Bravely Default 2 is the third, deceptively, in Square Enix's spiritual spin-off title. Many elements of the game's design harken back to classic Final Fantasy games. The series includes a class system, called Jobs, that allows players to move their party through different Job paths acquiring different abilities. Many of the Jobs are either taken from or adapted from the original Final Fantasy and Final Fantasy 3. However, much of the structure and intricacies around how the Job system works is heavily drawn from the classic strategy title Final Fantasy Tactics. However, Bravely Default 2 does a good job of making the Jobs feel unique in comparison.
Final Fantasy Tactics is one of the most popular entries in the Final Fantasy series, especially as a spin-off title. Bravely Default 2 is deeply inspired by classic Final Fantasy games and Final Fantasy Tactics is one of the more evident influences on the Job system. Many of the Jobs included like the Black Mage, Thief, and Monk are pulled almost directly from Final Fantasy Tactics. Others like the Freelancer and Hunter are adaptations of archetypes present in Final Fantasy Tactics and other Final Fantasy games.
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Many of the Jobs coming to Bravely Default 2 have been revealed, like in one of the recent trailers, but some more are still on the way. In the world of Bravely Default, players can acquire new Jobs by defeating bosses and taking from them an "Asterisk." These magic items represent the Jobs that players can acquire, and the bosses they are taken from help give players a sense of what that Job will include. This is one of the ways Bravely Default differs from Final Fantasy Tactics, as in the strategy game, new Jobs are acquired by powering up specific combinations of others they already possess. Other than that, much of the system outside remains the same.
Bravely Default features a unique combat system with its "Brave" and "Default" commands, allowing players to stock and expend extra combat actions on the fly. The Job system however works very much the same as in Final Fantasy Tactics. As characters progress their way through a Job's skill tree by acquiring Job Points (JP) through battle, they can later use those abilities by setting the respective class as a Sub-Job.
This is very similar to Final Fantasy Tactics where players could set their Commands to include, say, Martial Arts from the Monk Job while Jump is still their primary command from actively being a Dragoon. Passive abilities can also be mixed and matched from the stable of abilities each character has acquired from different Jobs.
Some of the newest Jobs announced for Bravely Default 2 seem to also be adaptations of older classes from Final Fantasy Tactics. The newly announced Hellblade Job allows for a character to expend some of their own health for extra damage. That's a similar technique akin to some of the sword magics available for the Dark Knight, that was added in the updated Final Fantasy Tactics: War of the Lions. On the more dexterous side, the new Phantom class can dual wield weapons and attack quickly, reminiscent of the Ninja Job from Final Fantasy Tactics.
The similarities to the Job system for FF Tactics abound in Bravely Default 2. With its unique playstyle options and charming visuals though, Bravely Default 2 is definitely worth checking out for Final Fantasy fans that are holding out hope for a new Final Fantasy Tactics.
Bravely Default 2 releases Feb. 26, 2021 exclusively for the Switch.