A classic Final Fantasy game. The job system is very good, and the music is very well done. This was my first time beating it. The generous save system really took a lot of the frustration out of some of the harder fights in the game. Have to take a bit off here for the irritating small font that that I had mod to be able to read.
Unless you want to emulate the Advance version, this is the best way to grind jobs for 6 hou-I mean to play this game.
This game made me feel physically sick to play.
Beaten: Jan 27 2021
Time: 24 Hours
Platform: Mac
Final Fantasy V is a game I’m of two minds about. On the one, it feels like an attempt to marry the massively complex job system of Final Fantasy III with the fleshed out storytelling and characters of IV, a kind of meet in the middle moment. As that, it’s pretty great! The job system feels much better (imo) here, significantly more flexible and fun than it was in III, and the storyline flows nicely. It’s got a brighter tone overall than the fantastically dour, Shakespearean IV and the downright apocalyptic VI, but still pockets some rather affecting character beats and some like, actually funny jokes? Actually nuts. That being said, it also carries with it some of my least favorite aspects of III, as another in the line of Extremely Technical FF games. There’s a couple ways that this comes into play that kind of annoyed me, like a mild glut of enemies and bosses that revive other enemies as they die, thus requiring you to beat all of them at the same time. The back end of the game is filled with bosses that require certain strategies like this, and while no one in particular really got on my nerves (until SPOILERS twintania END SPOILERS), the boss design as a whole did grate on me a bit. The job system here really lends itself to design like that I’d say, for better or for worse. There’s no punishment, even trivial, for switching up your jobs and strategies on the fly. In this remaster, you can even save right before bossfights, so if one strategy doesn’t work out you can just switch up and try another. You can potentially create whatever job combinations you want! For a wide stretch of the game I even had a ninja holding two lances! Because that’s what you think of when you think ninja, right?
This system is really just asking to be split wide open. Want to be able to chain 8 fire-infused sword attacks per turn? Go for it. The only blocker to that is grinding up your jobs until you’ve unlocked all their abilities, but by the time where you really need all those abilities, grinding for job points is fairly quick. My thing is that I’m just not a huge fan of these kinds of systems. Not only is it asking to be split open, you kind of need to to get through the final portion of the game without losing your mind. Or at least I did. It’s cool, and the possibilities really do seem endless, but I’ll always prefer systems like IV or VI or VII use, which have flexibility in some areas but don’t require that level of breaking the combat system, or at least not to the same extent. It’s still good and fun, it’s just not quite my thing. That only became an issue for me in the last third of the game though. Before that, it was nice and breezy, and I was flying along with the story, using whatever cool job combinations felt nice to me. The story does some cool things with memory and parallelism too, which feels really nice bouncing off characters like Bartz and Faris and Galuf, who are just massive wells of energy and charisma. Lenna and Krile are cool as well, they’re just a bit more reserved, comparatively (they also get some really awesome stuff with that parallelism and kind of form the thematic backbone of the game? big big fan). Honestly, at the end of it, I’m just a bit deflated. I can’t by rights call it a bad game, or an unfun game, because I had loads of fun with it and I think it’s brimming with about as much cool stuff as they could fit into it, but I dunno. I’m not sure how it’ll last in my memory, especially compared to its siblings. It’s definitely cool though.
Time: 24 Hours
Platform: Mac
Final Fantasy V is a game I’m of two minds about. On the one, it feels like an attempt to marry the massively complex job system of Final Fantasy III with the fleshed out storytelling and characters of IV, a kind of meet in the middle moment. As that, it’s pretty great! The job system feels much better (imo) here, significantly more flexible and fun than it was in III, and the storyline flows nicely. It’s got a brighter tone overall than the fantastically dour, Shakespearean IV and the downright apocalyptic VI, but still pockets some rather affecting character beats and some like, actually funny jokes? Actually nuts. That being said, it also carries with it some of my least favorite aspects of III, as another in the line of Extremely Technical FF games. There’s a couple ways that this comes into play that kind of annoyed me, like a mild glut of enemies and bosses that revive other enemies as they die, thus requiring you to beat all of them at the same time. The back end of the game is filled with bosses that require certain strategies like this, and while no one in particular really got on my nerves (until SPOILERS twintania END SPOILERS), the boss design as a whole did grate on me a bit. The job system here really lends itself to design like that I’d say, for better or for worse. There’s no punishment, even trivial, for switching up your jobs and strategies on the fly. In this remaster, you can even save right before bossfights, so if one strategy doesn’t work out you can just switch up and try another. You can potentially create whatever job combinations you want! For a wide stretch of the game I even had a ninja holding two lances! Because that’s what you think of when you think ninja, right?
