Bravely Default 2

Bravely Default 2 is a role-playing video game developed by Claytechworks for the Nintendo Switch. It was published by Square Enix in Japan, with Nintendo handling the release in the Western territories. It was released worldwide on February 26, 2021.
Premise and gameplay.
"Bravely Default II" is the third game in the "Bravely" series, following the original game, "Bravely Default" and its direct sequel "". While "Second" was a direct story continuation from the original, "Default II" features a new story and cast of characters. Similar to prior titles, the game plays as a role-playing video game with turn-based battles. The game also contains a variant of the prior game's "Brave Point" system, and use of collecting different "asterisks" to change a character's job class.
Plot.
"Bravely Default II" is set in a new world from prior games, on a continent named Excillant, divided into five different kingdoms. The game follows four main characters; a young sailor named Seth, a refugee princess named Gloria, a traveling scholar named Elvis, and a mercenary named Adelle.
The four main characters set off across the continent to retrieve the crystals of the four elements: Wind, Water, Earth, and Fire. These crystals were stolen from Gloria's destroyed homeland of Musa. During their travels, the four learn that they are all this age's Heroes of Light. Periodically throughout the world's history, an ancient evil called the Night's Nexus must be sealed away, and the crystals pick four warriors to do so. Seth is chosen by the Wind Crystal, Gloria by the Water Crystal, Elvis by the Earth Crystal, and Adelle by the Fire Crystal.
Meanwhile, during their travels to collect the crystals, Elvis is trying to decipher an ancient book which cannot be read under normal circumstances, but occasionally reveals secrets of the past when it comes into contact with an Asterisk, which are powerful magical gems.
As the adventure continues, Adelle reveals that she is actually a fairy, and that her sister Edna is trying to summon the Night's Nexus to destroy all humans, as Edna hates humans. The four main characters, after having collected all the four crystals, battle and defeat Edna, but are unable to defeat the Night's Nexus. Gloria sacrifices her life to seal the Night's Nexus away, continuing the cycle of previous Heroes of Light.
Gloria's sacrifice is then shown to be merely a vision of the future, which the group witnesses within the mysterious book. While Gloria is fine sacrificing herself to save the world, Seth vows to find another way to destroy the Night's Nexus. After scouring the world for every Asterisk, the four learn that the book contains the memories of the Night's Nexus, and that the Night's Nexus was in fact an ancient human woman who wished to consume all information in the world. As long as the book remains intact, the Night's Nexus can never be permanently destroyed. The party destroys the Night's Nexus' soul by erasing her memories within the book.
The four sail out into a world beyond the ocean, to an island where the Night's Nexus can finally be destroyed, and do battle with her there. Eventually, the four are victorious, and the Night's Nexus is destroyed eternally. Using the power of the crystals, the four escape the collapsing island, and eventually make their way back home to safety.
Development.
The game was announced for the Nintendo Switch at The Game Awards in December 2019. Series producer Tomoya Asano stated that the reason for the game's title, "Bravely Default II", was due to his belief that "Bravely Second" did not live up to fans' expectations, and its critical and commercial under-performance made it difficult for the team to continue on the series. Team morale and finances improved following the release of the Japan-only mobile title "Bravely Default: Fairy's Effect" and the 2018 Nintendo Switch title "Octopath Traveler", and the team decided to return to the series with a fresh start, with a game more similar to the original "Default" game instead. Revo, who composed the sound track for "Default" but did not return for "Second", was also announced to return for "Default II".
A demo of the game was announced and released during a March 26, 2020 Nintendo Direct presentation. Square Enix also announced that they would be taking fan feedback from the demo and implementing it into the final release. The demo features story not featured in the final game.
Reception.
Pre-release.
The "Bravely Default II" demo was generally praised, though many publications noted that the demo was more difficult than expected, and hoped for a return of optional varying difficulty settings of the prior games in the series. "USGamer" felt too much grinding was necessary to stay competitive against enemies, especially for a game demo. Conversely, "Kotaku" noted that the grinding was more fun than many other games of the genre. "RPGamer" praised the game's graphics for being an impressive mix of the "Bravely Default" art style and the special effects found in "Octopath Traveler".
Steve Watts of "GameSpot" named it his most anticipated game of 2020.