Bravely Default II: Why Musa was Enough

[@rezahydra]

You can always argue that it *ended* poorly, the cuts thanks to Covid or rewrites or both. The original teaser still makes me think of what the final room of chapter 5 was originally meant for, what it would have led to judging by. But the REVEAL? The arrival at the town you’ve heard nothing but tragedy from Gloria and dark humor from the villains, that is supposed to be your end goal ala Link’s Awakening, and it’s literally just NOTHING left? That hits H A R D. I highly doubt it would have ever changed from this concept because of how well-executed it was. A master-class in expectations with how much we’re told and how hopeful Gloria is… only for the grim reality to finally hit. No fanfare, no laughter, no anything…

[@endrise9779]

While you describe Musa's reveal akin to gravemark Village of BDI, if anything I feel it's somewhat closer to the wind crystal tower when it comes to the premise. All we see from that place is the attack by the darkness in the opening sequence, but not what state the place is left behind until you reach the region and visit it with the full party a chapter later. The difference is how long you take over either one. You learn the status the temple is left in barely a few hours in, while with Musa that reveal builds up throughout an entire journey across the continent. Learning who was involved, facing the top commanders of Holograd and taking down its ruler, and after a final climb up to the city... Only to be met with a quiet, grim sight of a ruined kingdom. Really the only thing I think it misses was a way for us to explore the town as well, maybe even be allowed to walk around it and talk about it first before making the final steps towards the temple itself. But as you said, it really works enough for the game itself.

[@RedNovaTyrant]

@@endrise9779 oouu, I hadn’t even considered the similarities to the Wind Crystal temple, that’s a really good comparison

[@lategameessays6295]

Musa is a really good place, just wish there was a night version of it 😅 but other than that is great, the buildup during the entire game makes it a mysterious place and the final revelation just feels... sad, I also like the dungeon, very rough and large but that's precisely what i look in a final dungeon, I really love the 4 guardian bosses and the final conversations with the crystals, and the theme (which I listened A LOT before game's release) perfectly fits its aura of a 'final dungeon' than any other one in the series, the buildup to Edna is just great too, overall, Musa is the main reason why chapter 5 is my favorite in the entire game, I love all story sidequests unlocked at this point, the way to musa, the dungeon and that heartbreaking conclusion that just make us want to try it again and find another way to beat the night's nexus... Good video Red, I was waiting for this one particularly and it was great ❤

[@alternimousdimension]

Yeah I loved finally reaching it. This is my favorite piece of artwork in the game. Of course I'm a sucker for the town art style of the bravely series but still. Seriously, the view from above as you can just see ruins of what was once probably the main street of the kingdom... the unique architecture... the pale, white stonework that we haven't seen anywhere else... it's just beautiful. I would not have wanted to see it in flashbacks, because no flashback would have done justice what I imagined in my head. No flashback could portray the feeling of walking into the place you have been trying to reach throughout the entire game and seeing it for the first time... I was spoiled on most of the town designs before the game came out, but this and the fairy town were ones I managed to keep a secret from myself. I wouldn't have changed anything about it.

[@WrathMacDraft]

The moment I first arrived at Musa felt like the first time I arrived at the ruins of Zanarkand in Final Fantasy X, only it was more tragic. The fact that there was only mentions of Musa, no memories or anything, and then seeing this eerie, and yet, beautiful graveyard with only the sound of wind howling as Musa's theme hits hard. At least in FFX you got to see and experience Zanarkand, however brief it was. I was wondering if you knew what Asterisks Godric and the Fairy Queen wielded because I cannot recall ever learning of their jobs that they used outside of Lady Emma and Sir Sloan.

[@Neojay4488]

Off topic for a different game: octopath traveler 2 SPOILER WARNING In the near end of octopath traveler 2 you have to relight all the candles so you can able to defeat vide. What I like about that section that there is no music for the towns (except for the candles you have to light) mainly because it really hammer in the idea of how lifeless the shadow is.

[@darkcosmos534]

The soundtrack for Musa was very bittersweet. Look at what once was, now just fragments of a once mighty kingdom.

[@pigeonsponge1119]

I dont know if i would describe my experience as an expectation of there being something in musa? More that the talk and the memories people share during the game adds more to the ambience of loss - this place was important to the characters, once. And now theres nothing. I think that feeling sets a good stage for the end of ch 5 too - grief of a home followed by grief for the last person that could have called it home. This was a great essay red!

