When i say “you cant make a game like this anymore” i dont mean any annoying political tripe or cultural thing, i mean that writers are too scared to have the main villain turn himself into a splinter (im splinter exdeath!!!) for the sole purpose of telling you his master plan and then proceeding to get into a dbz style fistfight with a turtle. The chocobos dont dance to their own theme anymore, you dont get a single small room where you have to slide on your face to hide from enemies (you dont even get the choice) anymore, the list goes on. If any of these stupid wacky things happened nowadays its be a shitty parody game with annoying dialogue that hates itself for being an rpg.
Thats what FFV’s biggest strength is: it loves itself. FFV is a love letter to the series as a whole up to this point, including itself. Its silly and goofy, but the emotional parts of the story still hit hard, and the systems are some the best of any ATB game. (I will defend ATB btw i love this system)
4 is what got me into this series, 5 is what made me fall in love with it.
I am never 100% this game again
Thats what FFV’s biggest strength is: it loves itself. FFV is a love letter to the series as a whole up to this point, including itself. Its silly and goofy, but the emotional parts of the story still hit hard, and the systems are some the best of any ATB game. (I will defend ATB btw i love this system)
4 is what got me into this series, 5 is what made me fall in love with it.
I am never 100% this game again
(This is the English translation of my Spanish review of this game)
Fact: This was also my first review of the Pixel Remaster series
Blessed the day I decided to give an old game a chance (lmao it's a remaster in any case). I always hesitate because I am afraid that it might bore me, or the gameplay mechanics might be very rudimentary, but this series of pixel remasters is proving me wrong, and that makes me really happy.
It’s so amusing to see games that have the early DNA of RPGs (and being the fifth iteration) it manages to capture the early RPG concepts in such a cool way. FFV has it all. Gods who created the universe, crystals that keep it safe, an evil guy who wants to destroy everything and escapes his prison, and now - THE HERO OF TIME - ehhh the four heroes of light have to mop up and fix the mess. An extremely classic archetype to tell this classic story.
Playing this game made me realize that for a long time I’ve felt somewhat disappointed by modern RPGs. They never managed to “scratch the itch” of the completionist’s bite. I don’t know why, but I’ve always loved completing secondary objectives or finding the game’s collectibles. There’s something inside me that feels peace seeing everything complete and tidy, so it was a pleasant surprise to see that FFV has a bestiary of 300 (depending on the version) creatures! Each with its custom artworks even. I love experiencing such great labors of love like this.
I don’t have many negative things to say about the game, really. Much of the criticism I can think of might not be so valid because at the time, the “old school” RPG formula was not, in fact, old school. For 1992, I feel that the storytelling, the twists and turns, the parallel and fantastic worlds were quite fresh and exciting themes, and I feel that 32 years later (today lol) they still are a bit.
In short, a game with a lot of content, many creatures, and an great joy to play.
4.5 Exdeaths, Postdeaths, and Neoexpostdeaths
out of 5 💀💀💀💀
Fact: This was also my first review of the Pixel Remaster series
Blessed the day I decided to give an old game a chance (lmao it's a remaster in any case). I always hesitate because I am afraid that it might bore me, or the gameplay mechanics might be very rudimentary, but this series of pixel remasters is proving me wrong, and that makes me really happy.
It’s so amusing to see games that have the early DNA of RPGs (and being the fifth iteration) it manages to capture the early RPG concepts in such a cool way. FFV has it all. Gods who created the universe, crystals that keep it safe, an evil guy who wants to destroy everything and escapes his prison, and now - THE HERO OF TIME - ehhh the four heroes of light have to mop up and fix the mess. An extremely classic archetype to tell this classic story.
Playing this game made me realize that for a long time I’ve felt somewhat disappointed by modern RPGs. They never managed to “scratch the itch” of the completionist’s bite. I don’t know why, but I’ve always loved completing secondary objectives or finding the game’s collectibles. There’s something inside me that feels peace seeing everything complete and tidy, so it was a pleasant surprise to see that FFV has a bestiary of 300 (depending on the version) creatures! Each with its custom artworks even. I love experiencing such great labors of love like this.
I don’t have many negative things to say about the game, really. Much of the criticism I can think of might not be so valid because at the time, the “old school” RPG formula was not, in fact, old school. For 1992, I feel that the storytelling, the twists and turns, the parallel and fantastic worlds were quite fresh and exciting themes, and I feel that 32 years later (today lol) they still are a bit.
In short, a game with a lot of content, many creatures, and an great joy to play.
4.5 Exdeaths, Postdeaths, and Neoexpostdeaths
out of 5 💀💀💀💀
Me transforme en una ramita y me escondí en tu bolsillo para pelear a muerte con esta tortuga que habla
Absurd, enormous, titanic. It took us a looooong time, but we finally have a "definitive" version of one of the best games in the series, and one of the most fun rpgs of all time - the possibility to earn as much as 4x the ABP allows even greater experimentation with the all-time great job system. On this playthrough, I even found out that a bard can be very useful. A bard! Absurd.
You can break the game at your leisure, with scandalous combos like the classic Rapid Fire + Dual Wield, and Spellblade + anything really (Dance has some RNG involved, but it's also a deadly combination).
Or make a challenging playthrough where you restrict what jobs you can use, such as the popular Four Job Fiesta challenge. It's all up to you.
On top of that, what the story lacks in nuance or depth, it delivers on an insane amount of charm and even humour. Ghido is one of the most entertaining characters in the franchise, and Exdeath just chews the scenery anytime he's on screen - the fucker is a sentient evil tree that turns into a splinter at one point of the story, it's truly glorious. Keep your villains with elaborate backstories and "sympathetic" motivations, I sometimes miss just having a douchebag that's evil just because.
This version also offers the best renditions of some of the series' most iconic tracks, such as Dear Friends (this version actually gave me goosebumps), Battle on the Big Bridge, and the best ending theme of Final Fantasy just got better.
The only negative thing I can say is that playing this made me truly sad that this is somehow the last time a mainline FF featured the job system. That is insane to me.
You can break the game at your leisure, with scandalous combos like the classic Rapid Fire + Dual Wield, and Spellblade + anything really (Dance has some RNG involved, but it's also a deadly combination).
Or make a challenging playthrough where you restrict what jobs you can use, such as the popular Four Job Fiesta challenge. It's all up to you.
On top of that, what the story lacks in nuance or depth, it delivers on an insane amount of charm and even humour. Ghido is one of the most entertaining characters in the franchise, and Exdeath just chews the scenery anytime he's on screen - the fucker is a sentient evil tree that turns into a splinter at one point of the story, it's truly glorious. Keep your villains with elaborate backstories and "sympathetic" motivations, I sometimes miss just having a douchebag that's evil just because.
This version also offers the best renditions of some of the series' most iconic tracks, such as Dear Friends (this version actually gave me goosebumps), Battle on the Big Bridge, and the best ending theme of Final Fantasy just got better.
The only negative thing I can say is that playing this made me truly sad that this is somehow the last time a mainline FF featured the job system. That is insane to me.
a confused twink and his band of princesses must save the world from an evil tree
One of my all-time favorites. The main theme has the power to unlock a cascade of memories that always makes me deeply emotional. Final Fantasy V is a gem. It weaves a simple yet heartfelt story with remarkable composure. It boasts one of the most enjoyable gameplay systems ever seen in the Final Fantasy with a huge array of combinations and features charming characters like Ghido, the original warriors, Gilgamesh, and even its villain.
