twists put on the present genre tropes and the darker narrative elements despite the experience being undermined by
19008-436: The final crystal, the group is forced to defeat Edea's father Braev. The Holy Pillar of Light appears; there, the group finds out Edea's close friend Dark Knight Alternis Dim looks identical to Ringabel. However, the group is surrounded by bright light and awakens back to Caldisla. After learning Airy's ritual brought them into a parallel world, the group notices Airy's wings now display the number 4. Unaware of another solution,
19200-416: The first game. Asano stated that the reason for the game's title, Bravely Default II , was due to his belief that Bravely Second did not live up to fans' expectations, and its critical and commercial under-performance made it difficult for the team to continue on the series. Similar to how numbered sequels function in the Final Fantasy franchise, this new installment takes place in a new world separate from
19392-587: The form of NPC followers; hired hands, or other dependant stature to the PC. Characters may sometimes help in the design, recruitment, or development of NPCs. In the Champions game (and related games using the Hero System ), a character may have a DNPC, or "dependent non-player character". This is a character controlled by the GM, but for which the player character is responsible in some way, and who may be put in harm's way by
19584-475: The game company. These "non-players" are often distinguished from player characters by avatar appearance or other visual designation, and often serve as in-game support for new players. In other cases, these "live" NPCs are virtual actors, playing regular characters that drive a continuing storyline (as in Myst Online: Uru Live ). In earlier RPGs, NPCs only had monologue. This is typically represented by
19776-443: The game involved creating the plot and character settings. While he wrote the majority of the game's dialogue, more detailed work was given to writers at Square Enix and Silicon Studio. One of the supplementary writers was Silicon Studio's Keiichi Ajiro, who wrote the contents of D's Journal. Ajiro also created the initial story outline with Asano. The initial story concept was kept deliberately simple, but its complexity increased during
19968-700: The game its "Rookie Award" at its 2012 Awards event, while it received the 2012 Dengeki Online Consumer Award, the latter award being given while beating Persona 4 Golden (2nd) and Rune Factory 4 (3rd). At the Japan Game Awards , it received the Future Game Award in 2012 and the Excellence Award in 2013. It later won GameSpot ' s 3DS Game of the Year 2014 award. At the 2014 National Academy of Video Game Trade Reviewers (NAVGTR) awards, Bravely Default
20160-579: The game reached 300,000 copies in Japan. For the Sequel debuted at #8 in gaming charts, selling 35,617 units. By 2014, For the Sequel had sold 59,300 units, making it the 160th best-selling game of that year. In North America, Bravely Default met with strong debut sales, reaching #10 in NPD Group's sales charts and selling 200,000 copies. In July 2014, it was reported that Bravely Default had sold one million copies worldwide: 400,000 units were sold in Japan, while 600,000 were sold overseas. Famitsu awarded
20352-435: The game world. More recent games tend to maintain a consistent perspective for exploration and combat. Some games, especially earlier video games, generate battles from random encounters ; more modern RPGs are more likely to have persistent wandering monsters that move about the game world independently of the player. Most RPGs also use stationary boss monsters in key positions, and automatically trigger battles with them when
20544-550: The game's aesthetic kept her invested when the story failed to do so. Parkin referred to the background artwork as "like nothing else". Robertson referred to the game's art style as "striking and engaging". In its debut week, Bravely Default topped gaming charts with sales of 141,529 units, noted as being an impressive debut for a new game. It had a sell-through rate of over 85%. Its sales and sell-through rate were notably higher than those of its predecessor The 4 Heroes of Light . By late January 2013, shipments and eventually sales of
20736-487: The game's graphics, while Edge admired the art style and monster design, and was glad that the hardware limitations faced by The 4 Heroes of Light were not present in Bravely Default . Marchiafava called the graphics "beautiful" and praised the soundtrack, though called the English voice acting "hit or miss". Fuller was less impressed by the visuals, but found the music to be excellent . Halestorm, while he did not think
20928-426: The game, and can fill any role not occupied by a player character. Non-player characters might be allies, bystanders or competitors to the PCs. NPCs can also be traders that trade currency for things such as equipment or gear. NPCs thus vary in their level of detail. Some may be only a brief description ("You see a man in a corner of the tavern"), while others may have complete game statistics and backstories . There
21120-435: The game, each having a faster tempo depending on the escalating battle situation. Revo's recording sessions were closely linked with the creation of the game's sound source, so the music would fit onto the 3DS' limited storage space without losing too much of its quality. Once the music was recorded, a sound environment was created so that it could be heard clearly through the 3DS system's speakers. While there were concerns about