This system is really just asking to be split wide open. Want to be able to chain 8 fire-infused sword attacks per turn? Go for it. The only blocker to that is grinding up your jobs until you’ve unlocked all their abilities, but by the time where you really need all those abilities, grinding for job points is fairly quick. My thing is that I’m just not a huge fan of these kinds of systems. Not only is it asking to be split open, you kind of need to to get through the final portion of the game without losing your mind. Or at least I did. It’s cool, and the possibilities really do seem endless, but I’ll always prefer systems like IV or VI or VII use, which have flexibility in some areas but don’t require that level of breaking the combat system, or at least not to the same extent. It’s still good and fun, it’s just not quite my thing. That only became an issue for me in the last third of the game though. Before that, it was nice and breezy, and I was flying along with the story, using whatever cool job combinations felt nice to me. The story does some cool things with memory and parallelism too, which feels really nice bouncing off characters like Bartz and Faris and Galuf, who are just massive wells of energy and charisma. Lenna and Krile are cool as well, they’re just a bit more reserved, comparatively (they also get some really awesome stuff with that parallelism and kind of form the thematic backbone of the game? big big fan). Honestly, at the end of it, I’m just a bit deflated. I can’t by rights call it a bad game, or an unfun game, because I had loads of fun with it and I think it’s brimming with about as much cool stuff as they could fit into it, but I dunno. I’m not sure how it’ll last in my memory, especially compared to its siblings. It’s definitely cool though.
Final Fantasy V Pixel Remaster
No me gusta el V, es demasiado pesado lo único que me gusta son las mazmorras finales y Gilgamesh.
(5/10)
YA EL VI QUE GANAS #1Month1FF
No me gusta el V, es demasiado pesado lo único que me gusta son las mazmorras finales y Gilgamesh.
(5/10)
YA EL VI QUE GANAS #1Month1FF
The returns, they do diminish.
Can't go wrong with this remaster, graphics are on point and the orchestral soundtrack is amazing.
It's the same FF5 you've played before. It lacks a deep storyline or cast of characters, but the job system provides a great level of mechanical satisfaction and creativity.
SNES jRPGs are showing their age in 2022, but FF5 will always be a solid choice.
It's the same FF5 you've played before. It lacks a deep storyline or cast of characters, but the job system provides a great level of mechanical satisfaction and creativity.
SNES jRPGs are showing their age in 2022, but FF5 will always be a solid choice.
No other Final Fantasy game up to this point has put this much focus on the combat. More different jobs than any previous title and more possibilities to combine abilities than anyone could imagine. So many different ways to feel like you’ve broken the game. And yet the game is still beatable with just one job per character (allegedly, I’ll have to see for myself next June during the four job fiesta).
The combat is really fun and thanks to the Pixel Remaster you can save frequently so you’re unlikely to get frustrated by a sudden encounter that you’re not really properly set up to deal with. There are some issues with the combat like the overabundance of undead (especially with some undead being incredibly non-obvious. Why are red dragons undead?), the gargoyle bosses, and some enemies that have way too much hp, but these pale in comparison to how fun combat is most of the time, especially during the superbosses. It is also more grindy than previous games if that’s an issue for you.
The story of V is a bit weird. I’ve heard people say that just like FFI and III it’s just a simple “protect the crystals” story. I’d personally disagree with that. Even beyond the fact that you spend less time protecting crystals in this game than you did in IV, it’s a different kind of simple. I and III were actually incredibly ambitious stories that were limited by the technology of their time, so they ended up only implying most of that story, but V is just incredibly straightforward.
Simple, straightforward stories aren’t bad, but they also don’t really make you think about the game after you beat it. The characters in this are mostly great (Cid and Mid being the exception) and I kinda wish everyone just got to talk a bit more.
There’s not that much to say about this game. The combat is amazing, the story is good enough, the music is great, I recommend playing it if you think you might like it.