In my opinion, Final Fantasy V is often underestimated due to its perceived lack of 'complexity' compared to other entries in the FF franchise and other JRPGs. However, it possesses a subtle elegance and lightheartedness reminiscent of the best Dragon Quest games. While the second world/arc may feel like a bit of a downtime, everything else in the game is simply outstanding. The bigger and bigger stakes after each crystal (and world!), the battle on the big bridge, the exploration of new worlds, the epic confrontation of Galuf against Exdeath, and the captivating library segment and many, many more all exude charm and brilliance.
In my opinion, Final Fantasy V is often underestimated due to its perceived lack of 'complexity' compared to other entries in the FF franchise and other JRPGs. However, it possesses a subtle elegance and lightheartedness reminiscent of the best Dragon Quest games. While the second world/arc may feel like a bit of a downtime, everything else in the game is simply outstanding. The bigger and bigger stakes after each crystal (and world!), the battle on the big bridge, the exploration of new worlds, the epic confrontation of Galuf against Exdeath, and the captivating library segment and many, many more all exude charm and brilliance.
Final Fantasy V was the forgotten 16-bit FF game that never came to the west but got a cult following over the years. I never got around to playing this game even though I had the FF anthology way back when, the pixel remasters felt like a good time to give it a go. What I found is a FF game that doesn’t have the level of storytelling found in FF6 but it does have some deep RPG systems and a rich world to explore.
FFVs claim to fame is the job system, often claimed to be the best FF RPG system. It does live up to the high praise, the amount of customization and freedom this system gives to the player is impressive. With the push of a button I can change my white mage into a beasttamer who can capture enemies and learn to control them. I can go from a ninja to a bard, all stats adjust instantly to fit that job. The genius part is how as you level up the jobs you learn new abilities not just for the job you are using but certain command abilities once learned can be added to an ability slot on any other job. Now you are mixing and matching abilities from multiple jobs while using the stats of the base job you want. It also for so much control over every single class and ability the game has to offer.
The flip side to this is that the game only has a party of four. I prefer large diverse parties in my FF games but these four party members are so mailable that can be every single class. I did specialize each of the four, so that they each would cover 3 or 4 different classes that would compliment each other. For instance my white mage was also the summoner so that she would have powerful spells I could use when no healing was needed. Certain classes weren’t all that useful as a base class but have one or two abilities well worth getting so I would make sure to use them until I gained the ability then switch back. There are over 15 jobs to learn, they are unlocked as the story goes so it doesn’t throw them all at you at once. It’s paced extremely well to open the layers of depth in a way that never overwhelms.
FFV tells the story of four characters that happen to meet as the world is having cataclysmic events. Bartz is the standard young man from a small town that discovers has a secret heritage and leads the group to save the world. There are princess and a former king that form the party, each are well fleshed out and have small character journeys but it’s not close to drama in 6 or any of the later FF games. The overall story is the standard evil dude wants to break some crystals to absorb the power and take over the world, the twist in this one is there are multiple dimensions of the world.
I love world maps in old FF games and this one is really cool. You will gain multiple ways to traverse the map, each allowing you to reach certain areas but not all. Towns and dungeons are uncovered at a great pace creating a great gameplay loop where it feels you are always growing and have something new to discover. At the mid point the world is shaken up and you enter a whole other dimension which is similar to the first world but all the inhabitants and locations have changed. FF games should feel big, epic journeys and this game captures that grand scale.
The narrative never really reaches the proper heights to really grip me. There are stand out moments, but ultimately I felt I was going through the motions by the end. A lot of RPGs face this issue, it has a reverse difficulty curve where it’s tougher at the start than the end. The first half or even two thirds I was enjoying all that experimentation. Boss battles tested each of my builds. Dungeons had enough tough enemies to keep me engaged in fights. As I got really powerful and found the optimal team setup most of the standard battles became trivial. If not for the creative boss battles that fill the game, the last part of the game would have been a total snooze fest. Usually the stories hold the game if the combat is getting stale but this one didn’t have that. So it doesn’t end as exciting as I’d hope, but the majority of the game was a blast.
The pixel remaster makes all the sprites and environments pop with beautiful colors. There seem to be a few quality of life enhancements with the world map, how sprinting works and balance adjustments. Musically you can use the original 16-bit soundtrack or an all new updated version which I used, another stellar FF soundtrack.
Final Fantasy V is another great entry in this legendary franchise. It’s more focused on the actual character build process than most, and easily the most customizable of the series. While the story is still fun with memorable characters and locations it doesn’t come close to the highs most of the games in this series reach. That and some difficulty balance issues toward the end hold it back from being a FF classic, but it’s still a great old school RPG.
Overall Score: 8.3
FFVs claim to fame is the job system, often claimed to be the best FF RPG system. It does live up to the high praise, the amount of customization and freedom this system gives to the player is impressive. With the push of a button I can change my white mage into a beasttamer who can capture enemies and learn to control them. I can go from a ninja to a bard, all stats adjust instantly to fit that job. The genius part is how as you level up the jobs you learn new abilities not just for the job you are using but certain command abilities once learned can be added to an ability slot on any other job. Now you are mixing and matching abilities from multiple jobs while using the stats of the base job you want. It also for so much control over every single class and ability the game has to offer.
The flip side to this is that the game only has a party of four. I prefer large diverse parties in my FF games but these four party members are so mailable that can be every single class. I did specialize each of the four, so that they each would cover 3 or 4 different classes that would compliment each other. For instance my white mage was also the summoner so that she would have powerful spells I could use when no healing was needed. Certain classes weren’t all that useful as a base class but have one or two abilities well worth getting so I would make sure to use them until I gained the ability then switch back. There are over 15 jobs to learn, they are unlocked as the story goes so it doesn’t throw them all at you at once. It’s paced extremely well to open the layers of depth in a way that never overwhelms.
FFV tells the story of four characters that happen to meet as the world is having cataclysmic events. Bartz is the standard young man from a small town that discovers has a secret heritage and leads the group to save the world. There are princess and a former king that form the party, each are well fleshed out and have small character journeys but it’s not close to drama in 6 or any of the later FF games. The overall story is the standard evil dude wants to break some crystals to absorb the power and take over the world, the twist in this one is there are multiple dimensions of the world.
I love world maps in old FF games and this one is really cool. You will gain multiple ways to traverse the map, each allowing you to reach certain areas but not all. Towns and dungeons are uncovered at a great pace creating a great gameplay loop where it feels you are always growing and have something new to discover. At the mid point the world is shaken up and you enter a whole other dimension which is similar to the first world but all the inhabitants and locations have changed. FF games should feel big, epic journeys and this game captures that grand scale.
The narrative never really reaches the proper heights to really grip me. There are stand out moments, but ultimately I felt I was going through the motions by the end. A lot of RPGs face this issue, it has a reverse difficulty curve where it’s tougher at the start than the end. The first half or even two thirds I was enjoying all that experimentation. Boss battles tested each of my builds. Dungeons had enough tough enemies to keep me engaged in fights. As I got really powerful and found the optimal team setup most of the standard battles became trivial. If not for the creative boss battles that fill the game, the last part of the game would have been a total snooze fest. Usually the stories hold the game if the combat is getting stale but this one didn’t have that. So it doesn’t end as exciting as I’d hope, but the majority of the game was a blast.
The pixel remaster makes all the sprites and environments pop with beautiful colors. There seem to be a few quality of life enhancements with the world map, how sprinting works and balance adjustments. Musically you can use the original 16-bit soundtrack or an all new updated version which I used, another stellar FF soundtrack.