21312-439: The game, ranging from the agile Valkyrie to White and Black Mages that respectively specialize in healing and fighting magic. Each Job has different strengths and weaknesses in battle. Outside battle, characters can be assigned any available Job. In addition to the skills of the equipped Job, the skills of a second Job can be learned, allowing for free customization of parties and the mixing of Job abilities in battle. After obtaining
21504-473: The game. The game was soon ported to the PC and gained much success there, as did several other originally console RPGs, blurring the line between the console and computer platforms. Computer-driven role-playing games had their start in Western markets, with games generally geared to be played on home computers. By 1985, series like Wizardry and Ultima represented the state of the art in role-playing games. In Japan, home computers had yet to take as great
21696-466: The gameplay mechanics, but found the social elements to be less successful despite not actively irritating him. Moore praised the battle system and implementation of the Job system, although the latter necessitated grinding to unlock its full value. He also praised the ability to adjust encounter rates and battle speed, and positively noted the social features as engaging secondary activities. Marchiafava found that
21888-425: The gameplay's mixture of traditional mechanics and new elements, along with its storyline, graphics and music. Main points of criticism were its repetitive late-game stages and elements of its social gameplay. Bravely Default spawned multiple media tie-ins and spin-off games. A direct sequel, Bravely Second: End Layer , was released in 2015 in Japan and 2016 overseas for the Nintendo 3DS, while another sequel set in
22080-448: The genre is that characters grow in power and abilities, and characters are typically designed by the player. RPGs rarely challenge a player's physical coordination or reaction time, with the exception of action role-playing games . Role-playing video games typically rely on a highly developed story and setting, which is divided into a number of quests. Players control one or several characters by issuing commands, which are performed by
22272-521: The genre-defining Phantasy Star , released for the Master System . Shigeru Miyamoto 's Zelda II: The Adventure of Link for the Famicom Disk System was one of the earliest action role-playing games , combining the action-adventure game framework of its predecessor The Legend of Zelda with the statistical elements of turn-based RPGs . Most RPGs at this time were turn-based. Faxanadu
22464-413: The graphics were the best to be found on the 3DS, praised their stylized appearance and the well-executed 3D effect, and called the soundtrack "downright hypnotizing". Nair praised the game's audio despite little variety in the musical score, and called its visuals "gorgeous". Evens praised the character art for its "simple and striking" appearance, and its stylized background artwork. Riendeau commented that
22656-566: The group awakens the four crystals and the Holy Pillar of Light, resulting in awakening in another parallel world. While working their way to Airy's pattern reaching 0, the group learns several truths about themselves and their adversaries; nearly all the Eternian forces were hired by Braev out of compassion as they were rejected by the Orthodoxy to cleanse it of its corruption. Ringabel is revealed to be
22848-539: The key features of RPGs were developed in this early period, prior to the release of Ultima III: Exodus , one of the prime influences on both computer and console RPG development. For example, Wizardry features menu-driven combat, Tunnels of Doom features tactical combat on a special "combat screen", and Dungeons of Daggorath features real-time combat which takes place on the main dungeon map. Starting in 1984 with Questron and 50 Mission Crush , SSI produced many series of CRPGs. Their 1985 game Phantasie
23040-520: The label "JRPG" is most commonly used to refer to RPGs "whose presentation mimics the design sensibilities" of anime and manga, that it's "typically the presentation and character archetypes" that signal "this is a JRPG." Modern JRPGs are more likely to feature turn-based battles; while modern WRPGs are more likely to feature real-time combat. In the past, the reverse was often true: real-time action role-playing games were far more common among Japanese console RPGs than Western computer RPGs up until
23232-437: The late 1990s had become more cinematic in style (e.g. Final Fantasy series). At the same time, WRPGs started becoming more novelistic in style (e.g. Planescape: Torment ), but by the late 2000s had also adopted a more cinematic style (e.g. Mass Effect ). One reason given for these differences is that many early Japanese console RPGs can be seen as forms of interactive manga or anime wrapped around Western rule systems at
23424-415: The late 1990s have had a stronger focus on extensive dialog tree systems (e.g. Planescape: Torment ). On the other hand, JRPGs tend to limit players to developing pre-defined player characters , and often do not allow the option to create or choose one's own playable characters or make decisions that alter the plot. In the early 1990s, JRPGs were seen as being much closer to fantasy novels , but by
