Solid game I enjoyed my time with for the most part but held back a little bit by some really strange/not so great balancing/structural issues, as well as the archaic ATB system that I have RARELY ever enjoyed
TATS GUAY IS TE GOUT
I told y'all I would be returning to Final Fantasy V.
If there is one cliche-y phrase I could use to summarize my experience with Final Fantasy V, it would be love-hate. For the bulk of this game, I found myself meandering through a plot that I could care less for with characters I liked even less -- Final Fantasy V was shaping up to be my least favorite entry in the series, and one that I thought was going to make me stop my marathon of the entire mainline series completely.
I came close to that brink multiple times playing this game, but I am happy to say that I ended up refusing to give in. After an insufferable first 10 hours, Final Fantasy V became the most fun entry in the series with its "endgame", if I can call it that.
But in terms of development, I would like to talk about the history of this entry before going further into my own opinions. You see, Final Fantasy V stood as a bit of a stepping stone between the first four games, into the insane and legendary series it would become with the next few entries or so.
As such, I view V as the very awkward middle child of these retro games. I cannot deny the absolutely horrid frustrations I had with this game, but at the same time I cannot deny its obvious strengths. Focusing more on gameplay this time around, the devs over at Squaresoft stepped away from the story-focused direction of FFIV and harnessed the strengths that made games like FFI and FFIII so enjoyable.
While definitely having a coherent plot, there is obviously more expertise put into how this game feels to play. Final Fantasy V reprises the personalized job system of III, which initially I was excited to get back into after the static, character-based job system of IV. While it worked in that game, I inherently value customization in RPGs and as such felt that going into this game's job system was going to be a treat.
But, truth be told, V seemed to be extremely lopsided with its game-implementation of it. That is to say, that within the first initial arcs of the game's plot, little to no locations allow you to customize your party makeup even remotely. In a game that emphasizes experimentation, there was a disgraceful lack of that in the first two acts, to the point where boss fights felt absolutely unfair due to their gimmicky quality, and the necessity of some jobs to be more present than others.
It is truly dificult to strike a balance between reasonable class power dispersion and fun gameplay, and I believe that V stumbled much more than it soared, which is unfortunate. Nonetheless, V stood to offer players multiple jobs to choose from, but even after collecting all but one profession, it still felt like an absolute chore to switch jobs, and grind them up to a point where they were viable at the point of the game I was at.
A simple fix could have involved emphasizing player level -- making core stats heavily fixated on player level over correlated ABP level. Or, they could have simply upped the experience enemies give in general. As with every other pixel remaster, I played this game at 4x boosted experience and gil which greatly cut down on grinding time, but even at that rate, it felt like progress was glacially slow.
On top of that, V embraces new puzzle-based, mazelike dungeon design that I absolutely hated mucking through. I found the color palettes of each dungeon particularly gross (even worse than FFII's Pandaemonium). And what was the worst worst WORST offender of everything was this game's full acceptance of the worst JRPG story trope known to man -- extremely limited direction.
When NPCs give you hints at your next step through general dialogue, that is the best form of retro storytelling in JRPGs. But when its Dragon Quest II levels of baseless direction, it becomes an extremely un-fun experience all around. FFV barely had any indication to what you were supposed to be doing, and as someone who hates that design, made me hate this game for the bulk of my playtime.
BUT.
Final Fantasy V offers one of the best things in... the entire series. Its endgame.
Near the end of the story, you are tasked with finding four slabs to unlock the ultima weapons of this game -- clearly within-reach superweapons that dealt massive damage/buffs/spells. After fulfilling two of these slabs, you were granted access to the very final dungeon, but alongside that, you were granted access to the best leveling experience in... the whole series???
I might put FFXIV or FFXII first, but FFV's genuinely amazing endgame leveling experience saved this game for me. I love RPGs that have solid, clear-cut methods of leveling and becoming a badass -- its why I loved FFIII and I. Its also why I hated this game for most of its runtime! But with the quests to gain the best bows, harps, swords, etc. -- Final Fantasy V opened WIIIIIDE for me... that sounds weird.