Final Fantasy V is another great entry in this legendary franchise. It’s more focused on the actual character build process than most, and easily the most customizable of the series. While the story is still fun with memorable characters and locations it doesn’t come close to the highs most of the games in this series reach. That and some difficulty balance issues toward the end hold it back from being a FF classic, but it’s still a great old school RPG.
Overall Score: 8.3
Wife’s Reaction:
“The increasing ridiculousness of the villain names is the only way I can track your progress through your multitude of pixelated games.”
Breaking the Crystal Ceiling:
I’m happy to say the Job System in Final Fantasy V lives up to the hype; it helps make the combat better than ever because of all the options available. I spent so much time swapping Jobs and optimizing each character. The Job System needs to return!
“The increasing ridiculousness of the villain names is the only way I can track your progress through your multitude of pixelated games.”
Breaking the Crystal Ceiling:
I’m happy to say the Job System in Final Fantasy V lives up to the hype; it helps make the combat better than ever because of all the options available. I spent so much time swapping Jobs and optimizing each character. The Job System needs to return!
I feel you have to be in the right mindset for this game. Coming after IV but before VI this game takes a more simpler approach to its story in a similar vein to FFI and FFIII being a gameplay evolution to those games as well, but with the main 4 characters not being blank slates, while also improving on the job system that still holds up really well today
There’s nothing wrong with telling a simpler story you just have to understand that going in, it’s a very cute little romp characters have cheeky moments and have little arcs that aren’t much but I wouldn’t call Mario rpg or paper Mario in depth on the writing department minus its humor but those are still great games.
the biggest surprise was Gilgamesh, a character I’ve met in other final fantasy games and I finally got to see his original game and theme and I didn’t expect it to be as good as it was
The battle on big bridge wasn’t just a cool theme but it was a really cool set piece and Gilgamesh arguably has more of an arc than our main characters minus galuf, anytime Gil was on screen there was a smile on my face and no wonder they love bringing him back in later entires
If you wanna know my opinion on other characters
Bartz is fine
Lenna is cute if not flat
Farris is really cool and my personal fav despite
Galuf being better written
And kyrile is kinda eh for me but I’d be hard pressed to say I HATE any of them the games not trying to be FFIV which while one of my favorites in the series especially for its characters is fine and works especially for an anthology series you just have to know that going into this game
Don’t get me wrong either I personally prefer my games with a narrative focus especially my RPGs but I’m fine with them doing something more light hearted and simple especially when the gameplay is this solid.
This game doesn’t require you to be an insane person who loves grinding for stupidly busted builds in rpgs, but being that is super fun and rewarding for me when I can make my characters basically gods because the games mechanics being able to mix and match job abilities with no consequence unlike FFIII really does wonders to player freedom
While still being a balanced game to still have challenge for the player the game wants you to try things be flexible try a different setup if you get stuck in an area, and it’s not too different from just changing your party in a rpg where characters are set classes. But giving players that control is fun. Hell there were jobs I didn’t even use but I’ll be sure to use them next time just to experiment and that’s where the fun is.
It felt rewarding collecting songs for bard and summons for summoner with secret fights
While not my FAVORITE FF game id argue its objectively solid
There’s nothing wrong with telling a simpler story you just have to understand that going in, it’s a very cute little romp characters have cheeky moments and have little arcs that aren’t much but I wouldn’t call Mario rpg or paper Mario in depth on the writing department minus its humor but those are still great games.
the biggest surprise was Gilgamesh, a character I’ve met in other final fantasy games and I finally got to see his original game and theme and I didn’t expect it to be as good as it was
The battle on big bridge wasn’t just a cool theme but it was a really cool set piece and Gilgamesh arguably has more of an arc than our main characters minus galuf, anytime Gil was on screen there was a smile on my face and no wonder they love bringing him back in later entires
If you wanna know my opinion on other characters
Bartz is fine
Lenna is cute if not flat
Farris is really cool and my personal fav despite
Galuf being better written
And kyrile is kinda eh for me but I’d be hard pressed to say I HATE any of them the games not trying to be FFIV which while one of my favorites in the series especially for its characters is fine and works especially for an anthology series you just have to know that going into this game
Don’t get me wrong either I personally prefer my games with a narrative focus especially my RPGs but I’m fine with them doing something more light hearted and simple especially when the gameplay is this solid.
This game doesn’t require you to be an insane person who loves grinding for stupidly busted builds in rpgs, but being that is super fun and rewarding for me when I can make my characters basically gods because the games mechanics being able to mix and match job abilities with no consequence unlike FFIII really does wonders to player freedom
While still being a balanced game to still have challenge for the player the game wants you to try things be flexible try a different setup if you get stuck in an area, and it’s not too different from just changing your party in a rpg where characters are set classes. But giving players that control is fun. Hell there were jobs I didn’t even use but I’ll be sure to use them next time just to experiment and that’s where the fun is.
It felt rewarding collecting songs for bard and summons for summoner with secret fights
While not my FAVORITE FF game id argue its objectively solid
Final Fantasy V plays like an absolute dream. If you're a gameplay first type of person, there is no doubt in my mind that this game will be for you. The combat system is simple to approach, yet surprisingly deep, and it offers up a whole lot of customization so the player can feel like they are creating a totally unique battling party. I would say this is probably my favorite feeling Final Fantasy - the combat is just extremely satisfying and I find the default difficulty to be the right kind of challenging. It doesn't feel overly cheap, it just expects you to learn its mechanics and use them properly. I love it.
Storywise, this isn't going to be anyone's favorite game. It's very cute and cheesy but the overall storytelling is very simplistic and I don't think most people will feel the same connection with characters that they felt with IV. The peripherals around the story are all fantastic though, with my favorite soundtrack of the franchise to date and increasingly creative uses of sprites to convey character emotions.
This game is a classic and an absolute must play for anyone with a passing interest in old school JRPGs.
Storywise, this isn't going to be anyone's favorite game. It's very cute and cheesy but the overall storytelling is very simplistic and I don't think most people will feel the same connection with characters that they felt with IV. The peripherals around the story are all fantastic though, with my favorite soundtrack of the franchise to date and increasingly creative uses of sprites to convey character emotions.
This game is a classic and an absolute must play for anyone with a passing interest in old school JRPGs.
One of the best versions of the game for sure, but it's not that there is much choice. The SNES original is still a classic and great version by all means, PS1 has loadings and a horrible translation, GBA the soundfont issue and the 2014 PC release that tried to horribly emulate the PSP versions of I, II and IV is absolute crap even if it has all the contents.
So, yep: if you wanna play a good version, this one is fully approved if you ask me.
So, yep: if you wanna play a good version, this one is fully approved if you ask me.
This review contains spoilers
This concludes my journey of the Pixel Remaster collection. Despite hearing mixed opinions on this title from friends and mutuals, I personally believe Final Fantasy V is one of the strongest entries in this classic collection and even in the grand scheme of (SNES) JRPGs.
First off, the characters and story are well done. A more lighthearted story than Final Fantasy IV’s and its sequel Final Fantasy VI, with a cast who possess individual traits and characteristics that contribute to the overall themes of the game. The story isn’t anything special, but the simple nature of it allows these characters to shine with what they add to it. I believe the latter half of the game is not as strong (both story and gameplay wise), but I did enjoy the conclusion. Gilgamesh, too, is an incredible character and I love seeing his many appearances throughout the duration of my journey. I also loved all of the Moogle encounters throughout the journey and was happy to finally witness the origins of the iconic Moogle theme.