23616-919: The late 1990s, due to gamepads usually being better suited to real-time action than the keyboard and mouse. Some journalists and video game designers have questioned this cultural classification, arguing that the differences between Eastern and Western games have been exaggerated. In an interview held at the American Electronic Entertainment Expo , Japanese video game developer Tetsuya Nomura (who worked on Final Fantasy and Kingdom Hearts ) emphasized that RPGs should not be classified by country-of-origin, but rather described simply for what they are: role-playing games. Hironobu Sakaguchi , creator of Final Fantasy and The Last Story , noted that, while "users like to categorise" JRPGs as "turn-based, traditional styles" and WRPGs as "born from first-person shooters ," there "are titles that don't fit
23808-428: The late 1990s, which saw the rise of optical disks in fifth generation consoles. The implications for RPGs were enormous—longer, more involved quests, better audio, and full-motion video . This was first clearly demonstrated in 1997 by the phenomenal success of Final Fantasy VII , which is considered one of the most influential games of all time. With a record-breaking production budget of around $ 45 million,
24000-441: The main campaign, the game uses networking features powered by the 3DS's StreetPass functionality. A central element is the campaign to reconstruct the village of Norende, destroyed at the beginning of the game. The village is constructed on new ground after obstacles are removed and an area is prepared. The reconstruction incorporates social game elements: friends encountered by the player through StreetPass and online invites become
24192-476: The main game as stand-alone experiences taken from several points within the game. They also ended up providing the team with feedback for gameplay adjustments. Each demo included an AR movie featuring one of the main cast. Bravely Default released on October 11, 2012. It was published by Square Enix. Along with the standard edition, Square Enix created a collector's edition for exclusive sale through their online store. The collector's edition featured an AR poster,
24384-447: The many versions of Luxendarc encountered by players during their journey. The greater majority of the main scenario and side quest storylines were fully voiced, with the main cast having a huge amount of dialogue compared to other characters. The summons were themed after classical elements, modern machinery and multiple world mythologies. The game's script was written by Naotaka Hayashi, a staff writer at 5pb. whose most notable work at
24576-432: The means of displaying NPC speech are the same as above, but the player character or avatar responds to or initiates speech with NPCs. In addition to the purposes listed above, this enables development of the player character. More advanced RPGs feature interactive dialogue, or branching dialogue ( dialogue trees ). An example are the games produced by Black Isle Studios and White Wolf, Inc. ; every one of their games
24768-461: The mid-1970s, as an offshoot of early university mainframe text-based RPGs on PDP-10 and Unix -based computers, such as Dungeon , pedit5 and dnd . In 1980 , a very popular dungeon crawler , Rogue , was released. Featuring ASCII graphics where the setting, monsters and items were represented by letters and a deep system of gameplay, it inspired a whole genre of similar clones on mainframe and home computers called " roguelikes ". One of
24960-591: The middle to late 1990s, isometric, sprite-based RPGs became commonplace, with video game publishers Interplay Entertainment and Blizzard North playing a lead role with such titles as the Baldur's Gate , Icewind Dale and the action-RPG Diablo series, as well as the dialogue-heavy Planescape: Torment and cult classics Fallout and Fallout 2 . This era also saw a move toward 3D game engines with such games as Might and Magic VI: The Mandate of Heaven and The Elder Scrolls: Arena . TSR , dissatisfied with SSI's later products, such as Dark Sun: Wake of
25152-576: The modern JRPG in unoriginality", citing Square Enix CEO Yoichi Wada who stated that "they're strictly catering to a particular audience", the article noting the difference in game sales between Japan and North America before going on to suggest JRPGs may need to "move forward". This criticism has also occurred in the wider media with an advertisement for Fallout: New Vegas ( Obsidian Entertainment ) in Japan openly mocked Japanese RPGs' traditional characteristics in favor of their own title. Nick Doerr of Joystiq noted that Bethesda felt that JRPGs "are all
25344-421: The more fantasy novel approach of Squaresoft console RPGs such as Final Fantasy IV . However in 1994, game designer Sandy Petersen noted that, among computer gamers, there was criticism against cartridge-based console JRPGs being "not role-playing at all" due to popular examples such as Secret of Mana and especially The Legend of Zelda using "direct" arcade-style action combat systems instead of
25536-644: The more "abstract" turn-based battle systems associated with computer RPGs. In response, he pointed out that not all console RPGs are action-based, pointing to Final Fantasy and Lufia . Another early criticism, dating back to the Phantasy Star games in the late 1980s, was the frequent use of defined player characters , in contrast to the Wizardry and Gold Box games where the player's avatars (such as knights, clerics, or thieves) were blank slates. As Japanese console RPGs became increasingly more dominant in