What I mean to say is that its exploitability as an RPG was extremely apparent as soon as I was given HEAPS of EXP and Gil and ABP. Just because I wanted to have the full range of mixing-and-matching my party build, I ended up fully maxxing out every single job, thusly making my freelancers and mimes absolute wrecking balls, equipped with the best stuff the game offered.
As such, I completely obliterated the final dungeon/boss, but there was another new addition FFV offered that other games severely lacked. Superbosses.
Superbosses made the leveling grind feel unbelievably worth it. Dedicating a day to getting the best possible abilities and whatnot made the eventual battles against Omega and Shinryu true tests of valor, and were honestly the most fun I had in my replaying of the original titles thus far. It was JRPG heaven -- and while I have played and enjoyed systems that were far more gratifying than V (namely, Dragon Quest XI's timewyrm superboss), I would be lying if I said that I did not get that familiar feeling that I was a total badass for beating one of the series' toughest bosses.
Overall, FFV was in one half an amazing and addictingly fun JRPG endgame experience, and the other half was a truly horrendous, horribly paced beginning experience for me. Even at the end of the game, after dedicating my time to grinding levels, I could care less about its plot. Save for some enjoyable comedy, the writing was a clear step down, and I do love great stories in this series so that was a shame. And the issues I had with the leveling system earliest on alongside the natural restrictiveness of the job system in the beginning 7 hours of the game, I cannot give this game too much praise.
Nevertheless, my experience was obviously not the norm. People love this game -- more than some of the series' most beloved titles. I can totally see that, and I do wish I knew how to harness this game's system efficiently throughout an entire playthrough instead of at the very end, because not knowing the secrets to grinding made it very difficult to enjoy.
Final Fantasy V is a game I recommend if you love JRPGs. This definitely is not the game you'd want to start getting into Final Fantasy with -- while it has some of the most iconic elements of Final Fantasy, and is honestly very vanilla in terms of series identity, this game is definitely going to be enjoyed by people who know and love the quirkiness of this series' retro age.
After long deliberation, I am giving this game an...
82/100
If there is one cliche-y phrase I could use to summarize my experience with Final Fantasy V, it would be love-hate. For the bulk of this game, I found myself meandering through a plot that I could care less for with characters I liked even less -- Final Fantasy V was shaping up to be my least favorite entry in the series, and one that I thought was going to make me stop my marathon of the entire mainline series completely.
I came close to that brink multiple times playing this game, but I am happy to say that I ended up refusing to give in. After an insufferable first 10 hours, Final Fantasy V became the most fun entry in the series with its "endgame", if I can call it that.
But in terms of development, I would like to talk about the history of this entry before going further into my own opinions. You see, Final Fantasy V stood as a bit of a stepping stone between the first four games, into the insane and legendary series it would become with the next few entries or so.
As such, I view V as the very awkward middle child of these retro games. I cannot deny the absolutely horrid frustrations I had with this game, but at the same time I cannot deny its obvious strengths. Focusing more on gameplay this time around, the devs over at Squaresoft stepped away from the story-focused direction of FFIV and harnessed the strengths that made games like FFI and FFIII so enjoyable.
While definitely having a coherent plot, there is obviously more expertise put into how this game feels to play. Final Fantasy V reprises the personalized job system of III, which initially I was excited to get back into after the static, character-based job system of IV. While it worked in that game, I inherently value customization in RPGs and as such felt that going into this game's job system was going to be a treat.
But, truth be told, V seemed to be extremely lopsided with its game-implementation of it. That is to say, that within the first initial arcs of the game's plot, little to no locations allow you to customize your party makeup even remotely. In a game that emphasizes experimentation, there was a disgraceful lack of that in the first two acts, to the point where boss fights felt absolutely unfair due to their gimmicky quality, and the necessity of some jobs to be more present than others.
It is truly dificult to strike a balance between reasonable class power dispersion and fun gameplay, and I believe that V stumbled much more than it soared, which is unfortunate. Nonetheless, V stood to offer players multiple jobs to choose from, but even after collecting all but one profession, it still felt like an absolute chore to switch jobs, and grind them up to a point where they were viable at the point of the game I was at.