The gameplay flow was great overall. The job system is incredible in this game, definitely my favorite feature of FFV. I thought Final Fantasy III’s job system was neat, but this took it to a whole new level with incredible skills and ways to become OP towards endgame. It was rewarding trying out all the different jobs for my cast and bringing over their abilities to other jobs and eventually mastering them all for Freelancer. However, I wasn’t big on the endgame’s side content (for summons, sealed weapons, etc.) and it felt like a struggle to me with gimmicky bosses and trials. However, once you acquire everything and have these new abilities your disposal for final bosses and dungeons, it felt rewarding.
Overall, this is an amazing experience with another masterpiece of an OST by Uematsu. Going for the completionist route (as I attempt for most games I play) was hell with all of the missables and methods needed to acquire new Blue Magic spells. I highly recommend the SNES trilogy of FFs and Final Fantasy V shines bright amongst the franchise.
First off, the characters and story are well done. A more lighthearted story than Final Fantasy IV’s and its sequel Final Fantasy VI, with a cast who possess individual traits and characteristics that contribute to the overall themes of the game. The story isn’t anything special, but the simple nature of it allows these characters to shine with what they add to it. I believe the latter half of the game is not as strong (both story and gameplay wise), but I did enjoy the conclusion. Gilgamesh, too, is an incredible character and I love seeing his many appearances throughout the duration of my journey. I also loved all of the Moogle encounters throughout the journey and was happy to finally witness the origins of the iconic Moogle theme.
The gameplay flow was great overall. The job system is incredible in this game, definitely my favorite feature of FFV. I thought Final Fantasy III’s job system was neat, but this took it to a whole new level with incredible skills and ways to become OP towards endgame. It was rewarding trying out all the different jobs for my cast and bringing over their abilities to other jobs and eventually mastering them all for Freelancer. However, I wasn’t big on the endgame’s side content (for summons, sealed weapons, etc.) and it felt like a struggle to me with gimmicky bosses and trials. However, once you acquire everything and have these new abilities your disposal for final bosses and dungeons, it felt rewarding.
Overall, this is an amazing experience with another masterpiece of an OST by Uematsu. Going for the completionist route (as I attempt for most games I play) was hell with all of the missables and methods needed to acquire new Blue Magic spells. I highly recommend the SNES trilogy of FFs and Final Fantasy V shines bright amongst the franchise.
Final Fantasy V (1992): El peor de la saga por mucho. Bartz es una persona horrible y nadie parece darse cuenta, la historia no está a la altura y el combate te da mil opciones, sí, pero se pierden en una curva de dificultad con forma de montaña rusa. Un obvio paso atrás (5,20)
Easily the best of the pixel games I've played so far.
Gripes I want to get out of the way: while the gameplay is excellent, going for the Platinum meant some unfun grinding and some specific plays (to learn all the blue magic, a few spells require you to be a specific level, etc.). The superbosses can be trivialized with certain team builds, but the initial shock of getting instantly killed by them hit me like a train (I'm certain that was the intention).
That stuff aside, what did I think of the game? I adored it. My favorite cast of characters thus far, I absolutely loved the whole team (and I finally understood the "bad jokes will be PUNished" reference my old friend from high school referenced), Exdeath might be my favorite villain out of all the games I've played, he's sinister but felt actually intimidating. The story is also the best thus far, combining that with characters I felt emotionally invested in made it even better.
The job system is mostly great (aside from the superboss builds requiring some busywork), it takes time to max them out and get the perks, but it's honestly worth maxing out every job you get since it pays dividends by the endgame.
Second favorite FF so far (sorry, the action lover has it for 16).
9/10
And now it's time for what most consider to be the magnum opus of the series, 6.
Gripes I want to get out of the way: while the gameplay is excellent, going for the Platinum meant some unfun grinding and some specific plays (to learn all the blue magic, a few spells require you to be a specific level, etc.). The superbosses can be trivialized with certain team builds, but the initial shock of getting instantly killed by them hit me like a train (I'm certain that was the intention).
That stuff aside, what did I think of the game? I adored it. My favorite cast of characters thus far, I absolutely loved the whole team (and I finally understood the "bad jokes will be PUNished" reference my old friend from high school referenced), Exdeath might be my favorite villain out of all the games I've played, he's sinister but felt actually intimidating. The story is also the best thus far, combining that with characters I felt emotionally invested in made it even better.
The job system is mostly great (aside from the superboss builds requiring some busywork), it takes time to max them out and get the perks, but it's honestly worth maxing out every job you get since it pays dividends by the endgame.
Second favorite FF so far (sorry, the action lover has it for 16).
9/10
And now it's time for what most consider to be the magnum opus of the series, 6.
Su punto más fuerte es el gameplay. el sistema de trabajos es una locura y está incluso adelantado a su época, te da una libertad absurda para customizar que función y rol cumple cada personaje, haciéndolo de los final fantasy más rejugables si no el que más.
En ese apartado no hay quejas, mi problema están más bien en la historia.
los personajes principales son buenos, son memorables y me acuerdo de sus nombres, pero la historia que les acompaña es... mediocre a más no poder. y eso ha hecho que este sea el final fantasy hasta la fecha que MÁS he tardado en pasarme, lo abandonaba frecuentemente porque la historia no conseguía engancharme nunca.
Final fantasy 2 tenía mala historia, pero por lo menos el juego era más corto y tenía la motivación de estar más fresco en la saga.
Y la historia de final fantasy 4 es mala en su mayoría, pero era mala de una forma que era divertida.
la historia de 5 en su punto más alto está simplemente bien, y en su punto más bajo es demasiado goofy, es decente como máximo y eso me aburrió más que si hubiera sido bastante mala.
pero soy consciente de que esto es sólo problema mío, puedo entender fácilmente como este podría ser un juego confort de alguien.
En ese apartado no hay quejas, mi problema están más bien en la historia.
los personajes principales son buenos, son memorables y me acuerdo de sus nombres, pero la historia que les acompaña es... mediocre a más no poder. y eso ha hecho que este sea el final fantasy hasta la fecha que MÁS he tardado en pasarme, lo abandonaba frecuentemente porque la historia no conseguía engancharme nunca.
Final fantasy 2 tenía mala historia, pero por lo menos el juego era más corto y tenía la motivación de estar más fresco en la saga.
Y la historia de final fantasy 4 es mala en su mayoría, pero era mala de una forma que era divertida.
la historia de 5 en su punto más alto está simplemente bien, y en su punto más bajo es demasiado goofy, es decente como máximo y eso me aburrió más que si hubiera sido bastante mala.
pero soy consciente de que esto es sólo problema mío, puedo entender fácilmente como este podría ser un juego confort de alguien.
This review contains spoilers
Bless el día que decidí darle chance a un juego viejo. Siempre dudo porque talvez es muy aburrido o las herramientas de gameplay son muy rudimentarias, pero esta serie de pixel remasters está proving me wrong, y que tuanis la verdad
Me hace tanta gracia ver juegos que tienen el early DNA de los RPGS (y ya siendo la quinta iteración) ver que logran plasmar los conceptos de una manera tan tuanis. FFV lo tiene todo. Dioses que crearon el universo, cristales que lo mantienen safe, un evil guy que quiere destruirlo todo y logra escapar su prison y ahora a - THE HERO OF TIME - eeehhh a the four heroes of light les toca mop up y arreglar el desastre. Un arquetipo extremadamente clásico para contar esta clásica historia.