25728-459: The number of items that can be held. Most of the actions in an RPG are performed indirectly, with the player selecting an action and the character performing it by their own accord. Success at that action depends on the character's numeric attributes. Role-playing video games often simulate dice-rolling mechanics from non-electronic role-playing games to determine success or failure. As a character's attributes improve, their chances of succeeding at
25920-493: The option of adjusting the types of items rewarded. Special randomly generated optional bosses, known as Nemeses, will appear in the region. Defeating them yields special rewards. Battles come in two types: random encounters with standard enemies, and staged boss battles. The battle system revolves around turn-based combat: each side is allowed to perform an action or multiple actions, with each character having independent movements and commands: these actions include attacking with
26112-491: The original game, and includes a new cast of characters aligned to four forces themed after Luxendarc's elemental crystals. Another spin-off, Bravely Archive: D's Report , was released for mobile devices on January 22, 2015. Like Praying Brage , it was set far in the future, followed an alternate scenario stemming from the events of Bravely Default , and featured characters from Praying Brage . By August of that year, D's Report had reached over four million downloads. A sequel
26304-445: The party can find chests containing items, weapons or equipment. During certain points, a Party Chat option appears, giving players the option of initiating conversations between the party members. During exploration, standard enemies appear through random encounters : outside battle, the encounter rate can be adjusted from high to nothing. The game features multiple difficulty levels, which can be adjusted freely outside battle. Outside
26496-405: The party to destroy him. The party returns to their world as the links to the parallel worlds close. In the aftermath, Agnès and Edea return to their respective groups to improve the relationship between the reformed Orthodoxy and Eternia. Ringabel returns to his own world to reclaim his true identity. After Tiz releases the Celestial Realm's being within him, he falls into a coma. He later awakens in
26688-554: The platform divide between consoles and computers , respectively. Finally, while the first RPGs offered strictly a single player experience, the popularity of multiplayer modes rose sharply during the early to mid-1990s with action role-playing games such as Secret of Mana and Diablo . With the advent of the Internet, multiplayer games have grown to become massively multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPG), including Lineage , Final Fantasy XI , and World of Warcraft . The role-playing video game genre began in
26880-646: The player characters. In certain multi-player games ( Neverwinter Nights and Vampire: The Masquerade series, for example) a player that acts as the GM can "possess" both player and non-player characters, controlling their actions in order to further the storyline. More complex games, such as the aforementioned Neverwinter Nights , allow the player to customize the NPCs' behavior by modifying their default scripts or creating entirely new ones. In some online games, such as massively multiplayer online role-playing games , NPCs may be entirely unscripted, and are essentially regular character avatars controlled by employees of
27072-424: The player control an entire party of characters. However, if winning is contingent upon the survival of a single character, then that character effectively becomes the player's avatar . An example of this would be in Baldur's Gate , where if the character created by the player dies, the game ends and a previous save needs to be loaded. Although some single-player role-playing games give the player an avatar that
27264-547: The player determines whether the loss of immersion in the reality of the game is worth the satisfaction gained from the development of the tactic and its successful execution. Fallout has been cited as being a good example of such a system. Real-time combat can import features from action games , creating a hybrid action RPG game genre. But other RPG battle systems such as the Final Fantasy battle systems have imported real-time choices without emphasizing coordination or reflexes. Other systems combine real-time combat with
27456-544: The player to change the party's character classes during the course of the game. Another "major innovation was the introduction of day/night cycles; certain items, characters, and quests are only accessible at certain times of day." In 1989, Phantasy Star II for the Genesis established many conventions of the genre, including an epic , dramatic, character-driven storyline dealing with serious themes and subject matter. Console RPGs distinguished themselves from computer RPGs to
27648-896: The player to manage a large amount of information and frequently make use of a windowed interface. For example, spell-casting characters will often have a menu of spells they can use. On the PC, players typically use the mouse to click on icons and menu options, while console games have the player navigate through menus using a game controller. The role-playing video game genre began in the mid-1970s on mainframe computers , inspired by pen-and-paper role-playing games such as Dungeons & Dragons . Several other sources of inspiration for early role-playing video games also included tabletop wargames , sports simulation games, adventure games such as Colossal Cave Adventure , fantasy writings by authors such as J. R. R. Tolkien , traditional strategy games such as chess , and ancient epic literature dating back to Epic of Gilgamesh which followed
