More than 10 hours with brave standard II

Encourage absenteeism II offers a throwback to a simpler time when heroes lined up on one side of the screen, fought monsters on the other side of the screen, then washed down and repeated until peace and tranquility were brought back to the land. I’ve spent over 10 hours with it, and while what I’ve played so far hasn’t surprised me as much as I’d hoped, it also shows Encourage absenteeism II that Switch is another satisfying and tailored take on the classic JRPG.

It’s like a big bowl of macaroni and cheese: a familiar yet delicious stack of carbs slathered in fatty and salty goodness, with every bite tasting like the last, and yet you can’t stop eating until it’s gone. It’s comfort food, and like the best comfort food, it’s all about giving you exactly what you already know you want: inspired by a time in your life when you felt safe, content, and content, at least for the duration of a quick meal, or in this case a grindy dungeon full of turn-based combat.

I’ve played a lot of them Encourage absenteeism II in the past week and I’ll be playing a whole lot more for our review when the game comes out later this month. In the meantime, here are some of my initial thoughts:

• Encourage absenteeism II looks a lot like Brave second which was is very similar Bravely Default I. which was is very similar The 4 heroes of light which was is very similar Final Fantasy III. You visit cities; these cities have problems; you try to solve the problems through combat, and inevitably you will level up, learn new skills and earn better equipment in the process.
• The game’s story and world are new and completely separate from the first two games. It’s a clean and refreshing break from the past.
• Like its predecessors, the game revolves around a job system (classes) to increase your party’s fighting abilities. Classic jobs such as the DPS-heavy black mage and healer white mage return, but there are also new ones. Vanguards are like knights but prefer axes over swords and have a whole host of skills to debuff and aggro enemies.

• Overall, I have found Encourage absenteeism IIIt consists of jobs and abilities to work even better using its uniquely brave and standard system. With this system, you can bank turns to use on the go, or take out a loan to take several turns earlier. Sometimes this is just about maximizing your balance between attacking and healing, but in the game’s tougher battles I’ve had to come up with a spreadsheet of defense fanatics, attack breakouts, and status issues to survive and survive in lengthy wars of attrition.
• Encourage absenteeism II is the first game in the series on Switch, and unsurprisingly the best looking and sounding. While the 3DS allowed previous games to make interesting use of stereoscopic 3D backgrounds, Encourage absenteeism II makes up for that with sprawling dungeons and city designs. I’ve gone to desert temples, bandit shelters, mine shafts, magical academies and yes, even the dreaded JRPG sewer level, but each felt like a delightful new spin on a classic setting rather than just another annoying tribute.

• Random encounters have disappeared! You can now see the enemies in the field before they attack. You can also hit them with your sword, or try to attack them from behind, to engage in combat with the first chance to strike.
• The first city I visited had a shipping company that sent me a crew to hunt for treasure while my game was in rest mode. Not sure if it will get more extensive later, but for now it was a nice treat to come back every day to see a new bundle of items waiting to be added to my inventory.
• One thing I’m not digging is some of the new character designs. Bravely Default has always been cartoonish, but Bravely Default II occasionally mixes a chibi look with faces that look like they were pulled from a caricature artist on the boardwalk. Sometimes it suits the whimsical sensibilities of the game. Sometimes it borders on physical horror.

• Many conversations between members of your party are relegated to occasional moments. You can choose to participate by pressing the start button when a prompt appears. I have rarely come across anything interesting in them, which is fine because they are not required. I’m mostly here for the fight and the setting, not silly JRPG talk. So it’s a relief that the dialogue that would otherwise rumble into cutscenes has been relegated to an optional side menu. (I think the banter in the first game was better).
• Encourage absenteeism II is difficult. This was most evident in the game recent demo too. I enjoy it so much. While I’ve had no issues with regular hostile mobs, boss fights kicked me out of the mess, and it makes all that job training and mixing and matching gear and skills worthwhile.

I’m excited to keep playing more, but the big test with any giant JRPG is how well it maintains its momentum and balances the late game. For sufficiently educated people it does not have to be a pie walk, but also not a death march. To varying degrees, the first two games both suffered from these issues, making fun and quixotic adventures monotonous work. We’ll see if Encourage absenteeism II can escape a similar fate.