Darle este juego me hizo darme cuenta que por mucho tiempo me he sentido decepcionado en cierta manera por los RPGs modernos. Nunca lograba “scratch the itch”de la picadura completista. No sé porqué, pero siempre me ha encantado completar los objetivos secundarios o los objetivos de encontrar los coleccionables del juego. Hay algo dentro de mi que siente paz al ver todo completo y ordenadito, entonces para mi fue una grata sorpresa ver que FFV tiene un bestiario de 300 (dependiendo de la version) bichos! Cada uno con sus custom artworks inlcuso. Me encanta experimentar trabajos de amor así tan grandes como este.
No tengo muchas cosas negativas que decir del juego en realidad. Mucha de la crítica que se me ocurre talvez no es tan valida porqué en su momento el tipo de “old school” RPG formula, no es in fact old school. Para 1992 siento que el story telling, los twists and turns, los mundos paralelos y fantasticos eran temáticas bastante frescas y emocionantes y por allá siento que 32 años despues (hoy lol) todavía lo son un poco.
En fin un juego con mucho content, muchos bichos y muchísimo buen ride.
9 Exdeaths, Postdeaths y Neoexpostdeaths
out of 10 💀💀💀💀💀💀💀💀💀
(Me paso oficialmente al 1-10 rating lol)
Me hace tanta gracia ver juegos que tienen el early DNA de los RPGS (y ya siendo la quinta iteración) ver que logran plasmar los conceptos de una manera tan tuanis. FFV lo tiene todo. Dioses que crearon el universo, cristales que lo mantienen safe, un evil guy que quiere destruirlo todo y logra escapar su prison y ahora a - THE HERO OF TIME - eeehhh a the four heroes of light les toca mop up y arreglar el desastre. Un arquetipo extremadamente clásico para contar esta clásica historia.
Darle este juego me hizo darme cuenta que por mucho tiempo me he sentido decepcionado en cierta manera por los RPGs modernos. Nunca lograba “scratch the itch”de la picadura completista. No sé porqué, pero siempre me ha encantado completar los objetivos secundarios o los objetivos de encontrar los coleccionables del juego. Hay algo dentro de mi que siente paz al ver todo completo y ordenadito, entonces para mi fue una grata sorpresa ver que FFV tiene un bestiario de 300 (dependiendo de la version) bichos! Cada uno con sus custom artworks inlcuso. Me encanta experimentar trabajos de amor así tan grandes como este.
No tengo muchas cosas negativas que decir del juego en realidad. Mucha de la crítica que se me ocurre talvez no es tan valida porqué en su momento el tipo de “old school” RPG formula, no es in fact old school. Para 1992 siento que el story telling, los twists and turns, los mundos paralelos y fantasticos eran temáticas bastante frescas y emocionantes y por allá siento que 32 años despues (hoy lol) todavía lo son un poco.
En fin un juego con mucho content, muchos bichos y muchísimo buen ride.
9 Exdeaths, Postdeaths y Neoexpostdeaths
out of 10 💀💀💀💀💀💀💀💀💀
(Me paso oficialmente al 1-10 rating lol)
It's not a bad game, but it does have a lot of flaws. That said, let's start with the positives. The game looks and sounds great. It also has a pretty charming story, although there's not much to it. The job system is also very cool, even though I didn't use it to its fullest potential. There's a lot you can do with the various classes. That's my problem with this game though: It has so much potential, but doesn't go anywhere with it. The story is laughably thin. You'd think the story would be more substantial, considering it's a SNES Final Fantasy game, but it's barely there. This is especially disappointing, coming from FFIV. Heck, the main villain is called Exdeath. It's so ridiculously stupid. When I first started the game, I was loving it, with pirate ships, adventure and whatnot. I was excited to see the story evolve, but it's a typical, bland cartoony story.
Then there's the pacing. It takes a dive in the second half. The game starts to feel bloated and keeps going on and on after a while, making you wonder when it's going to stop. Not only that, but the game is filled with gimmick bosses. A lot of the time, I was overleveled with good gear, but I still couldn't beat certain bosses. Ahh, but there's a trick to this boss. He attacks you every time you use physical attacks, or he can only be damaged by magic and so on. Felt like so many of the bosses didn't take any skill, you just had to know the right gimmick to take them down. This is pretty disappointing when Final Fantasy bosses have always been great in the sense that you feel like the whole team is coming together with good equipment, taking down bosses, giving you a satisfying feeling, but instead, you just have to find out the gimmick. A lot of bosses were annoying like that.
All in all, not a bad game, but certainly one of the weaker Final Fantasy games. Get it during a sale if you want to try out the cool job system, just don't expect a deep story like in IV or VI.
Then there's the pacing. It takes a dive in the second half. The game starts to feel bloated and keeps going on and on after a while, making you wonder when it's going to stop. Not only that, but the game is filled with gimmick bosses. A lot of the time, I was overleveled with good gear, but I still couldn't beat certain bosses. Ahh, but there's a trick to this boss. He attacks you every time you use physical attacks, or he can only be damaged by magic and so on. Felt like so many of the bosses didn't take any skill, you just had to know the right gimmick to take them down. This is pretty disappointing when Final Fantasy bosses have always been great in the sense that you feel like the whole team is coming together with good equipment, taking down bosses, giving you a satisfying feeling, but instead, you just have to find out the gimmick. A lot of bosses were annoying like that.
All in all, not a bad game, but certainly one of the weaker Final Fantasy games. Get it during a sale if you want to try out the cool job system, just don't expect a deep story like in IV or VI.
Honestly, a huge letdown after 4.
Got to the point where you leave Bartz world and just have zero desire to continue.
Got to the point where you leave Bartz world and just have zero desire to continue.
Pretty fun to play, the story was somewhat predictable in some points but was pretty enjoyable, the antagonist wasn't super complex but he fulfilled his role good enough ( Unlike other character in the previous entry). Had fun playing this game and can't wait to get to the next one.
More games need to just unapologetically steal the job system from this game and I'm not kidding
Final Fantasy V is rather interesting, especially because it’s the one in the pixel remaster set that I knew the least about. All I really knew was that it evolved upon the job system mechanic from FF3. Now having played through the game in full, I can definitely say I enjoyed it. It really evolves the Job System from FF3, further realizing how this system could entirely function. That being said, there are some issues I had with how this game handles the Job System, alongside some other aspects of the game that made it not hit the same highs as other Final Fantasies. Though I want to reiterate, Final Fantasy 5 is still a good game, even if it’s not particularly my favorite of the series.
The Job System is interesting. One simple change was made between FF3 and FF5 that drastically changes how you can interact with jobs. This addition is simply allowing you to equip an additional skill from a job level you’ve already gained. So say as a Black Mage you’ve learned Level 5 Magic, if you then switch to a Knight, you can equip Level 5 Magic in that skill slot. That by itself creates a new layer of customization, creating actual builds and setups for each of your party members. And the jobs introduced in FF5 (at least the ones I used) were really fun! Samurai was really overpowered, Summoner just functions the same as Rydia from FF4 and I love Rydia, and I actually found myself using a support class with the Time Mage (Haste was just too useful). As well, that whole class fatigue system from 3 is entirely removed, which is assuredly for the best.