A simple fix could have involved emphasizing player level -- making core stats heavily fixated on player level over correlated ABP level. Or, they could have simply upped the experience enemies give in general. As with every other pixel remaster, I played this game at 4x boosted experience and gil which greatly cut down on grinding time, but even at that rate, it felt like progress was glacially slow.
On top of that, V embraces new puzzle-based, mazelike dungeon design that I absolutely hated mucking through. I found the color palettes of each dungeon particularly gross (even worse than FFII's Pandaemonium). And what was the worst worst WORST offender of everything was this game's full acceptance of the worst JRPG story trope known to man -- extremely limited direction.
When NPCs give you hints at your next step through general dialogue, that is the best form of retro storytelling in JRPGs. But when its Dragon Quest II levels of baseless direction, it becomes an extremely un-fun experience all around. FFV barely had any indication to what you were supposed to be doing, and as someone who hates that design, made me hate this game for the bulk of my playtime.
BUT.
Final Fantasy V offers one of the best things in... the entire series. Its endgame.
Near the end of the story, you are tasked with finding four slabs to unlock the ultima weapons of this game -- clearly within-reach superweapons that dealt massive damage/buffs/spells. After fulfilling two of these slabs, you were granted access to the very final dungeon, but alongside that, you were granted access to the best leveling experience in... the whole series???
I might put FFXIV or FFXII first, but FFV's genuinely amazing endgame leveling experience saved this game for me. I love RPGs that have solid, clear-cut methods of leveling and becoming a badass -- its why I loved FFIII and I. Its also why I hated this game for most of its runtime! But with the quests to gain the best bows, harps, swords, etc. -- Final Fantasy V opened WIIIIIDE for me... that sounds weird.
What I mean to say is that its exploitability as an RPG was extremely apparent as soon as I was given HEAPS of EXP and Gil and ABP. Just because I wanted to have the full range of mixing-and-matching my party build, I ended up fully maxxing out every single job, thusly making my freelancers and mimes absolute wrecking balls, equipped with the best stuff the game offered.
As such, I completely obliterated the final dungeon/boss, but there was another new addition FFV offered that other games severely lacked. Superbosses.
Superbosses made the leveling grind feel unbelievably worth it. Dedicating a day to getting the best possible abilities and whatnot made the eventual battles against Omega and Shinryu true tests of valor, and were honestly the most fun I had in my replaying of the original titles thus far. It was JRPG heaven -- and while I have played and enjoyed systems that were far more gratifying than V (namely, Dragon Quest XI's timewyrm superboss), I would be lying if I said that I did not get that familiar feeling that I was a total badass for beating one of the series' toughest bosses.
Overall, FFV was in one half an amazing and addictingly fun JRPG endgame experience, and the other half was a truly horrendous, horribly paced beginning experience for me. Even at the end of the game, after dedicating my time to grinding levels, I could care less about its plot. Save for some enjoyable comedy, the writing was a clear step down, and I do love great stories in this series so that was a shame. And the issues I had with the leveling system earliest on alongside the natural restrictiveness of the job system in the beginning 7 hours of the game, I cannot give this game too much praise.
Nevertheless, my experience was obviously not the norm. People love this game -- more than some of the series' most beloved titles. I can totally see that, and I do wish I knew how to harness this game's system efficiently throughout an entire playthrough instead of at the very end, because not knowing the secrets to grinding made it very difficult to enjoy.
Final Fantasy V is a game I recommend if you love JRPGs. This definitely is not the game you'd want to start getting into Final Fantasy with -- while it has some of the most iconic elements of Final Fantasy, and is honestly very vanilla in terms of series identity, this game is definitely going to be enjoyed by people who know and love the quirkiness of this series' retro age.
After long deliberation, I am giving this game an...
82/100
The job system, although more complex than FF3, did not excite me enough to fully experiment which just felt like a chore. Compared to FF4 this game drags on for far longer without the story to match the increased longevity. Decent though.
FFV builds on the job system from 3 and almost perfects it. You can see even more clearly where Bravely Default came from! Overall, 5 feels incredibly polished and like the first modern FF, especially in terms of dialogue and animation. Definitely a fantastic game!