27840-435: The player waited more than a second or so to issue a command, the game would automatically issue a pass command, allowing the monsters to take a turn while the PCs did nothing. There is a further subdivision by the structure of the battle system; in many early games, such as Wizardry , monsters and the party are arrayed into ranks, and can only attack enemies in the front rank with melee weapons. Other games, such as most of
28032-406: The player's control. Other games feature a party that the player can create at the start or gather from non-player characters in the game, coming into partial or full control of the player during the game. Although the characterization of the game's avatar will develop through storytelling, characters may also become more functionally powerful by gaining new skills, weapons, and magic. This creates
28224-432: The player's image into an area of the arena during the final boss battle. The game's music was composed by Revo, the leader of Japanese musical group Sound Horizon . Asano contacted Revo concerning a collaboration as he had listened to his 2004 album Chronicle 2nd . During his work, Revo was able to see the game's ROM , then discuss the game's vision and development goals with Asano. While the initially-agreed track number
28416-401: The player's possible responses word-for-word as the player character would say them. Games revolving around relationship-building, including visual novels, dating sims such as Tokimeki Memorial , and some role-playing games such as Persona , often give choices that have a different number of associated "mood points" that influence a player character's relationship and future conversations with
28608-461: The players, to be as exciting as the Japanese imports", and lacked the arcade and action-adventure elements commonly found in Japanese console RPGs at the time. In the early 1990s, American computer RPGs also began facing criticism for their plots, where "the party sticks together through thick and thin" and always "act together as a group" rather than as individuals, and where non-player characters are "one-dimensional characters", in comparison to
28800-410: The plot when the player defeats an enemy or completes a level, role-playing games often progress the plot based on other important decisions. For example, a player may make the decision to join a guild, thus triggering a progression in the storyline that is usually irreversible. New elements in the story may also be triggered by mere arrival in an area, rather than completing a specific challenge. The plot
28992-437: The precursor to Ultima . Some early microcomputer RPGs (such as Telengard (1982) or Sword of Fargoal ) were based on their mainframe counterparts, while others (such as Ultima or Wizardry , the most successful of the early CRPGs) were loose adaptations of D&D . They also include both first-person displays and overhead views, sometimes in the same game ( Akalabeth , for example, uses both perspectives). Most of
29184-562: The previous games with a brand new cast of characters. The game was released worldwide on February 26, 2021. Role-playing video game A role-playing video game , role-playing game ( RPG ) or computer role-playing game ( CRPG ) is a video game genre where the player controls the actions of a character (or several party members) immersed in some well-defined world, usually involving some form of character development by way of recording statistics. Many role-playing video games have origins in tabletop role-playing games and use much of
29376-528: The problems often cited against JRPGs also often apply to many WRPGs as well as games outside of the RPG genre. BioWare games have been criticized for "lack of innovation, repetitive structure and lack of real choice." WRPGs, such as Bethesda games, have also been criticized for lacking in "narrative strength" or "mechanical intricacy" due to the open-ended, sandbox structure of their games. Non-playable character A non-player character ( NPC ), also called
29568-418: The product of true artificial intelligence . In traditional tabletop role-playing games such as Dungeons & Dragons , an NPC is a character portrayed by the gamemaster (GM). While the player characters (PCs) form the narrative's protagonists, non-player characters can be thought of as the "supporting cast" or "extras" of a roleplaying narrative. Non-player characters populate the fictional world of
29760-404: The result as a "Japanese RPG with American content thrown in". The main challenge for the team was making Bravely Default a traditional RPG without overloading it with nostalgic elements. Despite this, as the team were fans of both Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest , nostalgic features were added for genre veterans and be appreciated by newcomers. Asano wanted to bring together what he considered
29952-409: The right things to the right non-player characters will elicit useful information for the player, and may even result in other rewards such as items or experience, as well as opening up possible storyline branches. Multiplayer online role-playing games can offer an exception to this contrast by allowing human interaction among multiple players and in some cases enabling a player to perform the role of