Though with that being said, I think there’s 2 major issues with how that job system works in 5 that keeps me from absolutely loving it. Those two factors being limited customization, and actually grinding jobs to mastery. What I mean by limited customization is that most classes, aside from 2 specific ones who function differently, can only equip a single job skill. That means that at the end of the day, you’ll really only ever need to master two jobs per character. If you never overlap any jobs for any characters, that’ll mean you only need to interact with 8 jobs in the game to make optimal builds for your characters. The other reason why I had so little motivation to experiment with jobs was just simply how long it takes to grind them out. For almost the entire game, enemies give 1-2 ABP (the experience points for Job Levels), only slightly increasing once you get into the final act. This, felt absolutely dreadful to do, since you typically need over 500 ABP to master a job, and some, like Red Mage, require over 1000 ABP. I think it took me over halfway in act 2 to actually master a single job, and I got that job in the early hours of the game. The abysmal grinding alone sort of creates a sunk cost fallacy with the jobs you’re already using. I already put so much invested in my Time Mage, why switch jobs and have to grind all over again? I really appreciate the Pixel Remasters featuring modifiers to increase ABP gained in battle, for most of the game I went without it to preserve the “authentic” FF5 experience. However I’m glad I switched to using the modifier instead, it makes the actual experience of playing FF5 so much smoother.
A slight side-tangent I want to express is how annoying it was to try and run from battles. I don’t entirely know how it works, but sometimes it can feel like you’ve been trying to run away for over a minute or two and simply nothing happens. It became a nuisance more than anything else, and almost every time I died in game, it was due to enemies wailing on me as I was trying to run from them. I very much appreciate the Pixel Remasters having auto-saves for every room transition for this reason alone. I did fight most of the encounters I saw, so I was never underleveled, and yet sometimes I was just woefully unlucky. This all boils down to my strong held belief that in games like this, being unable to flee from random encounters is an annoying design choice.
While I critique the Job System and Flee Rates, the general gameplay of FF5 is still buttery smooth. I think that’s just due to how well the ATB system works. At the end of the day it is just a modified version of a turn-based system, but that waiting for the next turn in order to attack makes things so tense and engaging. As I got further into the game, the more those moments of inaction had me on edge, as who knows what could happen in whatever fight I was in. Though funnily enough, by the time I was in the late game, once my builds were completed, the bosses were a general cakewalk.
The story itself is rather interesting. I wouldn’t say it’s as strong as other Final Fantasies, but I do in general like the world in FF5. The major reveals about the world of FF5, how it came to exist, and what it was before the events of the story are really interesting, and the locations you get to explore in FF5 are cool to see. I really like how some locations in Acts 1 and 2 are deliberately undoable at the time you first visit them, but become heavily important once Act 3 begins. The story itself, while simple, is paced rather well, that is until Act 3. Act 3 starts out well, and ends well, but the middle of Act 3 feels rather directionless, having little direction compared to the previous two acts. I think if just more story was added in those sections it would work well, cause the act 3 dungeons are some of the best designed in the game, but it feels like it’s just something you have to do before you get more story. Though I will say the absolute highlight of FF5’s story for me was undoubtedly Gilgamesh. He ruled.
Even though I don’t think this game is amazing, I still really like what it was able to do. The Job System is vastly improved over how it was in 3, even if it’s still not perfect. I’m simply a sucker for customizing, and building characters. I really would love to see another Final Fantasy try out the job system, though I don’t know if any actually use it (I know nothing about the games after FF7). Yet again, with how rarely I find myself playing a Final Fantasy, I always forget how much I end up enjoying them, and 5 is no exception. It was definitely a worthwhile playthrough, and I’m glad I finally got around to it.
The Job System is interesting. One simple change was made between FF3 and FF5 that drastically changes how you can interact with jobs. This addition is simply allowing you to equip an additional skill from a job level you’ve already gained. So say as a Black Mage you’ve learned Level 5 Magic, if you then switch to a Knight, you can equip Level 5 Magic in that skill slot. That by itself creates a new layer of customization, creating actual builds and setups for each of your party members. And the jobs introduced in FF5 (at least the ones I used) were really fun! Samurai was really overpowered, Summoner just functions the same as Rydia from FF4 and I love Rydia, and I actually found myself using a support class with the Time Mage (Haste was just too useful). As well, that whole class fatigue system from 3 is entirely removed, which is assuredly for the best.
Though with that being said, I think there’s 2 major issues with how that job system works in 5 that keeps me from absolutely loving it. Those two factors being limited customization, and actually grinding jobs to mastery. What I mean by limited customization is that most classes, aside from 2 specific ones who function differently, can only equip a single job skill. That means that at the end of the day, you’ll really only ever need to master two jobs per character. If you never overlap any jobs for any characters, that’ll mean you only need to interact with 8 jobs in the game to make optimal builds for your characters. The other reason why I had so little motivation to experiment with jobs was just simply how long it takes to grind them out. For almost the entire game, enemies give 1-2 ABP (the experience points for Job Levels), only slightly increasing once you get into the final act. This, felt absolutely dreadful to do, since you typically need over 500 ABP to master a job, and some, like Red Mage, require over 1000 ABP. I think it took me over halfway in act 2 to actually master a single job, and I got that job in the early hours of the game. The abysmal grinding alone sort of creates a sunk cost fallacy with the jobs you’re already using. I already put so much invested in my Time Mage, why switch jobs and have to grind all over again? I really appreciate the Pixel Remasters featuring modifiers to increase ABP gained in battle, for most of the game I went without it to preserve the “authentic” FF5 experience. However I’m glad I switched to using the modifier instead, it makes the actual experience of playing FF5 so much smoother.
A slight side-tangent I want to express is how annoying it was to try and run from battles. I don’t entirely know how it works, but sometimes it can feel like you’ve been trying to run away for over a minute or two and simply nothing happens. It became a nuisance more than anything else, and almost every time I died in game, it was due to enemies wailing on me as I was trying to run from them. I very much appreciate the Pixel Remasters having auto-saves for every room transition for this reason alone. I did fight most of the encounters I saw, so I was never underleveled, and yet sometimes I was just woefully unlucky. This all boils down to my strong held belief that in games like this, being unable to flee from random encounters is an annoying design choice.
While I critique the Job System and Flee Rates, the general gameplay of FF5 is still buttery smooth. I think that’s just due to how well the ATB system works. At the end of the day it is just a modified version of a turn-based system, but that waiting for the next turn in order to attack makes things so tense and engaging. As I got further into the game, the more those moments of inaction had me on edge, as who knows what could happen in whatever fight I was in. Though funnily enough, by the time I was in the late game, once my builds were completed, the bosses were a general cakewalk.
The story itself is rather interesting. I wouldn’t say it’s as strong as other Final Fantasies, but I do in general like the world in FF5. The major reveals about the world of FF5, how it came to exist, and what it was before the events of the story are really interesting, and the locations you get to explore in FF5 are cool to see. I really like how some locations in Acts 1 and 2 are deliberately undoable at the time you first visit them, but become heavily important once Act 3 begins. The story itself, while simple, is paced rather well, that is until Act 3. Act 3 starts out well, and ends well, but the middle of Act 3 feels rather directionless, having little direction compared to the previous two acts. I think if just more story was added in those sections it would work well, cause the act 3 dungeons are some of the best designed in the game, but it feels like it’s just something you have to do before you get more story. Though I will say the absolute highlight of FF5’s story for me was undoubtedly Gilgamesh. He ruled.
