The new gameplay breakdown discussion from Square Enix on the Braving and Defaulting combat mechanics saw a stage bursting with jaded fans all screaming for a physical release or, rather, for the lack of it.
Square Enix’s tweet was supposed to try and get the viewers excited, with the signature battle system giving players the opportunity to stack turns after braving or concentrate on building up power whilst defaulting. Now if you want the nostalgic taste of this hype from runoff-3DS days, the entire hype turned into a tsunami of complaints from people shouting about the physical edition or-the-not-so-physical edition, for that matter, a key card, which is nothing but a download code inside a cute beautiful cardboard box.
These fans want to break free. While @Devilus2 went on a full tirade against Square Enix for not releasing a cartridge, @king_goomba asked for a “real physical release,” and @kosuke__atami labeled the key card as “scum.” Now, that is a real backlash—and it’s messy.
Here comes an irony: Some defenders have started fangirling at Nintendo. “Nintendo’s exorbitant cartridge costs essentially forced Square Enix‘s hand, making a full physical release untenably expensive,” says @ValWarcraft. Even so, @NewhouseEstates did pre-order it despite disliking the key card, implying there are some willing to look for the middle ground.
While that mess was going on, a few hopeful voices called for ports to other platforms. “@Bes91647703: PC PC PC!” and @NeroPhamtomhive want also to beg for a Steam release. There’s also a stray shout for PlayStation port support from @NautoAisDx, showing that the Bravely Default fanbase is starving for other alternatives besides Switch.
Then nostalgia strikes. @ChibiShinigamiG, just out of nowhere but really wholesome, drops, “Go watch the Linked Horizon Bravely Default concert on YouTube.” Because why not?
Bravely Default HD Remaster is basically a gorgeous upgrade with deep strategic fighting at the end of the day. But Square Enix might have dropped the ball by not reading the room on physical copies. The blame, if any, should fall on Nintendo, but the fans want cartridges; not glorified download codes.
So yeah, the game mechanics are great. The fun for it, though, seems half blocked with half the fanbase screaming about key cards. Maybe Square Enix will listen, or maybe they’ll just Bravely Default to ignoring it. Oof.