30144-488: The same terminology , settings , and game mechanics . Other major similarities with pen-and-paper games include developed story-telling and narrative elements, player character development, complexity, as well as replay value and immersion. The electronic medium removes the necessity for a gamemaster and increases combat resolution speed. RPGs have evolved from simple text-based console-window games into visually rich 3D experiences. Role-playing video games use much of
30336-436: The same basic structure of setting off in various quests in order to accomplish goals. After the success of role-playing video games such as Ultima and Wizardry , which in turn served as the blueprint for Dragon Quest and Final Fantasy , the role-playing genre eventually diverged into two styles, Eastern role-playing games and Western role-playing games , due to cultural differences , though roughly mirroring
30528-492: The same style as those in manga and anime . The stylistic differences are often due to differing target audiences: Western RPGs are usually geared primarily towards teenage to adult males, whereas Japanese RPGs are usually intended for a much larger demographic, including female audiences , who, for example, accounted for nearly a third of Final Fantasy XIII 's playerbase. In 2015, IGN noted in an interview with Xenoblade Chronicles X 's development team that
30720-424: The same terminology, settings and game mechanics as early tabletop role-playing games such as Dungeons & Dragons . Players control a central game character, or multiple game characters, usually called a party , and attain victory by completing a series of quests or reaching the conclusion of a central storyline. Players explore a game world, while solving puzzles and engaging in combat. A key feature of
30912-598: The same" and "too linear", to which he responded that "[f]or the most part, it's true" but noted there are also non-linear JRPGs such as the Romancing SaGa series. Such criticisms have produced responses such as ones by Japanese video game developers , Shinji Mikami and Yuji Horii , to the effect that JRPGs were never as popular in the West to begin with, and that Western reviewers are biased against turn-based systems. Jeff Fleming of Gamasutra also states that Japanese RPGs on home consoles are generally showing signs of staleness, but notes that handheld consoles such as
31104-420: The story to be solid and the main cast enjoyable. Alex Fuller of RPGamer found the main cast quite enjoyable, praising their Party Chat interactions, and enjoyed the story despite its initial overly straightforward premise. The gameplay was praised overall. The Edge reviewer greatly enjoyed the deceptively simple Brave and Default mechanics despite a run time they described as "bloated". Fitch likewise enjoyed
31296-402: The streamer. In return, the streamer will briefly mimic character or act. This phenomenon has become a trend starting from July 2023, as influencers make profits from this new internet character. Pinkydoll , a TikTok influencer gained 400,000 followers the same month that she started NPC Streaming, while her livestreams began to earn her as much as $ 7,000 in a day. NPC streaming gives creators
31488-639: The studio Acquire to develop a new traditional role-playing game that reconsidered their expectations after witnessing the reception to the Bravely series. This game, which would become Octopath Traveler , was announced in January 2017 and initially released worldwide for the Nintendo Switch in July 2018. A third entry in the Bravely series, Bravely Default II , was announced at The Game Awards 2019 exclusively for
31680-404: The subtitle Where The Fairy Flies in territories outside of Japan. Square Enix published the game in Japan, while Nintendo handled publishing duties overseas. The gameplay uses a turn-based battle system and job system, in addition to incorporating options to combine job abilities and adjust battle speed and random encounter rates. Bravely Default is set in the world of Luxendarc, which
31872-496: The term 'JRPG,' but if this game makes people rethink the meaning of this term, I'll be satisfied." The writer Jeremy Parish of 1UP.com states that " Xenoblade throws into high relief the sheer artificiality of the gaming community's obsession over the differences between" Western and Japanese RPGs, pointing out that it "does things that don't really fit into either genre. Gamers do love their boundaries and barriers and neat little rules, I know, but just because you cram something into
32064-413: The three core elements of RPGs (battles, growth, and connection) in Bravely Default . An important element was creating a casual experience that anyone could enjoy, even if they had never played an RPG. During development, the team decided to cater for the core Japanese RPG fanbase, as they did not believe the game viable for Western release at the time. At the early stages of development, Bravely Default
32256-414: The time was visual novel Steins;Gate . After playing through Steins;Gate on the recommendation of another staff member, Asano decided that Hayashi would be able to create the appealing characters and surprising scenario needed for the story, and asked 5pb. if Hayashi could work on Bravely Default . Another reason Asano wanted Hayashi was due to the plot's heavy use of parallel worlds. Hayashi's work on