The combat is really fun and thanks to the Pixel Remaster you can save frequently so you’re unlikely to get frustrated by a sudden encounter that you’re not really properly set up to deal with. There are some issues with the combat like the overabundance of undead (especially with some undead being incredibly non-obvious. Why are red dragons undead?), the gargoyle bosses, and some enemies that have way too much hp, but these pale in comparison to how fun combat is most of the time, especially during the superbosses. It is also more grindy than previous games if that’s an issue for you.
The story of V is a bit weird. I’ve heard people say that just like FFI and III it’s just a simple “protect the crystals” story. I’d personally disagree with that. Even beyond the fact that you spend less time protecting crystals in this game than you did in IV, it’s a different kind of simple. I and III were actually incredibly ambitious stories that were limited by the technology of their time, so they ended up only implying most of that story, but V is just incredibly straightforward.
Simple, straightforward stories aren’t bad, but they also don’t really make you think about the game after you beat it. The characters in this are mostly great (Cid and Mid being the exception) and I kinda wish everyone just got to talk a bit more.
There’s not that much to say about this game. The combat is amazing, the story is good enough, the music is great, I recommend playing it if you think you might like it.
job system makes me feel good
What a good ass experience. This game has one of the most expansive and impressive battle systems in any RPG ever. The job system is truly extraordinary and makes the game so much fun to play combined with all the different spells. Makes the dungeon crawling fun The story mode is not up to part with the gameplay but it's serviceable. This is one of the few times where I'd say the plot and themes excel the characters. This is the first final fantasy where the goal isn't a super simple crystal fetch quest and posts some interestingenvironmentalist questions. However the pacing is quite slow and the characters are lacking with the exception of Faris and Gilgamesh who are fan favorites for a reason. Overall the game is a solid 7/10 the story is serviceable for what it is but the gameplay really excels
Play this version + add GBA sprite mods to get a better experience.
The job system in here is great; an improvement from 1 and 3, and the story is nice. I would say this is my least favorite of the SNES games but it's still a good game nonetheless.
The Final Fantasy series peaked on the SNES.
The Final Fantasy series peaked on the SNES.
Despite being obsessed with FFXIV, I did manage to squeeze in an older single player Final Fantasy game - the Final Fantasy V pixel remaster. I had actually started this game years ago but didn't get too far into it, instead moving on to FFVI and FFVII. I've always been a little intimidated by games with a job system, there are so many possible jobs you can do that it can be overwhelming deciding which to stick with. I actually really enjoyed the system here, and I think the gameplay is definitely this game's strongest point. There's 20-odd jobs to pick from, as well as a dual-classing system, that really made it fun to mix and match to create combos for your party. The spritework on this remaster looks great, although I have noticed that the colors are a bit washed out from this original (this is an issue with all the pixel remaster titles). The main reason why this isn't an A is the story. It's... kinda bland. I really do like the characters, and they're fleshed out well enough, but the main villain is super forgettable. He is evil bad guy from the evil bad guy dimension. He wants to take over the world because he's evil. That's it. Compare this to the games that were coming out around this one, like FFVI, and this story pales in comparison.
FFV is a very interesting and fun game but it does little to really push it above and beyond other JRPGs and even Final Fantasy games in general. The main draw of the game is it's vast job system with 26 different jobs for players to use and master. This gives the player a lot of freedom to customize party members in their own way that can have multiple elements from other classes. It's freedom is incredible but I do have some issues with it, mainly that the bosses require very specific methods to defeat efficently so not all classes are made equally and 25 of the jobs are given to the player a third of the way into the game which, on one hand, allows ore customization options early, but can be overwhelming and the rest of the game's combat can't really get much more interesting than that. My other main issue being with the story ad characters which is very minimual and leaves me pretty unimpressed. However, overall Final Fantasy V is an impressive game for the time with just have varieted and customizable every party member and class is and is a good and challenging expierence I would recommend anyone fimilar with the series try out. I literally just copied this from a college assignment I wrote so like hell yeah 👍
Definitely the best of the SNES trilogy. A beefed up version of the job system introduced in III (my favorite classic FF), a really cool world, and an endgame that gives you the freedom of how OP you want to be going into the final boss!
