Bravely Default, otherwise known as Bravely Default: Flying Fairy in Japan, was a Square-Enix published RPG heavily inspired by Final Fantasy that came out for the 3DS in 2012. It’s been quite some time since people have been able to check out this well-received turn-based role-playing game, but thankfully, it’s being remastered for the Nintendo Switch 2, bringing new players into the fold and giving old players some new content to look forward to.
Square Enix invited us to check out Bravely Default: Flying Fairy HD Remaster at PAX East 2025, and while we didn’t get a lot of time with the upcoming launch title for Nintendo’s new console, we did get to spend a couple of minutes playing two new mini-games built from the ground-up, and what makes these mini-games even more exciting is the fact that they utilize the snazzy mouse controls for the Switch 2, where you can place the new Joy-Con on a table (or on your knee or something) to replicate the feeling of playing a PC game.
The new mini-games aren’t going to drastically change the core elements that make Bravely Default such a good game, but they show that the mouse control scheme might actually end up being a good time. Whether or not developers of Switch 2 use this feature is up in the air, but for this HD port, I think it’s a good showcase of what’s possible for the future of games on Nintendo’s console.
Bravely Default: Flying Fairy HD Remaster Impressions (Rhythm Catch and Panic Cruise)
The first mini-game that Square Enix let me go hands-on with is called Rhythm Catch, and out of the two mini-games, this one felt the most underwhelming. I held on to the pair of shiny new Switch 2 Joy-Con (which felt much bigger and sturdier than the original ones by the way), and used them like a mouse on the coffee table that was set out in front of me. In the mini-game, it was your typical rhythm mini-game set up, in which you need to hit the beats in time with the music, but because of the nature of the new Joy-Con scheme, there were a couple of different ways to interact with the music.
One of the basic beats to hit relied on me splitting the Joy-Con far apart on the table and making sure a circle was caught in the middle of a line that was created between the Joy-Con on the screen. Then, there were some beats where I needed to hold onto the R or L buttons after clicking on a specific icon on-screen. There was also a beat where you just needed to bring the Joy-Con close together. All in all, the rhythm mini-game is what you would expect from a JRPG- the character dances on-screen to music from Bravely Default: there’s a combo meter, you can do harder difficulties, and it seems that more songs and outfits will unlock as you progress through the game and get more classes.
Rhythm Catch didn’t make me want to go out and buy Bravely Default: Flying Fairy HD, but the unique features of the Joy-Con of the Switch 2 actually felt really good to use and felt intuitive. At first, I was fumbling around with the controls, but once I got the hang of it, I was scoring Greats nearly every second.
The second mode that took a bit more time to sit through is called Panic Cruise, and this mode is the one that really got me thinking of the potential of the Switch 2 mouse functionality.
You can think of Panic Cruise as «Cid’s Airship Simulator: The Video Game.» Except, instead of just trying to figure out how to control a flying ship, you also need to manage the temperature of the cruiser, toggle switches on and off, and even use a fly swatter to combat some pesky ghost pirates. At the beginning of the mini-game, it was all smooth sailing. I was using the right Joy-Con to move the ship’s steering wheel left and right while using the left Joy-Con to elevate or lower the ship to be able to fly through some hoops (Star Fox style).
However, soon things start to become a little chaotic, as the party members will ask you for various favors while you’re trying to navigate the ship through the targets. Like I mentioned before, not only will you be adjusting and switching various things on and off, but you’ll be asked to sometimes change the music station, replace busted-up fuses, and laughably deal with the annoying requests until you manage to complete the level.
You can think of Panic Cruise as «Cid’s Airship Simulator: The Video Game.»
Like the rhythm mini-game, it seems that the Panic Cruise activity will also sport several difficulties and stages, but at this point in time, what we played today felt more like a tech demo than anything — a way to show future developers the potential of the mouse controls that the Switch 2 offers. I found myself giggling and utterly locked in on the Panic Cruise mini-game during my demo, and not because it was this in-depth ship simulation, but because it was purely fun. Moving the Joy-Con around on the table felt appropriate and made me wonder why Nintendo took this long to get this feature up and running. It just feels like something that should’ve been a thing back in the Wii days.
Ultimately, these little bells and whistles added to Bravely Default doesn’t seem to make it worth a purchase if you’ve already experienced the iconic 3DS JRPG, but if this is your first time around and you want a deep game to sink your teeth into once you’re done playing Mario Kart World, Flying Fairy HD Remaster has some cool updates that could pique your interest. If anything, these two mini-games make for a somewhat satisfying showcase of what’s to come from the console in this next generation for Nintendo.
Of course, we already know that games like Civilization 7 and Drag x Drive will make use of the new tech, but will we keep seeing it for years to come? Only time will tell..
