Bravely Default Flying Fairy HD Remaster Review (Nintendo Switch 2)

Years ago, when the Nintendo DS and 3DS dominated the handheld markets, Square Enix decided to listen to some of the complaints about the Final Fantasy series. That resulted in a game called Bravely Default that was intended to be the game that would bring Final Fantasy back to its roots. While it had a modest three million sales, the fanbase of the game was devoted and loved it. Bravely Default got two sequels, and now it is receiving its first remaster with Bravely Default Flying Fairy HD Remaster.

Game Name: Bravely Default Flying Fairy HD Remaster
Platform(s): Nintendo Switch 2
Developer(s): Cattle Call, Inc
Publisher(s): Square Enix
Release Date: June 5th, 2025
Price: $39.99

Tiz, the main focal character in Bravely Default, wakes up in an Inn where he gets told about how his entire village fell into a chasm that seemed to come out of nowhere and disappeared off the face of the earth. The king of the village soon summons him to look at the location of his village and see if it will bring up any memories of how it happened. While there, he meets Agnès, a girl who seems to be the Vestal or the guardian of the wind crystal in this region of the world. The goal will be to awaken all the crystals in the land to return the world to nature. Now you can see why it’s classic Final Fantasy coated.

Awakening The Four Crystals

Bravely Default Flying Fairy HD Remaster has its core gameplay rooted in classic Final Fantasy systems. You will have four characters in your party, and they all start out having their jobs as Freelancers. As you tackle boss enemies, you will gain asterisks which unlock other jobs you can class your characters in. The first two classes you unlock are Monk and White Mage. For the first sections of the game, I had Tiz as a Monk and Agnès as a White Mage. As you enter combat and defeat enemies, you gain character experience and job experience.

The main pull of the side quests are the asterisks you can learn from other bosses. Each one also has a story that explains the character that has the asterisk. Whether it’s a pirate on a ghost ship or a valkyrie luring in an ambush, each one has a unique story to tell. They not only give you a job you can potentially master, but they also provide fun combat situations that push your ability to strategize to its limits.

Combat is turn-based but enhanced with the Brave and Default system.  You can use Brave to add another action to your turn with a specific individual, but it also makes that unit take longer to act again. Default is when a unit defends itself. It adds a BP or a Brave Point to that character. They can then take more actions without losing their turn in the order.

A party member in combat can attack, use an ability, use an item, or attempt to flee when it is its turn. Based on a unit’s speed and proficiency, a single attack command can hit multiple times. The importance of choosing the weapon for your designated job also gives it a higher chance of hitting more times than if you weren’t as proficient with that weapon. Your unit’s equipped weapon also determines its special attack. After enough actions have been taken, your character can use a special ability.

Exploring The World Of Bravely Default

The World of Bravely Default Flying Fairy HD Remaster takes place in Luxendarc. This is a world that is only kept in balance by the power of the four crystals. There are a variety of ways you will be able to travel in Luxendarc. You can walk around the overworld, and you can travel in an airship as well. Pretty early on, your starting airship loses the ability to fly, so it resorts to being just a normal ship that travels over the sea. You have to get another one much later in the game before you gain the ability to fly again, which makes the world of Luxendarc your oyster.

There are only two icons you really have to pay attention to in the world map. The orange main quest marker and the blue side quest marker. The orange main quest marker will tell you where you need to go to advance the plot, and the blue side quest marker will tell you where you can unlock a new job. One of my complaints about these sub-quests is that some will tell you a specific thing to do, but if you don’t immediately do it, you might forget about it completely. Often, this sub-quest won’t have a marker until a designated time. Some require you to wait til night before you can advance a sub-quest. You can flat-out forget about it with no quest journal to keep track of it. I highly recommend doing the sub-quests as soon as you can, so you don’t forget and lose a job completely.

Nintendo Switch 2 HD Remaster

If you are someone who loved Bravely Default and wonder what’s changed from the original, honestly, not a whole lot. There is no longer a reliance on two screens since it is not the 3DS version of the game. There is a game corner that allows you to use the Nintendo Switch 2 Joy-Cons in mouse mode, but it is optional. I did a few just to test the games, and they aren’t bad, but they aren’t reasons to replay the game. The resolution is better, and the models are polished, but they look like they are the same models just upscaled.

If you are a purist, then happy day, this is just what you wanted. If you wanted a reason to revisit a game that is as substantial and has as much playtime and grinding as this game without opening your 3DS, then yes, this is perfect for you. Ultimately, I think that Square Enix remastered it to bring it to new audiences. The meta commentary of its story still works extremely well. The storytelling and the characters are charming, even if most of the relationship between these characters is progressed through the party chat system and not the story.

Bravely Default Flying Fairy HD Remaster isn’t a showcase of the power of the Nintendo Switch 2, but it might be a showcase of the vibrant handheld screen attached to it. The colors of this game are phenomenal. They shine with the HDR settings of the Nintendo Switch 2’s LCD screen, and it made me prefer to play it in handheld mode. There are a lot of locales in the four kingdoms that make up Luxendarc. The screen has a lot of vibrant colors and the charming designs do mix well with a handheld device.

Should You Play Bravely Default Flying Fairy HD Remaster

If you are asking if you should play the Bravely Default Flying Fairy HD Remaster, let me help. If you have not played the 3DS title and you miss classic Final Fantasy of job systems, and saving the four crystals, then yes. This is an easy game to recommend. It has a great turn-based strategy system with the Brave and Default mechanics, and it has one of the best meta commentary stories that deals with the subject matter. If you are someone who has played Bravely Default and wants a better upscaled version of that game, then also yes. If you want to experience Bravely Default but in a more modern setting, then no. This is about as authentic a remaster you can get. No new jobs or sub-quests. Only a few mini games to have fun with the Nintendo Switch 2 hardware, and better resolution and lighting are all this has over the original 3DS version. Though it is great to have a friend system not tied to Street Pass. It is tied to your actual friend list, or you can find guests in the game.

Overall, I think the mechanics and the story of Bravely Default have aged well. There is a lot to love in being able to experience it again. Though you can experience this story on the 3DS with very similar mechanics.

Bravely Default Flying Fairy HD Remaster is available for Nintendo Switch 2.

Review Disclosure Statement: Bravely Default Flying Fairy HD Remaster was provided to us by Square Enix for review purposes. For more information on how we review video games and other media/technology, please review our Review Guideline/Scoring Policy.

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