One of my new favorite Final Fantasy games. Fantastic sense of humor, which makes the emotionally charged scenes that much more impactful. The ramp up in difficulty at the final third of the game kept me on my toes, and constantly thinking about new job synergies. Absolutely fantastic game.
As a veteran of many Four Job Fiestas on the Advance version, this is a largely agreeable version of my favourite Final Fantasy game. However I did ultimately burn out and get distracted on my on my inaugural playthrough.
Most of the game is fun as hell, everything after exdeath's castle is fucking annoying. still fun also the job system is fire
A game that exists for a good reason
My thoughts on FFV as a game can be found in my review of FFV Advance, and as this is largely the same game, I'll just offer my thoughts here on the changes in the Pixel Remaster.
The Pixel Remaster looks great and the redone soundtrack is also, generally, very well done. I do wish they had used the HD sprites from the now defunct mobile/Steam version (the only good thing to come from that version visually), but the original sprites do still have a lot of charm and work fine, and the redrawn character sprites are much closer to the original sprites rather than the abominations from the older mobile/Steam version.
On the other hand, it lacks the optional bonus dungeon and jobs of the GBA version. The choice of which is better, at least for a casual playthrough, largely comes down to how much this really bothers you.
The PR version also offers a few QoL improvements, like easily accessible maps and auto-battle, similar to the other Pixel Remasters. These are nice, but I don't think they make or break your choice.
Overall, I think this is a fine first place to play FFV, a game that if you enjoy job systems in RPGs you absolutely should play. I run the Four Job Fiesta and for that, due to various balance changes and bugfixes, I may actually prefer GBA, but honestly, this version is still absolutely fine and I'm glad I tried it.
The Pixel Remaster looks great and the redone soundtrack is also, generally, very well done. I do wish they had used the HD sprites from the now defunct mobile/Steam version (the only good thing to come from that version visually), but the original sprites do still have a lot of charm and work fine, and the redrawn character sprites are much closer to the original sprites rather than the abominations from the older mobile/Steam version.
On the other hand, it lacks the optional bonus dungeon and jobs of the GBA version. The choice of which is better, at least for a casual playthrough, largely comes down to how much this really bothers you.
The PR version also offers a few QoL improvements, like easily accessible maps and auto-battle, similar to the other Pixel Remasters. These are nice, but I don't think they make or break your choice.
Overall, I think this is a fine first place to play FFV, a game that if you enjoy job systems in RPGs you absolutely should play. I run the Four Job Fiesta and for that, due to various balance changes and bugfixes, I may actually prefer GBA, but honestly, this version is still absolutely fine and I'm glad I tried it.
Buena adaptación a formato moderno del clásico Final Fantasy que sentó las bases (aunque no las inventara) del sistema de jobs que hemos llegado a amar todos los fans del JRPG tradicional. Tiene unas cuantas decisiones cuestionables en cuanto a ciertas mecánicas/bugs y stats que ya estaban reconocidas como características propias del juego y que no consigo entender... por ejemplo, las habilidades de drenar maná matan instantáneamente a los no-muertos y cálculos raros parecidos.
Por lo demás, añade unos cuantos QoL magníficos que revitalizan la experiencia de jugar FFV una vez más.
Por lo demás, añade unos cuantos QoL magníficos que revitalizan la experiencia de jugar FFV una vez más.
This game's really cool and I can't think of any reason not to like it but for some reason I just don't vibe with it that much? Like every time I look at what's there I'm like "this is rad!" And then 3 or 4 hours in I just fall off. Dunno what's up with that but I recommend it to anyone who likes JRPGs.
Good story
Good characters
Good locations
THE JOB SYSTEM
and as always, pixel remaster makes everything better.
Good characters
Good locations
THE JOB SYSTEM
and as always, pixel remaster makes everything better.
Great game but bad version
that's a video game all right
I played this game solely from my desire to play through every mainline Final Fantasy game. Out of FF I through V, this game took me the longest to complete. Not due to difficulty, but there were several points at which I put down the game to play later, but just did not have interest in coming back. I feel I never would have completed it except for my desire to go through every mainline FF game. That said, once I completed it, I think it wasn't a BAD game, it just wasn't a GOOD game. I think it was longer than it needed to be, and while I love the job system, it feels like there was a lot of imbalance in that some job / ability combinations were insanely strong and others insanely weak. I think it wouild be more fun if there wasn't such a wild discrepancy between the job builds.
