Though the aesthetic most closely resembles Bravely Default 2, Brilliant Lights is an original story which sees several worlds throughout the series crossing over. Of course, along with familiar characters, players can also expect some new ones to also appear. The combat system has also been described as optimized for smartphones but more details have yet to be revealed.

Square Enix also confirmed in its press release that the Bravely Default series has crossed three million shipments and digital sales worldwide since the first game launched in 2012. A release window for Bravely Default: Brilliant Lights hasn’t been provided yet so stay tuned for more details in the coming months.

We still have quite a ways to go before virtual reality is refined enough to trickle into the mainstream, but there is still a lot of fun to bee had here. Probably one of the biggest pushes of the format has been coming through Sony with their PS VR headset, especially in the console space. They’ve done their best this generation to continue on with it with some interesting games. One of those is another collaboration with Marvel, with Marvel’s Iron Man VR, and it seems to have done pretty well.

As reported via GamesIndustry, the game managed to find a pretty strong debut on the UK charts in the week ending July 4th. The game wasn’t quite flying high enough to dethrone The Last of Us Part 2 at the top spot, but number 2 to probably the most anticipated game in years isn’t too shabby for the new VR release.

Marvel’s Iron Man VR is available now on PlayStation 4, exclusively for PlayStation VR. For everything you need to know about the game, we’ve got you covered through here.

1. The Last of Us Part 2 
2. Marvel’s Iron Man VR
3. Animal Crossing: New Horizons
4. Bravely Second: End Layer
5. Grand Theft Auto 5
6. Minecraft (Switch)
7. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare
8. FIFA 20
9. Luigi’s Mansion 3
10. Ring Fit Adventure

Last week, The Last of Us Part 2 debuted on top of UK charts for boxed video game sales in pole position, enjoying the biggest launch ever for any PS4 exclusive in the region. Though it has seen an 80 per cent drop in physical sales this week, it manages to hold on to its position (via GamesIndustry). Considering its sales of 4 million units worldwide in its first three days, such a drop is understandable.

What’s surprising is seeing Bravely Second: End Layer – the Square Enix RPG that launched on the 3DS all the way back in 2016 – re-enter the charts and slot right in at second place. Thanks to heavy discounts on the game at UK retailer Argos, Bravely Second sold thrice as many physical copies last week as it did at launch. It’s all-time physical sales have nearly doubled.

In third place is a new release, with THQ Nordic and Purple Lamp Studios’ remake, SpongeBob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom – Rehydrated. Meanwhile, Animal Crossing: New Horizons, which dropped out of the top 10 for the first time last weeks, re-enters in fifth place.

You can see the full top 10 for the week ending June 27 below.

1. The Last of Us Part 2
2. Bravely Second: End Layer
3. SpongeBob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom – Rehydrated
4. Ring Fit Adventure
5. Animal Crossing: New Horizons
6. FIFA 20
7. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
8. Grand Theft Auto 5
9. The Last of Us Remastered
10. Minecraft

If you’re a fan of the Bravely games on the 3DS from Square Enix, then you may be thrilled to know that there might be something new related to the series in the works- maybe. Some recent developments suggest that the Square Enix is teasing something related to the series.

The Twitter account for Bravely has tweeted a message of thanks regarding the 1 million units shipped for Octopath Traveler. Interestingly enough, though, the account also stated to “look forward” to the next game from Square Enix Business Division 11, which is the team behind Octopath, and was formed after its members previously successfully worked on the Bravely games.

It remains unclear whether this is regarding a new Bravely game, or just ports of the exiting games. Furthermore, the account’s name changed from ‘Bravely Second’ to ‘Bravely OOOOO’, and the profile picture changed as well. All of these changes points to the fact that they are teasing something related to the Bravely games. Additionally, here’s something else that’s interesting in a tweet by Octopath Traveler’s Twitter account, the shape of the image looks like the character Airy from Bravely (as pointed out by a user on ResetERA).

What would you like to see next related to the Bravely series? Let us know in the comments.

既報ですがー

＼オクトパス 100万 出荷／

ありがとうございます！

さてさて……⁉︎

今後ともスクエニ11BDのゲームにご注目下さいませm_ _m pic.twitter.com/4Y2Pj2CMq3

— ブレイブリーデフォルトII公式 (@BDFF_OFFICIAL) August 6, 2018

1,000,000 Travelers!
1,000,000 Thanks!