Even though I don’t think this game is amazing, I still really like what it was able to do. The Job System is vastly improved over how it was in 3, even if it’s still not perfect. I’m simply a sucker for customizing, and building characters. I really would love to see another Final Fantasy try out the job system, though I don’t know if any actually use it (I know nothing about the games after FF7). Yet again, with how rarely I find myself playing a Final Fantasy, I always forget how much I end up enjoying them, and 5 is no exception. It was definitely a worthwhile playthrough, and I’m glad I finally got around to it.
While the job system can lead to a lot of complexity (or just break everything like a piñata), FFV is an otherwise simple JRPG. The cast is likable all around, even if there's not that much to them. The villain is straight out of a Saturday morning cartoon and his dialogue is at least 20% evil laughing. That said, sometimes you just want a bad guy whose motivation is that he’s an asshole and by that standard, I’ve seen worse.
hoooo boy i was kind of afraid i'd have this opinion
whenever a game in a really big franchise like this is well liked by some hardcore fans but never really picked up by audiences at large it makes me concerned, because you know there's a reason why that entry never took off. final fantasy v is that game and now i get why it isn't more popular.
obv there's a lot to enjoy here. music is gorgeous, story is fun, there's a few EXCELLENT characters, and the game is massive in scope compared to every game before this. still, ultimately you have a game with a worse story, cast, setting, and general visuals than the game which precedes it. what is the draw here exactly? gameplay! lets talk about it lol
final fantasy v is defined by its job system and sometimes it works, too often for me it felt lacking though. there's just so much trial and error gameplay where you'll enter encounters which have very specific requirements for what sort of abilities you need to clear them with no way of knowing until the encounter begins. if things go well then cool, otherwise instant game over or potentially prepare for a long and obnoxious struggle to victory. and on that note, more than any other final fantasy game i've played, the amount of shit going on in this game which imposes no challenge or test other than that of my patience is obnoxious. idk why half of every monster formation towards the game's conclusion needed a confuse ability goodness gracious. anyway, there are certainly times when it can be fun to figure out some killer job abilities that just obliterate whatever the task at hand is, and i'm sure whenever i replay this game with all the information i know now i'll have a quite different experience, but i think a lot of the game design here was a little too trial-and-error-y for my tastes
i think final fantasy xii and x-2 spoiled me with their job systems. random note but i was surprised how easy the final boss was here, after all the nonsense to get to him lol.
anyway when in doubt remember to fall in love or something you might learn a thing or two about yourself
whenever a game in a really big franchise like this is well liked by some hardcore fans but never really picked up by audiences at large it makes me concerned, because you know there's a reason why that entry never took off. final fantasy v is that game and now i get why it isn't more popular.
obv there's a lot to enjoy here. music is gorgeous, story is fun, there's a few EXCELLENT characters, and the game is massive in scope compared to every game before this. still, ultimately you have a game with a worse story, cast, setting, and general visuals than the game which precedes it. what is the draw here exactly? gameplay! lets talk about it lol
final fantasy v is defined by its job system and sometimes it works, too often for me it felt lacking though. there's just so much trial and error gameplay where you'll enter encounters which have very specific requirements for what sort of abilities you need to clear them with no way of knowing until the encounter begins. if things go well then cool, otherwise instant game over or potentially prepare for a long and obnoxious struggle to victory. and on that note, more than any other final fantasy game i've played, the amount of shit going on in this game which imposes no challenge or test other than that of my patience is obnoxious. idk why half of every monster formation towards the game's conclusion needed a confuse ability goodness gracious. anyway, there are certainly times when it can be fun to figure out some killer job abilities that just obliterate whatever the task at hand is, and i'm sure whenever i replay this game with all the information i know now i'll have a quite different experience, but i think a lot of the game design here was a little too trial-and-error-y for my tastes
i think final fantasy xii and x-2 spoiled me with their job systems. random note but i was surprised how easy the final boss was here, after all the nonsense to get to him lol.
anyway when in doubt remember to fall in love or something you might learn a thing or two about yourself
We love you our shining star Exdeath
Não é tão bom quanto o IV, mas continua incrível!
Gostei principalmente dos personagens, Gilgamesh é um "vilão" carismático e super memorável. Enquanto os personagens principais: Bartz, Lenna, Faris, Galuf e Krile formam uma ótima equipe, cada qual melhor do que o outro.
E também adorei o novo sistema de profissões, pois agora é possível misturar habilidades de diferentes profissões e fazer algumas builds poderosíssimas (criei um cavaleiro místico com empunhadura de 2 mãos que dava 8k por ataque).
Gostei principalmente dos personagens, Gilgamesh é um "vilão" carismático e super memorável. Enquanto os personagens principais: Bartz, Lenna, Faris, Galuf e Krile formam uma ótima equipe, cada qual melhor do que o outro.
E também adorei o novo sistema de profissões, pois agora é possível misturar habilidades de diferentes profissões e fazer algumas builds poderosíssimas (criei um cavaleiro místico com empunhadura de 2 mãos que dava 8k por ataque).
My biggest struggle with Final Fantasy V is that it has yet to hook me 12 hours in. I feel like I can’t properly review the game because I stopped close to the halfway point. So I guess I’ll give a half review.
Final Fantasy V has a “fun” premise without a lot of fun. There really isn’t anything interesting going on with the story nor does it have an ounce of the drama featured in Final Fantasy IV. Instead, FFV on a small group of characters going on a fun adventure and being put through funny scenarios. The premise of the game heavily relies on the characters playing off of each other in humorous scenarios but that doesn’t really work with me when I don’t find the writing to be that funny. There are a couple of moments that got a chuckle out of me but it’s just not enough to motivate me to push through the story.
The game’s biggest strength though has to be in its job system. I can see FFV be one of the most replayable in the series just from the sheer variety of jobs and how they change up the game. I really appreciate how the characters are all pretty close to eachother stat-wise so any character can fit any role. It brings a refreshing level of customization that doesn’t feel overwhelming in any way. The job system has actually been the sole motivator for me to continue playing through the game as it rewards experimenting with different job combos.
This is all I have to say about Final Fantasy V right now. I don’t know if I’m burnt out or the game isn’t engaging enough to keep me playing but I can’t find it in me to continue through it. I hope I can pick it up again someday and feel differently about it but as for right now, I’m going to play something else.
Final Fantasy V has a “fun” premise without a lot of fun. There really isn’t anything interesting going on with the story nor does it have an ounce of the drama featured in Final Fantasy IV. Instead, FFV on a small group of characters going on a fun adventure and being put through funny scenarios. The premise of the game heavily relies on the characters playing off of each other in humorous scenarios but that doesn’t really work with me when I don’t find the writing to be that funny. There are a couple of moments that got a chuckle out of me but it’s just not enough to motivate me to push through the story.
The game’s biggest strength though has to be in its job system. I can see FFV be one of the most replayable in the series just from the sheer variety of jobs and how they change up the game. I really appreciate how the characters are all pretty close to eachother stat-wise so any character can fit any role. It brings a refreshing level of customization that doesn’t feel overwhelming in any way. The job system has actually been the sole motivator for me to continue playing through the game as it rewards experimenting with different job combos.
This is all I have to say about Final Fantasy V right now. I don’t know if I’m burnt out or the game isn’t engaging enough to keep me playing but I can’t find it in me to continue through it. I hope I can pick it up again someday and feel differently about it but as for right now, I’m going to play something else.
Tons of fun. The story is in focus here, and it's actually funny in a way games rarely are. They refined the "heroic sacrifice" in this entry, and--importantly--they limit it to one character.
The job system is deep and intuitive, and could be very fun to replay with different combinations in the future (looking at you, Four-Job Fiesta).