Yeah this was fantastic. The gameplay and jobs system were incredible and it was just a blast the whole way through. I wish I was more invested in the plot as my interest dwindled towards the second half, but the ending still gave me the feels. I could see myself replaying this for the job system alone quite a few times in the future. For now though, on to VI…
While it lacks the punch of IV's story, its gameplay makes up for it in SPADES. The job system is the best it's ever been and rewards you handsomely for the work you put into it.
Battle on the Big Bridge is a BANGER!
Battle on the Big Bridge is a BANGER!
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.
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.
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.
Basically FF3 with a story. A bit more annoyance with fights later on into the game. Fine overall, can be punishing though if you don't level up certain jobs, feeling a bit restricted on your freedom. A fun time though.
Very good, very enjoyable.
3 and 5 are the best out of the pixel series.
6 is next.
3 and 5 are the best out of the pixel series.
6 is next.
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.
This is that 2D FF game
Final Fantasy 5 -- the unreleased SNES titan beloved by the likes of FF16 director Hiroshi Takai -- is now available in a nifty translation with this pixel remaster.
The first 8 hours of FF5 are pure joy. There's a great sense of adventure and experimentation lovingly stitched into this beautful game. Four motley friends embark on a directionless adventure to save Lenna Tycoon's father from Something. You are given a wonderful combat system that is designed explicitly for creating White Mage Monks with every character. The music, combat, and narrative impart the feeling of a limitless adventure. You are undefeatable. You can do anything. You will get to hang out with Galuf because he is the best one. You will have a good time watching Bartz and Galuf fall in love with Faris. You will think "I'm glad that Sakaguchi got to remake Faris with Seth Balmore in Lost Odyssey." You will enjoy every encounter with Gilgamesh because he understands that Galuf is the best one.
Then something terrible occurs. You will meet a character named Mid. The game will, for some reason, lose all faith in your ability to do things for yourself and will force you to talk to Mid every half-hour to progress the story. Gone is the experience of FF 1 through The First 25% of 5 where you are trusted to explore and take notes for yourself in order to progress. You must talk to Mid to explore the places you have found on your travels. You must talk to Mid so he can tell you its ok to go exploring. The consequences of creating this character have had an unfathomably negative impact on the future of this franchise and perhaps society at large.
Eventually, Mid will go away, and the game will be very fun again. However, the cohesion of the first 8 hours is gone. The pacing will begin to slow, and it never returns. The more time you put into it, the less the world feels less like a living environment to explore. You should finish it though. The questions "why are the first 8 hours of FF5 so good" and "why are the last 20 hours of FF5 so sleep-inducing" are both worth exploring. This title borrows a lot from FF3. While the job system is very fun, I found myself having more fun with FF3's job system. FF3's story is simple, but it's paced like a roller coaster and leaves you feeling satisfied. FF5 will try to make you care about Bartz, but no matter how many times he reminds you that his dad is gone or he is scared of heights, your heart will harbor no affection for him because he talks too much like an 8-year-old's conception of how Sonic the Hedgehog would talk if he was their friend in real life.
You could play the pixel remasters for Final Fantasy 1 through 3 in the time it takes to play 5. You should play this one though. The first quarter of the game is truly spectacular. However, as great as the battle system is, I'm not sure if the latter portion of the game is thoughtful enough to warrant several replays. After all, Dragon Quest 5 was released a few months earlier.
The first 8 hours of FF5 are pure joy. There's a great sense of adventure and experimentation lovingly stitched into this beautful game. Four motley friends embark on a directionless adventure to save Lenna Tycoon's father from Something. You are given a wonderful combat system that is designed explicitly for creating White Mage Monks with every character. The music, combat, and narrative impart the feeling of a limitless adventure. You are undefeatable. You can do anything. You will get to hang out with Galuf because he is the best one. You will have a good time watching Bartz and Galuf fall in love with Faris. You will think "I'm glad that Sakaguchi got to remake Faris with Seth Balmore in Lost Odyssey." You will enjoy every encounter with Gilgamesh because he understands that Galuf is the best one.