Job system is the best part of this game everything else is just "pretty good". As with the previous PRs, this is the best version of FF5. Graphic updates look great and the remixed soundtrack again proves that Uematsu is still the GOAT.
FFV feels like a refinement of everything that they set out to do with FFIII. An improved job system with tons of jobs, no limitations on swapping, a more coherent but still traditional plot focusing on the 4 warriors of light and the crystals, and a sizable world to explore.
As it compares to IV, it is obviously more open in the gameplay regards. It is a bit of a step back when it comes to story and characters (both allies and villains), but I ended up being attached to the main squad all the same by the end. There are certainly a lot of standout moments too, with Gilgamesh being one of my favourite FF characters thus far. The new orchestrated soundtrack is outstanding too, I hope it becomes available for streaming soon.
FFV in my mind is the pinacle of "classic" Final Fantasy with just about every aspect refined. I went out of my way to do a lot more side stuff in this one just because I didn't want it to end yet. Definitely play this one if you enjoy the traditional formula.
As it compares to IV, it is obviously more open in the gameplay regards. It is a bit of a step back when it comes to story and characters (both allies and villains), but I ended up being attached to the main squad all the same by the end. There are certainly a lot of standout moments too, with Gilgamesh being one of my favourite FF characters thus far. The new orchestrated soundtrack is outstanding too, I hope it becomes available for streaming soon.
FFV in my mind is the pinacle of "classic" Final Fantasy with just about every aspect refined. I went out of my way to do a lot more side stuff in this one just because I didn't want it to end yet. Definitely play this one if you enjoy the traditional formula.
Oh man, this is one of my favorite Final Fantasy games ever! Coming fresh off the tail of FF4 comes a game with better music, story, characters, and more! I'm listing the Pixel Remaster version here despite routinely playing the GBA version more, but most of that is cause of patience issues and being able to use emulator speedup through cutscenes I've seen plenty of times before. This version loses a bit of content as does any Pixel Remaster compared to other ports, but in this case I never really play with the GBA content anyways so it doesn't factor into my mind.
Story as a whole takes a step back from the more serious tone of FF4 while still knowing when to be serious and make it count. For every scene of the cast ribbing around there's an equal amount filled with a fair bit of sadness or despair and eventual triumph that really makes them feel like a group of friends on an adventure that blows up to be larger than they could have ever expected. In particular the scene that precedes getting the 5th party member is one I think about almost all the time when I think of this game, and maybe even Final Fantasy as a whole. And the main antagonist of Exdeath is so simple but works so well within the context of the game that he's a real favorite of mine.
The main draw of this game for me however is the gameplay. Expanding on the Job system from 3 we get a more refined version with a bunch of distinct and iconic jobs that all play differently and learn a variety of abilities you can now choose to equip one of to add that extra level of depth to your teambuilding process. Red Mage might be underpowered in exchange for being a jack of all trades, but now if you max that job then the character gets access to the Dualcast ability to now throw on your favorite mage to make them even more of a force to be reckoned with. There's such a variety of party compositions that there's an annual charity event called Final Fantasy 5: Four Job Fiesta that I always take part of every year where you can be randomly assigned 4 jobs depending on the rules you choose and try to beat the game using only those jobs and it really tests your knowledge on encounters and how to handle the endgame where you can choose to go to the final dungeon at any time but miss out on optional rewards.
As a small note to anyone reading this unfamiliar with FF outside of XIV (if anyone even reads these) this is the game where Blue Mage originated from, so if you like that job you should definitely play this game cause I love playing blue mage in this game a lot.
Overall this game is leaps and bounds ahead of FF4 for me, but there are still a few downsides. The biggest one for me is despite really liking the design and character of Faris, they're treated rather poorly at times with scenes like the inn at the beginning of the game where they find out that they've got titties and the men do some awooga faces after seeing them. Also as someone who is transgender I can't say it feels great to see how much they refer to someone that started with "he" in the beginning as a woman. Yes, I understand it was just to be a pirate leader that they would present masculine and I'm not delusional enough to expect an actual trans character in an old game, but also it's my review so why do you care so much.