I still don't love ATB, but FF has always wanted to be more action-focused than its counterparts, so I begrudgingly accept it.
The job system is deep and intuitive, and could be very fun to replay with different combinations in the future (looking at you, Four-Job Fiesta).
I still don't love ATB, but FF has always wanted to be more action-focused than its counterparts, so I begrudgingly accept it.
WHY HELLO THERE, my fellow Final Fantasy enjoyers, JRPG consumers, FF IV conquerors and gamers from all around the world
Upon defeating the spirit of raw hatred itself in Final Fantasy IV, I embark on my newest journey: sailing the Final Fantasy V seas as a Freelancer!
As the before installments, FF V is completely standalone and isolated from the previous Final Fantasy games.
As per the now established formula, some concepts are recurring: Chocobos, elemental Crystals, that one guy named Cid who really likes airships yada yada, you know the drill.
Yet again, we have a named cast, starting with our traveling protagonist Bartz and his chocobo companion Boko. Throughout the game you meet other charming characters like Galuf, Lena, Faris and Krile to build up your party. Their interactions are fun, and throughout the game a rather charming and endearing tone is set, much less grave, sad and melancholic like FF IV was. A welcome change, imo, after such a heavy game, a lighthearted one definitely works. Our new villain is a man in a tin suit that laughs in an exaggerated way and mocks the party at all times, unlike the practical Golbez of few words from IV. By the end you truly believe the Final Fantasy was the friends we made along the way with how charming Bartz being a doofus is, how Galuf breaks some tropes, how Gilgamesh keeps appearing (ARGH!), or how Faris' secret is revealed.
That doesn't mean the game is devoid of serious or sad moments, however. These moments are even more accentuated due to the lighthearted tone of the game, so when shit goes down, it really does. I think it is a good example of good storytelling and setting moods.
Gameplay & mechanics! The job system returns from FF III, along with the ATB system from FF IV. Personally, I rolled my eyes the moment I saw the job system but that feeling was quickly tossed aside: this time around, the system is much more improved, less gimmicky and more useful. The penalties for switching jobs are basically nonexistent so it feels a lot like the game encourages you to experiment with various jobs. Some abilities that you obtain by leveling up the job, can be used in the ability slot to use it outside the job, leading to wacky, practical or downright broken setups (Dualcast Summoner, looking at you). Rarely did I feel the need to use a specific job to progress, unlike FF III where some parts of the game were gated by using specific jobs for the boss battle or area.
As far as graphics go, FF V seems more colorful and vibrant compared to FF IV, most likely because the tone is lighter as well. The spritework is also good as expected of a Pixel Remaster entry. Every character has a different outfit for each job (which is very neat), ranging from cool to cute and some even being wacky. As usual, effects are the wildest and flashy.
Not much to say in this department that hasn't been said in previous entries, although it's a shame our protagonists this time around don't have portraits in the party menu.
Music! As usual, FF V gets a really neat soundtrack, remade with real instruments and fully faithful to the original SNES soundtrack. Some absolute bangers present in this entry. In no particular order, my favourites are: Battle at the Big Bridge, The Dawn Warriors, Reminiscence, Beyond the Deep Blue Sea, Sorrows of Parting, Slumber of Ancient Earth and very close to being my top favourite is The Final Battle, what a banger.
I personally recommend this entry in the Final Fantasy franchise. It was probably at this point where they finally nailed a perfect balance between wackiness and serious storytelling, with compelling character interactions and not just a melancholic story that you are looking forward to see unfold like IV along with a job system that encourages the players to experiment and find their own playstyle.
Give it a shot, it's fun.
[job changes to Monk and slices the review with Katana] see you in Final Fantasy VI, adventurer.
Upon defeating the spirit of raw hatred itself in Final Fantasy IV, I embark on my newest journey: sailing the Final Fantasy V seas as a Freelancer!
As the before installments, FF V is completely standalone and isolated from the previous Final Fantasy games.
As per the now established formula, some concepts are recurring: Chocobos, elemental Crystals, that one guy named Cid who really likes airships yada yada, you know the drill.
Yet again, we have a named cast, starting with our traveling protagonist Bartz and his chocobo companion Boko. Throughout the game you meet other charming characters like Galuf, Lena, Faris and Krile to build up your party. Their interactions are fun, and throughout the game a rather charming and endearing tone is set, much less grave, sad and melancholic like FF IV was. A welcome change, imo, after such a heavy game, a lighthearted one definitely works. Our new villain is a man in a tin suit that laughs in an exaggerated way and mocks the party at all times, unlike the practical Golbez of few words from IV. By the end you truly believe the Final Fantasy was the friends we made along the way with how charming Bartz being a doofus is, how Galuf breaks some tropes, how Gilgamesh keeps appearing (ARGH!), or how Faris' secret is revealed.
That doesn't mean the game is devoid of serious or sad moments, however. These moments are even more accentuated due to the lighthearted tone of the game, so when shit goes down, it really does. I think it is a good example of good storytelling and setting moods.
Gameplay & mechanics! The job system returns from FF III, along with the ATB system from FF IV. Personally, I rolled my eyes the moment I saw the job system but that feeling was quickly tossed aside: this time around, the system is much more improved, less gimmicky and more useful. The penalties for switching jobs are basically nonexistent so it feels a lot like the game encourages you to experiment with various jobs. Some abilities that you obtain by leveling up the job, can be used in the ability slot to use it outside the job, leading to wacky, practical or downright broken setups (Dualcast Summoner, looking at you). Rarely did I feel the need to use a specific job to progress, unlike FF III where some parts of the game were gated by using specific jobs for the boss battle or area.
As far as graphics go, FF V seems more colorful and vibrant compared to FF IV, most likely because the tone is lighter as well. The spritework is also good as expected of a Pixel Remaster entry. Every character has a different outfit for each job (which is very neat), ranging from cool to cute and some even being wacky. As usual, effects are the wildest and flashy.
Not much to say in this department that hasn't been said in previous entries, although it's a shame our protagonists this time around don't have portraits in the party menu.
Music! As usual, FF V gets a really neat soundtrack, remade with real instruments and fully faithful to the original SNES soundtrack. Some absolute bangers present in this entry. In no particular order, my favourites are: Battle at the Big Bridge, The Dawn Warriors, Reminiscence, Beyond the Deep Blue Sea, Sorrows of Parting, Slumber of Ancient Earth and very close to being my top favourite is The Final Battle, what a banger.
I personally recommend this entry in the Final Fantasy franchise. It was probably at this point where they finally nailed a perfect balance between wackiness and serious storytelling, with compelling character interactions and not just a melancholic story that you are looking forward to see unfold like IV along with a job system that encourages the players to experiment and find their own playstyle.
Give it a shot, it's fun.
[job changes to Monk and slices the review with Katana] see you in Final Fantasy VI, adventurer.
The story is still classic but very epic thanks a great antagonist. The job system is nice but way too light (but we see the basis pf the perfect job system of Final Fantasy Tactics). The rythm of the main story is a bit broken by tje needing to make a LOT of grinding.
This has probably my favorite job system of any RPG I've ever played, heavily emphasizing on-the-fly party customization to a degree not really seen elsewhere in the series except FF8. Really really loved experimenting with the various jobs, even if more than a couple of them are basically useless. And I dig the comparatively jaunty, almost Shounen Jump-esque vibe after FFIV's somber self-seriousness. More FF protagonists should be plucky nice guys who are also a little bit stupid.