Then something terrible occurs. You will meet a character named Mid. The game will, for some reason, lose all faith in your ability to do things for yourself and will force you to talk to Mid every half-hour to progress the story. Gone is the experience of FF 1 through The First 25% of 5 where you are trusted to explore and take notes for yourself in order to progress. You must talk to Mid to explore the places you have found on your travels. You must talk to Mid so he can tell you its ok to go exploring. The consequences of creating this character have had an unfathomably negative impact on the future of this franchise and perhaps society at large.
Eventually, Mid will go away, and the game will be very fun again. However, the cohesion of the first 8 hours is gone. The pacing will begin to slow, and it never returns. The more time you put into it, the less the world feels less like a living environment to explore. You should finish it though. The questions "why are the first 8 hours of FF5 so good" and "why are the last 20 hours of FF5 so sleep-inducing" are both worth exploring. This title borrows a lot from FF3. While the job system is very fun, I found myself having more fun with FF3's job system. FF3's story is simple, but it's paced like a roller coaster and leaves you feeling satisfied. FF5 will try to make you care about Bartz, but no matter how many times he reminds you that his dad is gone or he is scared of heights, your heart will harbor no affection for him because he talks too much like an 8-year-old's conception of how Sonic the Hedgehog would talk if he was their friend in real life.
You could play the pixel remasters for Final Fantasy 1 through 3 in the time it takes to play 5. You should play this one though. The first quarter of the game is truly spectacular. However, as great as the battle system is, I'm not sure if the latter portion of the game is thoughtful enough to warrant several replays. After all, Dragon Quest 5 was released a few months earlier.
“It's amazing how, over time, a person's perspective can be altered.”
-William Frederick Durst
I knew next to nothing about Final Fantasy V going in: It’s lighter in tone, it has a “job system”, and it didn’t initially release in the west. VI is the one people talk about.
Coming hot off the heels of the first four entries, I was ready for anything. Final Fantasy V is indeed lighter in tone for the most part, with plenty of jokes and banter, and a surprising amount of down-time with the party.
If this had been my first Final Fantasy game I might have wanted a meatier, darker story, but I also don’t want to put games in a box. A figurative box. Some games come in a box. Final Fantasy V almost certainly came in a box on release. This franchise has displayed a dedication to variety that I think is pretty rare in the industry, and each Final Fantasy is its own beast. This one is a goofy one, and I thought it worked.
The near-constant swapping of party members in past entries wasn’t necessarily a negative, but it was refreshing to play through a game with a highly consistent cast of core characters. The personalities at the center of the story kept me engaged, and I think I’m personally a character-focused player. While the plot definitely has its moments, I feel the smaller beats of levity are where the game shines. The game is luckily filled with them!
“I'm OCD beyond comparison.”
-William Frederick Durst
The job system takes said characters and turns them into first-year college students, swapping disciplines on the fly, encouraging and facilitating a massive amount of experimentation with the gameplay. This exacerbates some experience point issues shared by past entries, but I will say that grinding for specific upgrades is easier to swallow (for me) than just general leveling.
I wanted to rank everything up. I wanted to get everything. I wanted my endgame characters to be the most versatile ever. This came at the cost of the game’s narrative pacing, as I spent way more time fighting random monsters than I did progressing the story. By the end, my team was beastly but my interest in the plot had waned slightly.
But it can’t be overstated just how fun the experimentation with the job system is. Each job is distinct enough to seemingly be viable for the whole game, yet there’s a definite progression as you unlock more and more of them.
“I'm definitely on the incline to a peak.”
-William Frederick Durst
I enjoyed my time with Finally a Fantasy V more than I did with the already solid Final Fantasy IV. I thought IV was better than III. III was better than II. II wasn’t as good as I but the point is, I’m feeling the winds of quality blowing toward Final Fantasy VI. Will it be the series best it is often hailed as, or will I be left yearning for my time with Bartz and the gang?
“I stopped predicting the future a long time ago.”
-William Frederick Durst
-William Frederick Durst
I knew next to nothing about Final Fantasy V going in: It’s lighter in tone, it has a “job system”, and it didn’t initially release in the west. VI is the one people talk about.
Coming hot off the heels of the first four entries, I was ready for anything. Final Fantasy V is indeed lighter in tone for the most part, with plenty of jokes and banter, and a surprising amount of down-time with the party.