[@acedaybreaker2545]

Musa has fallen Glorillions must brave and default, maybe even II times In all seriousness though, I feel like everything regarding the Musa reveal was done well- even without seeing it in its glory days as you mentioned, you can get the impression of what was lost, and to that extent, the absolute bloodbath it must have been when the kingdom fell. Gloria is my favorite character in BDII, and this is one of the high octane moments that I loved

[@Neojay4488]

0:12 how much you want to bet they didn't read any of the party chats or not doing the side quest that is related to Gloria 😑

[@darkcosmos534]

I'm shocked I didn't notice this before or maybe it's just me but during my second playthrough of this game, during the fight with the Nights Nexus, if one listens close enough you can hear a woman's voice. After watching your videos on the Nexus, I was thinking " it's her! The Musan ancestor that was twisted!" If that's the case and holds true, I would have had Seth during the final fight say " that voice! I recognize it!"

[@BahavianBrave]

Have so many things to say im putting them in bullet points (sorry💀) 1 I vaugely remember the fact about halcyonia being apart of musa at some point being in the game. I might just be going crazy though. Honestly i have not replayed bd2 since it came out(really should). 2 Thank you for defending this games honor. Imo easily the greatest game and soundtrack ever made(at least until the next bravely game releases.) 3 I had no idea extra lore was in the guidebook. Definitely going to pick one up if i get a chance. When it comes to the press releases how would i find those. And is it just the fact that ianna is the one on the cover that you talked about or is there more. Is this what your "bravely default 2 background lore" video will be about? 4 is that mousepad official and how do i get one. Did you make those cards yourself? They are nice.

[@RedNovaTyrant]

@@BahavianBrave Yes, the BD2 background lore was going to touch on some of the obscure stuff that I’ve covered on the channel prior in a general sense + things from the guidebook/press releases. The mousepad art is official art on a plain mousepad that my friend Koma made and gave me one of. And yes I made those proxy cards myself, for a Magic deck

[@BahavianBrave]

@RedNovaTyrant Nice. Very excited for that video. Thank you for your work compiling bravely lore.

[@RestofBraves]

Hello! I'm the aforementioned Koma. Wanted to jump in here to answer one of your questions I picked up digital copies of the guidebook AND copies of Famitsu (with the press releases and articles) off a website called Bookwalker. Accounts are free and while you have to pay for the books/magazines, they accept Paypal. There are Famitsu issues spanning from 2015 there. The information about the woman on the cover is from a Famitsu article from around September 2021. You can obviously find copies offline as well but old hard copies of Famitsu are hard to find.

[@aureliodeprimus8018]

Wait, my brother didn`t mention a BD collab with MtG....

[@RedNovaTyrant]

@@aureliodeprimus8018 they’re proxies

[@aureliodeprimus8018]

@@RedNovaTyrant Well, incredibly good ones.

[@Mario497]

I think they could have added some kind of post game quest at the very least to wrap up musa it felt like it didnt have a conclusion. Like a quest where each place where you went helps rebuild musa back to how it was before. I think if i recall correctly that the king from haliconya said that he would offer Gloria anything if she needed something perhaps it could have been a good start to the quest. And then as a final wrap up maybe they could have done something about edna who was stuck in the crystal chamber. Also, it feels like they were going to add more to the place, as the background suggests that theres some things in the background as this part of the game felt a little rushed. Possibly cut due to the development conditions which could have been expanded with this possible post game.

[@KHCharlieVA]

I feel my issue with Musa overall is not its impact, it's the lack of space to roam in (for the main Musa location, not the dungeon directly underneath it). While I did enjoy seeing - and hearing - a dead kingdom and experiencing some of these feelings of intense grief and loss, it feels like the space to roam in was a little too small. To the point, but small. As much as I enjoy crafting my own theories and expectations and have them be shattered, I would've enjoyed a bit more visual storytelling not for the large areas, but for minor everyday NPCs. Maybe getting a peek at the towns below. The shattered remains of a house or two. The sight of a bakery in tatters. An area that only through someone else's stories you can tell it used to be a children's park. /That/ kind of exposition. The contrast between kingdoms is not lost on me though; I enjoyed seeing locations both large and small in this game and want to play it again soon, but I would've liked to be shown some more, not just told.