In the end though, I'm able to say that because of the awesome job system and fun cast this is easily a top 5, maybe even top 3 final fantasy game for me, and if you like job system games at all (Bravely series for a good example) then this game is worth checking out as well!
Story as a whole takes a step back from the more serious tone of FF4 while still knowing when to be serious and make it count. For every scene of the cast ribbing around there's an equal amount filled with a fair bit of sadness or despair and eventual triumph that really makes them feel like a group of friends on an adventure that blows up to be larger than they could have ever expected. In particular the scene that precedes getting the 5th party member is one I think about almost all the time when I think of this game, and maybe even Final Fantasy as a whole. And the main antagonist of Exdeath is so simple but works so well within the context of the game that he's a real favorite of mine.
The main draw of this game for me however is the gameplay. Expanding on the Job system from 3 we get a more refined version with a bunch of distinct and iconic jobs that all play differently and learn a variety of abilities you can now choose to equip one of to add that extra level of depth to your teambuilding process. Red Mage might be underpowered in exchange for being a jack of all trades, but now if you max that job then the character gets access to the Dualcast ability to now throw on your favorite mage to make them even more of a force to be reckoned with. There's such a variety of party compositions that there's an annual charity event called Final Fantasy 5: Four Job Fiesta that I always take part of every year where you can be randomly assigned 4 jobs depending on the rules you choose and try to beat the game using only those jobs and it really tests your knowledge on encounters and how to handle the endgame where you can choose to go to the final dungeon at any time but miss out on optional rewards.
As a small note to anyone reading this unfamiliar with FF outside of XIV (if anyone even reads these) this is the game where Blue Mage originated from, so if you like that job you should definitely play this game cause I love playing blue mage in this game a lot.
Overall this game is leaps and bounds ahead of FF4 for me, but there are still a few downsides. The biggest one for me is despite really liking the design and character of Faris, they're treated rather poorly at times with scenes like the inn at the beginning of the game where they find out that they've got titties and the men do some awooga faces after seeing them. Also as someone who is transgender I can't say it feels great to see how much they refer to someone that started with "he" in the beginning as a woman. Yes, I understand it was just to be a pirate leader that they would present masculine and I'm not delusional enough to expect an actual trans character in an old game, but also it's my review so why do you care so much.
In the end though, I'm able to say that because of the awesome job system and fun cast this is easily a top 5, maybe even top 3 final fantasy game for me, and if you like job system games at all (Bravely series for a good example) then this game is worth checking out as well!
This game is like the evolution from Final Fantasy 1 to 3 but this time it's 3 to 5.
Wow, a great classic turn-based RPG! This is honestly the most fun I've had in a turn-based RPG, the job system works so well with the ability to mix and mash them together to maximize the cheese potential to destroy most bosses. The system starts off as intimidating, honestly, when I first saw the amount of class I thought "Hell no I'll just focus on one job for each character" and do the usual Knight, Monk, White mage, and black mage.
The overall story is more of the same, the type of stuff you've already heard in Final Fantasy 1 to 4. It's mostly just a big bad guy who wants to destroy the world, why? Because he's bad and evil. And you know what? I like it that way I love bad guys that are just mean and evil it's fun.
It's also most likely the first video game with quirky boss interactions with the player, I love Gilgamesh he's always fun to see and uh... fight I guess? it's more like chatting than a boss fight if anything.
This game overall feels like the ultimate Final Fantasy game with the best part of each game being perfected and mixed to create this wonderful experience.
Wow, a great classic turn-based RPG! This is honestly the most fun I've had in a turn-based RPG, the job system works so well with the ability to mix and mash them together to maximize the cheese potential to destroy most bosses. The system starts off as intimidating, honestly, when I first saw the amount of class I thought "Hell no I'll just focus on one job for each character" and do the usual Knight, Monk, White mage, and black mage.
The overall story is more of the same, the type of stuff you've already heard in Final Fantasy 1 to 4. It's mostly just a big bad guy who wants to destroy the world, why? Because he's bad and evil. And you know what? I like it that way I love bad guys that are just mean and evil it's fun.
It's also most likely the first video game with quirky boss interactions with the player, I love Gilgamesh he's always fun to see and uh... fight I guess? it's more like chatting than a boss fight if anything.
This game overall feels like the ultimate Final Fantasy game with the best part of each game being perfected and mixed to create this wonderful experience.