Remember how I compared Dragon Age: Origins with Halo: Combat Evolved?

I’m about to do it again.

It really is strange that two role-playing games in one year would remind me of a popular first-person shooter from thirteen years ago (yes, you are permitted to stop reading, step away from the computer for a while, and ponder your life as you let that little fact sink in), but the comparison seems fitting.

Both games heavily rely on their mechanics and have a really strong first half, only to be followed up by a weaker and more repetitive second half. Each game continues to be good throughout, but they each lose some sense of steam along the way. I would, however, argue that Halo’s repetition is a lot more tolerable.

Now, before I continue, I actually discovered after completing the game that there’s actually a second ending, and it can occur from any point at the halfway mark onward. I simply wasn’t aware of this because the game never really let me know, in clear terms, that it was even a possibility. It was certainly mentioned, but required a level of interaction from me that I did not know was available. As such, it had me scratching my head as the protagonists repeated the same steps over and over again, descending towards doomsday yet doing nothing about it.

I’m pretty sure the airship you get is powered by idiot balls.

As frustrating as the repetition was, however, there aren’t many games I will sink seventy-five hours into on a single playthrough. I have my limitations, as my many failed attempts to complete Final Fantasy VIII can attest to. As repetitive as Bravely Default becomes, it is also in those latter chapters that the combat becomes its most interesting… and frustrating.

I’ll be upfront with you, I’m not nearly clever enough for Bravely Default. I came up with enough class combinations and strategies that I liked, but they didn’t work for every combat encounter. All the necessary story ones? Most certainly. Yet there were fights that challenged me more than the final boss managed to simply because they relied on a better party build than what I had, and I simply did not have the patience to switch jobs around, grind out some levels, and experiment.

It was a curious flaw to have, though. Each encounter in the late section of the game was not equally balanced, and certain fights would prove little challenge while others would wipe your party flat. It allowed the game to use characters and bosses to illustrate a variety of potential party combinations, and ultimately inform you of your strengths and weaknesses. My guess is that the game was designed with players constantly changing jobs and classes around in mind, rather than a player finding a class and sticking with it (as is my preference once I find something I’m comfortable with). There aren’t many role-playing games designed with this in mind, attempting to balance confrontations so that anyone can survive and stand victorious.

Bravely Default’s varied encounters instead revealed to me just how deep the system truly is, how many options are available and forcing me to come to terms with my own vulnerabilities. While I had to repeat some fights multiple times, it also taught me how to spot vulnerabilities and how to prioritize foes.

The real problem is that all of these moments occur in dungeons you’ve visited before and against foes you’ve already defeated before. There’s an expectation that you’ll inch ever closer to the game, and you yearn to feel just how powerful you’ve become, but instead of allowing you to bask in high-level glory the game stomps you back down and raises the stakes.

Even at maxed level Bravely Default proves to be a challenge.

At the same time, however, that’s why it engaged me for all those hours. The story was tiring me out and some of the fights were becoming a struggle, but it never stopped challenging me and it never stopped teaching me. Yes, I gave in and knocked the difficulty to Easy for a few fights. Yes, I allowed my 3DS to sleep an entire weekend just so I could build enough Sleep Points to activate in-game cheat mechanisms in order to stand a chance at winning a particular fight.

Yet the game forced me into a desperate situation that forced me to think, which is precisely what I want out of role-playing games. It is through raw mechanics and rule sets that they manage to engage the player, and being able to cause panic and desperation with little more than numbers flying across the screen is an oddly wonderful feeling.

It is not a perfect game, and it certainly will wear on you, but Bravely Default is certainly one of my favorite games in recent years.