世界出荷＋DL数が100万本を突破しました！
……感謝感涙です。
皆さまの温かな応援、本当に本当にありがとうございます！これからもオクトパストラベラーをよろしくお願いいたします。(P)#オクトパストラベラー#OCTOPATHTRAVELER pic.twitter.com/Db2fEjID50

— オクトパストラベラーII公式 (OCTOPATH TRAVELER II) (@OCTOPATH_PR) August 3, 2018

It’s pretty obvious, then, that its sequel Bravely Second: End Layer has been one of the most highly anticipated JRPGs this year. However, a poor story, annoying writing and grating voice-work drag the experience down a few notches, and one cannot help but feel a little disappointed.

You play as Yew Geneologia, a naïve, idealistic knight who has been tasked with assembling a team of warriors and then rescuing Pope Agnès Oblige (fans of Default will obviously be familiar with her), who has been kidnapped by the game’s villain, Kaiser Oblivion. It’s a fairly simple setup, and its unfortunate that the game never tries to do anything meaningful or daring with it. In fact, End Layer mostly treads old ground, revisiting places and story arcs we’ve already seen in Default, giving the entire narrative a sense of predictability.

"For as much as Bravely Second gets wrong- and it gets plenty wrong- there are also areas where it shows off moments and sparks of brilliance that frequently characterized the original game."

What’s worse is that the terrible quality of writing does nothing to help the generic plot whatsoever. The game often tries extremely hard to be funny with its little quips and character-specific catchphrases, but it almost always falls flat and comes across as corny and, to put it bluntly, annoying. It often feels like the story and the writing are working towards different ends, with the narrative often trying to drum up dramatic situations that are ruined by poorly written dialogue between bland, uninteresting characters or poor fourth wall-breaking puns. It’s not even as if the narrative itself is conceptually strong enough to withstand poor writing. The one good thing that can be said about the game’s overall setup, however, is that it does not mandate the kind of broken pacing and relentless backtracking that characterized the waning chapters of the first game. The pacing in End Layer is much more consistent and the game benefits from this consistency a great deal more than you could imagine.

Bad writing, though, can sometimes be salvaged by good voice over performances. Unfortunately, Bravely Second falters even on that front. Default itself was never too well known for its voice work either, but it had generally stronger writing- not saying a lot, admittedly- which made it easier to put up with the poor voice work. End Layer’s double whammy of underwhelming writing and mediocre and often grating voice overs doesn’t do the game any favours to endear it in the players’ eyes.

For as much as Bravely Second gets wrong- and it gets plenty wrong- there are also areas where it shows off moments and sparks of brilliance that frequently characterized the original game. The extremely strong mechanical base from Default has made its way into Bravely Second, and though there’s little to distinguish between the two games as far as game design is concerned, it has to be said that the core of the game itself- the battles and the job system- remains as strong and addictive as ever, with new additions and tweaks refining and improving it along the way.

"The Brave/Default system is what helped Bravely Default garner the amount of praise it did, and it’s present here in End Layer in top form."

The same nuanced and tactical battle system from Default shows up in End Layer. Battles are turn based and in general restrict each party member- of which there are four- to performing one action per turn. However, players have the option of using the Brave/Default mechanic to be able to extend their turns. By Defaulting, they enter a defensive stance, which means they cannot do anything else for that turn, but allows them to stockpile those turns for future use. Using the Brave option, on the other hand, allows you to chain your stockpiled turns and use them together in one go. This adds an interesting risk to battles and keeps them engaging- which is something that most turn based battle systems in JRPGs cannot claim.

And you have to actually think about what you do in battles- use up too many of your turns in the beginning of a boss battle, and you might make yourself vulnerable to crippling attacks later on, whereas Defaulting and storing up turns can allow you to unleash devastating attacks in one go, or use your healers to heal your entire party in a single turn. The Brave/Default system is what helped Bravely Default garner the amount of praise it did, and it’s present here in End Layer in top form.

The Brave/Default mechanic, though, is only half of what makes up the game’s battle system, with the other half being the job system. There are thirty jobs in the game this time around, ranging from your regular healer, mage, warrior and dark warrior classes to obscure ones such as singers and bakers who provide statistical buffs to your party. Just like Default, which itself drew inspiration from Final Fantasy V, you can switch between jobs anytime you want, and characters are able to equip two jobs at a time. Each job provides different advantages and disadvantages, as you can probably guess, and testing new job combinations to see what buffs and debuffs you get makes this system that much more compelling. It’s a great system that promotes replay value, and chances are you’ll go out of your way to tackle side quests in order to get access to new jobs and level them up.