If this had been my first Final Fantasy game I might have wanted a meatier, darker story, but I also don’t want to put games in a box. A figurative box. Some games come in a box. Final Fantasy V almost certainly came in a box on release. This franchise has displayed a dedication to variety that I think is pretty rare in the industry, and each Final Fantasy is its own beast. This one is a goofy one, and I thought it worked.
The near-constant swapping of party members in past entries wasn’t necessarily a negative, but it was refreshing to play through a game with a highly consistent cast of core characters. The personalities at the center of the story kept me engaged, and I think I’m personally a character-focused player. While the plot definitely has its moments, I feel the smaller beats of levity are where the game shines. The game is luckily filled with them!
“I'm OCD beyond comparison.”
-William Frederick Durst
The job system takes said characters and turns them into first-year college students, swapping disciplines on the fly, encouraging and facilitating a massive amount of experimentation with the gameplay. This exacerbates some experience point issues shared by past entries, but I will say that grinding for specific upgrades is easier to swallow (for me) than just general leveling.
I wanted to rank everything up. I wanted to get everything. I wanted my endgame characters to be the most versatile ever. This came at the cost of the game’s narrative pacing, as I spent way more time fighting random monsters than I did progressing the story. By the end, my team was beastly but my interest in the plot had waned slightly.
But it can’t be overstated just how fun the experimentation with the job system is. Each job is distinct enough to seemingly be viable for the whole game, yet there’s a definite progression as you unlock more and more of them.
“I'm definitely on the incline to a peak.”
-William Frederick Durst
I enjoyed my time with Finally a Fantasy V more than I did with the already solid Final Fantasy IV. I thought IV was better than III. III was better than II. II wasn’t as good as I but the point is, I’m feeling the winds of quality blowing toward Final Fantasy VI. Will it be the series best it is often hailed as, or will I be left yearning for my time with Bartz and the gang?
“I stopped predicting the future a long time ago.”
-William Frederick Durst
What the hell happened?
I remember liking FFV so much. But upon a subsequent playthrough, I cannot stand this game for a lot of reasons. Mainly, the story is an immense downgrade from FFIV, and the gameplay is unironically worse.
I remember enjoying the job system so much, but the genuine intricacies and well-designed aspects of V's iteration of it are absolutely ruined by awful, truly AWFUL dungeon design, terrible bosses that have absolutely zero indication towards their solution (they are gimmicks rather than a test of the player's management skills, which if we have learned anything from the last FOUR entries, you want to hone in on player management and not shitty gimmicks!!!), and a story progression system that is, in my opinion, the worst in the series yet. Yes, I am being serious in that. I quit FFV without even getting halfway through. I was about to get halfway, but dropped everything after having to fight the absolute disgustingly bad designed boss fight of the purple bombs in front of the Walse meteorite.
I am severely disappointed by this game. After miraculously not having series fatigue after playing FOUR games in a row, including one terrible game (II), I am amazed that I have been gutpunched this hard by an entry I fondly remember. I do not like the characters. They barely have any worthwhile character TO them, as FFV drops the serious overtones of FFIV in exchange for an extremely goofy, nonsensical, and bland plot. Add on top of this that this game goes WHOLE-HOG into the "we made an open world for you to explore, but we aren't going to give you any direction at all towards exploring it and will make progressing forward completely nonsensical!!!" JRPG trope of games like DQ1-3, and it is a trope that I absolutely despise. It is made for the express purpose of forcing players to run over location after location, ruining world-to-player intrigue by making exploration, a core part of JRPGs this era, an absolute chore!!!
And the job system. This part is so sad. I love the basis FFV has with its job system, but presently the gimmickiness of boss fights and the frequency in which you have to alternate between jobs is absolutely offensive. Grinding, even with the 4x boost in the pixel remaster, is an absolute CHORE because NONE OF THE ENEMIES OFFER GOOD EXP!!!!!! OR EVEN GIL!!!!!! SO WHAT'S THE POINT???