32448-503: The time, in addition to the influence of visual novel adventure games . As a result, Japanese console RPGs differentiated themselves with a stronger focus on scripted narratives and character drama, alongside streamlined gameplay. In recent years, these trends have in turn been adopted by WRPGs, which have begun moving more towards tightly structured narratives, in addition to moving away from "numbers and rules" in favor of streamlined combat systems similar to action games. In addition,
32640-557: The title Bravely Default: The Pocketbook of R , were released in December 2013. In addition to this, two drama CDs containing supplementary stories were released through 2013 and 2014. Music from the game was featured in Theatrhythm Final Fantasy as DLC. A browser game spin-off titled Bravely Default: Praying Brage , began an open beta on November 11, 2012. Developed by NHN Hangame, Praying Brage takes place 200 years after
32832-615: The title's identity as a traditional role-playing game, prompted them to reconsider their game making strategy, which up to that point had been geared towards developing titles tailored for Western markets rather than focusing on the Japanese market. According to the developers, none of them believed that the game would be released overseas, and were overwhelmed by the positive fan feedback they had received. A manga titled Bravely Default: Flying Fairy began serialization online through Famitsu . Two compilation volumes were released in 2015 and 2016 respectively. Two supplementary books, released under
33024-583: The traditional role-playing " offered by Japanese console RPGs, which instead emphasized character interactions. In response, North American computer RPGs began making a comeback towards the end of the 1990s with interactive choice-filled adventures. Several writers have criticized JRPGs as not being "true" RPGs, for heavy usage of scripted cutscenes and dialogue, and a frequent lack of branching outcomes. Japanese RPGs are also sometimes criticized for having relatively simple battle systems in which players are able to win by repetitively mashing buttons. As
33216-509: The typical Western-style RPGs of the time. Due to the cultural differences between Western and Japanese variations of role-playing games, both have often been compared and critiqued by those within the video games industry and press. In the late 1980s, when traditional American computer RPGs such as Ultima and Defender of the Crown were ported to consoles, they received mixed reviews from console gamers, as they were "not perceived, by many of
33408-448: The underlying game mechanics (e.g. "rules-based" or "system-based" ); whereas JRPGs tend to feature brighter, anime -like or chibi graphics, younger characters, turn-based or faster-paced action gameplay, and a greater focus on tightly-orchestrated, linear storylines with intricate plots (e.g. "action-based" or "story-based" ). Further, WRPGs are more likely to allow players to create and customize characters from scratch, and since
33600-503: The village's residents, and their efforts are used to create various buildings including houses and shops. The amount of time a project takes to complete depends on the number of friends assigned to it, taking anywhere from days to weeks. Increasing the number of people speeds up the towns' reconstruction. As the reconstruction progresses, the player is awarded with new items and equipment. Individual buildings will gain experience points , granting access to higher-tier rewards, and players have
33792-459: The writing process. During his work, Hayashi was given guidelines by Square Enix about the characters and story: for instance, Asano wanted the heroes and villains to be equally compelling, along with raising the game's targeted age group. Something that Hayashi needed to remember during the writing process was the need to limit the length of dialogue segments. While visual novels had a high leeway for dialogue quantity, Asano would make requests such as
33984-443: The writing quality. Andrew Fitch of Electronic Gaming Monthly found the story and characters enjoyable, and in some cases "stellar", while Ben Moore of GameTrailers noted the story's aversion to take risks despite interesting twists, and found that it was bogged down by advanced foreshadowing of major plot twists. Game Informer ' s Jeff Marchiafava found the game's story and characters to be "rife with clichés", and called
34176-500: Was Naotaka Hayashi, who was brought in from 5pb. due to his work on Steins;Gate . The characters designs were handled by multiple artists, including art director Akihiko Yoshida and mangaka Atsushi Ōkubo . The game was influenced by western video games and television series , and individual elements were inspired by aspects of the Dragon Quest series and Higurashi When They Cry . The music, composed by Revo of Sound Horizon ,
34368-512: Was Timothy Law, a localization editor from Square Enix who supervised the translation and voice recording for the title. An element of the localization that provided a challenge was creating a sense of wordplay equivalent with that used in the original Japanese. An example of this was the Performer job and its owner, the latter of which needed to have her first name adjusted while taking into consideration European gender perceptions. Another example from
34560-446: Was a theme that was common in most console RPGs at the time but absent from most computer RPGs. During the 1990s, console RPGs had become increasingly dominant, exerting a greater influence on computer RPGs than the other way around. Console RPGs had eclipsed computer RPGs for some time, though computer RPGs began making a comeback towards the end of the decade with interactive choice-filled adventures. The next major revolution came in
