In a time where free-to-play mobile games are either quick cash-ins or lack substance, Brave Frontier stands out.

Brave Frontier is based in the world of Grand Gaia, which is divided into six continents. The player, who is a summoner, is brought into the world by Lord Lucius, the guardian of the world. Awakened in the continent of Mistral, the summoner is awoken by Tillith, an unspecified goddess. Tillith informs the player that Grand Gaia is in total disarray because the four Great Gods decided they’re bored and have wreaked havoc on the land. Back story is sparse, but that isn’t what matters.

What does matter, in terms of storytelling, is the amount of mythology that exists about Grand Gaia. Characters are called units, and each has its own description, whether it’s the generic monsters or disgraced gods. This helps make the world seem more realistic.

For instance, take Sky Boss Grafl. He was captain of an airship but fought against a soldier named Falma. The two became close friends in the years after. The fact that these two units can fight alongside each other makes this story seem like it actually happened.

The gameplay is that of a traditional role-playing game (RPG). Players control six summoned units classified by six different elements: earth, lightning, water, fire, dark and light. Elements affect how much damage units deal, depending on the enemy unit’s element. For example, lightning units do more damage to water units but less damage to earth units.

Battle is very simple at first glance, but when the system is utilized in its entirety, combat is extremely complex. Usually, units only have two options—attacking or guarding. Guarding reduces the damage units take for the turn.

Units can build up special attacks called Brave Bursts. These moves can have a variety of effects such as powerful attacks or stat boosts. Very powerful units can utilize Super Brave Bursts, which are like Brave Bursts but with an added bonus. For example, Rin’s Brave Burst usually just deals damage. Her Super Brave Burst does damage and heals her entire party.  A component of the complexity is knowing when to use Brave Bursts.

The other part is the Spark system. When two units strike an enemy at the exact same time, it activates a Spark which does significantly more damage. The timing for this is extremely precise and is difficult to perform consistently. It’s based on multiple variables such as the animation of each unit, their distance from the enemy and how many times they hit the enemy or their combo.

The combat system is the classic formula of easy to learn, hard to master. By making it a simple one-touch-does-most-things style, it’s easy to pick up. However, by including the Brave Burst and Spark mechanics, the combat system is so much more in depth than other mobile games attempting the same thing.

The entire package is only strengthened by the presentation of the game. The art isn’t anything groundbreaking. It’s well-drawn and easy to look at. The soundtrack is basically a sledgehammer to the one-or-two-song standard for mobile games.  There’s a huge variety of tracks, ranging from soft orchestral, rock, techno and even metal. The track “Tower of Light” shines for its combination of orchestral and electronic music. Ambient pieces, like the “God Theme,” appear when appropriate in the games, but aren’t common.

The main problem with the game is that to get the best units gamers either need to play the game for a very long time or use the micro-transactions.

Players who enjoy the game may not feel disadvantaged by this. However, gamers looking for a quick win may be disappointed.

The combination of satisfying gameplay and simple presentation is impressive. It’s safe to say that Brave Frontier is one of the best free-to-play mobile games on the market and is definitely worth trying.

Brave Frontier International

Created by gumi, Published by Alim

Released December 13, 2013

Available on Android and iOS

Free to play