"The visuals are complemented by an excellent soundtrack- just like the original- which simultaneously evokes classic Final Fantasy games and also helps the game maintain its own distinct sense of identity."

Bravely Second builds upon the strengths of Bravely Default in other areas too. The strikingly beautiful visual style from the original game is back, however this time around it benefits even more from the 3DS’ stereoscopic 3D feature, making it one of the few games on the system to truly take advantage of the oft-neglected function. Be it the steampunk like urban locales, the archetypical fantasy cities or the arid deserts, the game’s visual style always packs a punch and makes the world of Luxendarc a treat to look at. The visuals do an excellent job of helping sell this world, which, to begin with, has been built and developed very well by Square Enix across the two games.

The visuals are complemented by an excellent soundtrack- just like the original- which simultaneously evokes classic Final Fantasy games and also helps the game maintain its own distinct sense of identity. It is suitable grand and epic, alternating with more somber, personal melodies, ensuring that the music always complements the action appropriately. Where the game’s writing and voice acting fail at selling its story, the music comes through and makes a far more convincing case for the players to invest themselves in the game’s world.

Ultimately, Bravely Second: End Layer’s biggest strength and weakness are both one and the same- the game adheres too much to Default’s template. From the visuals and the music to the mechanics and the narrative style, Bravely Second too often feels more like a re-imagining of the first game than it does its own outing. That can be a double edged sword- if you enjoyed what Bravely Default brought to the table, you are going to appreciate End Layer too, even though you may be ultimately disappointed at its extremely flawed narrative and conservative approach.

This game was reviewed on the Nintendo 3DS.

Complete Bravely Second: End Layer with help of this HD video walkthrough and game guide. Bravely Second: End Layer is the sequel to the 2013 hit Bravely Default  which introduces new gameplay mechanics and re-introduces the original’s battle system. Although the game’s setting remains similar, the story picks up two and half years after the events of the original game.

Bravely Second: End Layer is now available exclusively for the Nintendo 3DS The game was developed by Silicon Studio and published by Square Enix. This game will be distributed by Nintendo.

Check out the video walkthrough of Bravely Second: End Layer below and let us know if you have any questions in the comments section below. For video game guides, tips and wikis, check out our gaming portal here.

Bravely Second, the sequel to the 2014 Nintendo 3DS exclusive hit JRPG Bravely Default, is almost here (well, unless you live in Europe- there, it launched back in February!). Ahead of its launch, Nintendo have shared a brand new trailer for the eagerly anticipated JRPG sequel, which which showcases some of the features in the game- including class and character customization, dual audio, and more.

You can check out this demo below for yourself to get a feel for what the game is going to be like. Alternatively, you could just download its demo from the eShop, and give it a play to get an idea (the original Bravely Default had a great demo, so chances are, the demo for this will sell you on the game, too).

Bravely Second: End Layer launches exclusively on the Nintendo 3DS on April 23. Stay tuned to GamingBolt for our review of the game to get the definitive verdict on it.

Quantum Break

The time-bending adventure is finally arriving amidst multiple delays and a long development cycle. Remedy’s Quantum Break isn’t just about fancy moves and even fancier kills – the live-action TV show challenges you to make important decisions and watch the future change with your every move. What does the future hold for our beloved Ice Man? Find out when Quantum Break is out on April 5th for Xbox One and Windows 10.

Ratchet & Clank

Insomniac Games isn’t just remastering the original Ratchet & Clank – it’s reimagining it in a whole new way with gorgeous visuals. The remake is actually based on the upcoming film and will feature plenty of new planets, levels, weapons like the Groovitron which causes enemies to dance or the Pixelizer which takes your foes back to the 8-bit era and much more to play around with. Ratchet & Clank arrives on April 12th for North America and April 20th for Europe. The film is out on April 29th in the United States.

Dark Souls 3

Death comes for us all but in Dark Souls 3, it won’t stop hounding you until you’ve snapped your controller in half. From Software’s hack and slash dungeon crawler will be the most significant entry for the series, debuting for current gen consoles on April 12th. However, something is different this time around. What awaits the player in his battle with the Lords of Cinder? Will the Dark Soul make its appearance once more?  Find out on the 12th and don’t forget to practice those breathing exercises.