34752-448: Was another early action RPG for the NES, released as a side-story to the computer action RPG Dragon Slayer II: Xanadu . Square 's Final Fantasy for the NES introduced side-view battles, with the player characters on the right and the enemies on the left, which soon became the norm for numerous console RPGs. In 1988, Dragon Warrior III introduced a character progression system allowing
34944-487: Was between 20 and 30, the number of tracks almost doubled during production as Revo saw situations that needed their own music. Revo aimed for a nostalgic musical style, referencing the music and atmosphere of Final Fantasy , Dragon Quest , and the SaGa series. During recording, tracks were given descriptive working titles, such as "Scene of Normal Battle" or "Song of Asterisk Holder Warfare". Multiple battle songs were created for
35136-434: Was both a leftover of the project's original form and a conscious choice to give players from the Final Fantasy series a sense of comfortable familiarity. In later responses to fan questions, Asano confirmed that he designed the Final Fantasy -style story so players would have little trouble entering the world. The story-telling and gameplay was heavily influenced by western video games and television series . Asano described
35328-431: Was confirmed as being in development as early as 2013. The new game, Bravely Second: End Layer , was officially announced in December 2013. It released in Japan in 2015 and overseas in 2016. In an interview with Japanese magazine Dengeki , Asano said that he would ideally like to release a new Bravely game every year. Following the second game's release, Asano would partner with Square Enix producer Masashi Takahashi and
35520-405: Was designed to represent her solitude and knowledge of her fate while also displaying cuteness and motherliness. Tiz's design was designed not to convey a strong personality, as he in part represented the player. For the game's environmental artwork, Yoshida drew on European children's literature. The in-game environments such as towns and the overworld were created using specially drawn art mapped to
35712-406: Was going to be an action role-playing game , a genre Silicon Studio had previously worked on with 3D Dot Game Heroes . After developing a prototype build and putting it before Asano, it was decided to make the battle system a traditional turn-based model. The interdependent "Brave" and "Default" mechanics underwent changes during the development process. Initially, Asano envisioned a system akin to
35904-426: Was incorporated to differentiate Bravely Default from other RPGs of the time, forming part of Asano's wish to create something new. A notable feature included in the game were augmented reality (AR) movies. The AR movies were developed using a software development kit provided by Nintendo and implemented into the game by Silicon Studio. A unique gimmick included in the game was using the platform's camera to project
36096-411: Was initially going to be a simple display of the summoned character, but it was decided to make the summoning sequence more elaborate. The summoning text initially shared fonts with other elements, but as Asano wanted it to have more impact, a more florid font was used. This styling was influenced by a sequence featuring Japanese idol group AKB48 in an unspecified television drama. The usage of StreetPass
36288-517: Was intended to evoke the feelings of classic series such as Dragon Quest and SaGa . Bravely Default was announced in September 2011 as part of Nintendo's 2012 lineup for the platform. In the run-up to release, multiple demos were developed, and the team adjusted the game using feedback from players. For the Sequel was the basis for the overseas release, being localized without any subtitle. In both Japan and overseas, Bravely Default met with strong sales and critical acclaim. Common praise went to
36480-558: Was nominated for the Game, Original Role Playing category. During the 18th Annual D.I.C.E. Awards , the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences nominated Bravely Default for " Handheld Game of the Year " and " Role-Playing/Massively Multiplayer Game of the Year ". It was ranked by both IGN and GameSpot as one of the best games on the system in 2013 and 2014 respectively. The game's success, which went against Square Enix's presumptions due to
36672-578: Was officially announced in April 2013. Nintendo took charge of publishing duties overseas. The Western version was based on the For the Sequel expanded version. It released in Europe on December 6, 2013. An earlier false report in Nintendo's financial report indicated that its European release would be in 2014, but this was later corrected by Nintendo of Europe. In Australia, it released on December 7. In North America, it released on February 7, 2014. Both in North America and
36864-476: Was the first such attempt to recreate a role-playing game for a console, and requires several simplifications to fit within the more limited memory and capabilities of the Famicom compared to computers; players in Dragon Quest controlled only a single character, the amount of control over this character limited due to the simplicity of the Famicom controller, and a less-realistic art style was chosen to better visualize
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