Bravely Default II Producer Was Both “Ashamed” And “Relieved” By Player Feedback To Demo

We’ve witnessed a slow build-up towards Bravely Default II’s release next month. Following its initial reveal back in 2019, we received a demo back in March 2020 and a “final demo” last month, the former of which helped shaped the sequel’s gameplay considerably.

Though they’ve previously addressed fan feedback received from the initial demo back in October, producer Masashi Takahashi has now clarified this even further. Talking to Famitsu, he revealed changes to the camera and shop system were made, putting out this statement (translated by Nintendo Everything).

The list of things we changed was endless. To put it simply, we pulled the camera back slightly in dungeons. People who played the demo felt it was too easy to get lost in dungeons and that they got attacked by off-screen monsters. So we addressed those concerns by pulling the camera back.

We also cleaned up the faces on character icons in shops and menus. We didn’t change the models or anything. We just adjusted the shadows and such to make things look nicer. Additionally, we added the ability to compare new weapons and armor in shops. I’m kind of embarrassed to say this, but this is a feature that should’ve been in the game. We just weren’t able to implement it in time for the [first] demo.

I was ashamed at how often I found myself apologizing while reading survey responses from fans. With that in mind, however, I’m also somewhat relieved. It reconfirmed that this was the right direction for the final product.

It seems the demo approach was the right call for Bravely Default II overall, having provided valuable feedback for developer Claytechworks. The latest demo is still available if you’ve not yet tried it, and we’re looking forward to seeing the finished release when it launches on February 26th. If you’re looking to pre-order it, we’ve got your options covered.

Did you play the demos? Will you be picking up Bravely Default II at launch? Let us know below.

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