Bravely Second: End Layer

Japan has been enjoying Bravely Second: End Layer for the past year now on the Nintendo 3DS. Europe has enjoyed it for almost two months. On April 15th, it’s the turn of North America to continue the tale of Tiz Arrior as he fights to save Agnès Oblige and explore the world of Luxendarc. Combined with the awesome soundtrack and anime-esque art style, Bravely Second: End Layer promises an awesome finale.

The Banner Saga 2

The follow-up to the amazing tactical RPG from Stoic sees you once again commanding your caravan of Vikings and doing everything to stay alive. The story this time is shrouded in mystery but you’ll still have numerous ancient threats and make difficult decisions, some which determine the lives of your clan. Just remember that there are no second chances in The Banner Saga 2 when it arrives on April 19th for PC and Mac OS X (PS4 and Xbox One releases are scheduled for later).

Star Fox Zero

Star Fox has finally returned with its classic gameplay intact. The arcade shooting, return of classic Star Fox (and Star Wolf) characters and the ability to control your Arwing with the Wii U Gamepad make this the most enticing combination of new and old yet. And hey, with transforming vehicles and Platinum Games at the helm along with returning locations like Zoness and Titania, Star Fox Zero should be a treat for fans of the series. Look out for it on April 22nd worldwide.

Dirt Rally (XB1, PS4)

Codemasters has returned to grace with Dirt Rally, delivering off-road rallying with 17 cars and 36 stages across three locations. The clash of realistic racing and arcade excitement makes Dirt Rally one of the better rally racing games in this modern era. It will finally arrive on PS4 and Xbox One on April 5th along with a Windows retail release and Codemasters is promising some interesting updates for console gamers.

Star Fox Guard

If you’re looking for something a little different from the usual arcade space shooting, then maybe Star Fox Guard will be more up your alley. This tower defense title will be downloadable through the Wii U eShop and has you managing several cameras on the GamePad to shoot down invading robots. There’s quite the variety on display as robots can obscure your vision, steal cameras and shield their allies. Star Fox Guard releases alongside Star Fox Zero on April 22nd.

Alienation

Housemarque has been quite busy with Alienation. It also has Matterfall in the pipeline but Alienation has seemingly been delayed forever. It appears to be worth the wait though with intense action and four player co-op that will push players to the limit. If isometric shooters are your things – and Housemarque is damn good at making them – then you may want to pick up Alienation on April 26th for PS4.

Hitman: Sapienza

IO Interactive’s Hitman has had a rough first month but now that most of its online kinks have been worked out, all that’s left is an influx of content. Fans will be getting just that when the next major city Sapienza arrives on April 26th for Xbox One, PS4 and PC. What could await Agent 47 and his victims in the beautiful south Italy city? We’re not sure but fans should have their hands busy, cleaning up after each kill.

Bravely Second End Layer was announced as coming later this year and now we’re getting some more information about what you can expect to find in the game. The new trailer shows off the jobs that players can take on with their characters. Even better than seeing what “jobs” are available for characters is that each position has a little explanation of the powers of the character in order to help people make a decision.

Among the jobs that are offered in the game are positions like the Charioteer, who apparently is able to become better in battle as the game goes on. There is also the Catmancer, which can pick up a number of animal magic moves. While there are other jobs that people are bound to guess at in the game, such as the wizard and the necromancer there are also some pretty crazy jobs such as the Patissier. The video says this particular position allows players to “undermine foes with deadly deserts.”

In all, the video says there are 30 jobs in the game and 12 of those are brand new. There has also been a couple of screen shots go live over the last couple of days, including the one in this post that show of just how pretty this title just might end up being. Bravely Second has been out in Japan since last April but its finally coming to the United States on April 15. That is still two months after Europe gets its hands on it.

Bravely Second: End Layer, Square Enix’s latest addition to the Bravely Default series, finally has a release date for North America. According to Nintendo of America on Twitter, the sequel will be out on April 15th. There will also be a special edition which was teased in the tweet.

It’s not yet known whether there will be a demo for the same on the 3DS eShop (progress of which can be imported into the full game) so keep your hopes up. Despite the name “End Layer”, this won’t be the last Bravely Default game. If the sequel sells well, producer Tomoya Asano promised a Bravely Third title for the future.

Bravely Second: End Layer has already been out in Japan since April 2015. Europe will be getting it on February 26th, roughly two months before North American audiences. What are your thoughts on the English version finally heading to North America though? Let us know in the comments below.