Wednesday, March 05, 2014

Shall We Do It? (more Bravely Default with a smidge of Weapon Shop de Omasse thrown in for good measure)

You know that old saying, "slow and steady wins the race"? Well, I'm beginning to think it applies to Bravely Default.

After all, I've now spent about 40 hours with this Final Fantasy-esque 3DS RPG and I've yet to complete its fourth chapter. I feel like I'm making good progress toward its conclusion, though, so don't take that last comment to be a complaint.

That's not to suggest this portable journey has been without its grievances, mind you. In fact, a number of little niggles have popped onto my radar in the last week or so, with the following being the most noteworthy:

* You know, I'm really glad Edea is in this game, because if she weren't, it wouldn't be half as good as it is. I mean, Agnès? What a dud--or worse. Tiz is kind of boring, too, but at least he's not a total stick in the mud like the aforementioned "wind vestal." As for Ringabel, although he's growing on me, I still find his schtick to be more than a little grating. We get it, you like the ladies! Sigh.


* Someone over at developer Silicon Studio really likes backtracking, don't they? There's no other explanation for all of the running around players are required to do in this game. That's far less of a problem after you reliably gain access to an airship (SPOILER: you gain access to an airship in this game), but when you don't have access to one it's really, really annoying--even if you go ahead and turn off random battles.

* Another semi-spoiler: at one point in Bravely Default, you're able to track down and defeat a certain number of dragons in order to advance a certain side quest. Sounds cool, right? Well, the damn things are nearly impossible to beat at that particular point in time--or at least they have been for me and my otherwise-overlevelled party so far. Not a good thing if you tend to be an obsessive gamer like I am.

Don't get me wrong, overall Bravely Default's still a great game and I can't see myself pushing it to the back burner anytime soon. Would I be enjoying it more than I am now, though, if it didn't feature some of the annoying quirks I just mentioned? Yes, of course. And I sincerely hope the folks working on the sequel address and fix all, or at least some, of them before Bravely Second "goes gold," as they say.


In the meantime, though, I'll continue chipping away at this fledgling series' first effort. Maybe by the time I write next week's "Shall We Do It?" post I'll have experienced the infamous fifth chapter that everyone's groused about here and elsewhere?

As for Weapon Shop de Omasse, well, I downloaded it a couple of weeks ago and I finally put two or three hours into it over the weekend.

If you've yet to hear about it, it's a 3DS eShop game that was developed, in part, by a Japanese comedian named Yoshiyuki Hirai and published by Level-5. In it, players are put into the shoes of someone who runs a weapons shop within an RPG.

So, would-be warriors waltz into the shop, ask for a weapon, you make (or polish an existing) one and then rent it out to them so they can go slay a beast, get back at a group of thieves, stuff like that. While they're on their adventures, all of their actions are relayed to you via a hilarious, Twitter-like stream of messages known as the "Grindcast."


Anyway, I'm getting a kick out of it so far. I love the game's low-poly, PSone-esque graphics; the computer-controlled warriors are, almost without exception, adorably realized; and the "Grindcast" has prompted more than one genuine guffaw, which means it's a certified success in my mind.

All that said, I'm not entirely sure it's worth $8--or at least I have a feeling a good number of folks aren't going to think it's worth that much after they buy and play it. It's fun, but I can see it being a pretty short and superficial affair when all is said and done. As such, I might recommend waiting until Level-5 puts it on sale, as they are wont to do. Even at $5, Weapon Shop de Omasse would be quite a bit more appealing than it is now, I think.

Have any of you picked up this unique eShop title? If so, what do you think so far? Or maybe you're still spending the bulk of your gaming time on Bravely Default? In that case, how are things faring for you at the moment?

See also: previous 'Shall We Do It?' posts

7 comments:

thegaygamer.com said...

I think that's probably a good idea, Will. Although I like what I've played of Weapon Shop so far, I'm not sure it's an $8 game for most people. Also, it sounds like you have plenty to keep you busy at the moment!

Monster_Hunter2882 said...

Just a warning about the vampire job but 11(I think, could be more less) of the genome abilities have to be found before finishing chapter 4 or else you won't be able to get them in till the bonus duengon so if you're interested in using that job I suggest goolging for a guide and getting them.

diaglyph said...

For the special dragons each is of a particular element, you need anti gear or use passives that decrease dmg from that element

TheGameroomBlitz said...

Yeah, I get the feeling that a lot of those Guild games aren't worth the inflated prices. All the reviews lead me to believe they're either very short, or just short on gameplay. The only one I've personally played, Crimson Shroud, was a huge bore, and I doubt I'd ever go back to it. (I have heard Liberation Maiden is good, though, hearkening back to the days of Raid on Bungeling Bay.)

I had to give up Bravely Default for the month, because I needed to get a gift for my mother's birthday and because the deal I had on a cart was snatched out from under me. On the plus side, I did treat myself to a cheap copy of Dragon's Dogma, which seems all kinds of promising judging from the demo. There's a grab button, and you can actually cling to larger beasts like manticores and griffons while hacking them to bits. I cannot stress enough how awesome it is to grab a griffon by the talons and stab it while it takes to the skies with you as its unwanted passenger. Instant sale there.

diaglyph said...

I'm curious about Weapon Shop, but I'll be waiting for a sale. It's $10 here. A few weeks ago the GUILD01 were on sale for $3.90, that's when I picked up Attack of the Friday Monsters (and after playing it, I'm glad I didn't pay $10 for it).

thegaygamer.com said...

Oh, right! I totally forgot that the vampire can absorb abilities from certain enemies. Definitely something to keep in mind. Thanks, Sam!

thegaygamer.com said...

Actually, I beat all of them last night using the old "four ninjas + auto battle" trick. Kind of felt like cheating, but I don't care -- I've spent so much time grinding in this game, I felt like I deserved a break for a change :)