I do not know how Square establishes a changeable job system so strongly in FFIII, then makes a static-job system actually fun in FFIV, only for the full implementation of it in FFV to be absolutely pointless. AND the dungeons -- they're terrible too. We're back to the annoying, maze-like, awfully colored (they hurt to look at) dungeons of FFII with this game, but now we have confusing and pointless minigames to pad out the experience even more!!!
In all honesty, I might be shitting on this game too hard. I want to just play games like FFVI, and when I am on this series journey, that pressure to get over a game hurdle was none more apparent than with this entry. I am writing this to vent frustrations, as I know it says abandoned, I will be returning to this game after a little bit.
But for now, I cannot stand this piece of crap. Worst entry in the series so far.
I remember liking FFV so much. But upon a subsequent playthrough, I cannot stand this game for a lot of reasons. Mainly, the story is an immense downgrade from FFIV, and the gameplay is unironically worse.
I remember enjoying the job system so much, but the genuine intricacies and well-designed aspects of V's iteration of it are absolutely ruined by awful, truly AWFUL dungeon design, terrible bosses that have absolutely zero indication towards their solution (they are gimmicks rather than a test of the player's management skills, which if we have learned anything from the last FOUR entries, you want to hone in on player management and not shitty gimmicks!!!), and a story progression system that is, in my opinion, the worst in the series yet. Yes, I am being serious in that. I quit FFV without even getting halfway through. I was about to get halfway, but dropped everything after having to fight the absolute disgustingly bad designed boss fight of the purple bombs in front of the Walse meteorite.
I am severely disappointed by this game. After miraculously not having series fatigue after playing FOUR games in a row, including one terrible game (II), I am amazed that I have been gutpunched this hard by an entry I fondly remember. I do not like the characters. They barely have any worthwhile character TO them, as FFV drops the serious overtones of FFIV in exchange for an extremely goofy, nonsensical, and bland plot. Add on top of this that this game goes WHOLE-HOG into the "we made an open world for you to explore, but we aren't going to give you any direction at all towards exploring it and will make progressing forward completely nonsensical!!!" JRPG trope of games like DQ1-3, and it is a trope that I absolutely despise. It is made for the express purpose of forcing players to run over location after location, ruining world-to-player intrigue by making exploration, a core part of JRPGs this era, an absolute chore!!!
And the job system. This part is so sad. I love the basis FFV has with its job system, but presently the gimmickiness of boss fights and the frequency in which you have to alternate between jobs is absolutely offensive. Grinding, even with the 4x boost in the pixel remaster, is an absolute CHORE because NONE OF THE ENEMIES OFFER GOOD EXP!!!!!! OR EVEN GIL!!!!!! SO WHAT'S THE POINT???
I do not know how Square establishes a changeable job system so strongly in FFIII, then makes a static-job system actually fun in FFIV, only for the full implementation of it in FFV to be absolutely pointless. AND the dungeons -- they're terrible too. We're back to the annoying, maze-like, awfully colored (they hurt to look at) dungeons of FFII with this game, but now we have confusing and pointless minigames to pad out the experience even more!!!
In all honesty, I might be shitting on this game too hard. I want to just play games like FFVI, and when I am on this series journey, that pressure to get over a game hurdle was none more apparent than with this entry. I am writing this to vent frustrations, as I know it says abandoned, I will be returning to this game after a little bit.
But for now, I cannot stand this piece of crap. Worst entry in the series so far.
If they ever make another game with a job system this expansive and robust I'm gonna go feral.
Final Fantasy V is a great game with fun mechanics and a really good story, i enjoyed this til the end. loved the job system and i hope they bring it back, whether it be in an action format or a turn based format. it is not one that you should overlook .
Tonally this has been my favourite in the series so far, I just really enjoyed these characters and many of the comedic moments. I feel like I'll actually remember character names, which I can't say about many from Final Fantasy 1-4.
On top of that, there's a more developed story and the now iconic job system. Overall, this is really fantastic game and pretty close to 5/5 from me.
I also enjoyed the step up in difficulty here, with Gil Turtle, Omega, and Shinryu being more challenging than anything thus far.
On top of that, there's a more developed story and the now iconic job system. Overall, this is really fantastic game and pretty close to 5/5 from me.
I also enjoyed the step up in difficulty here, with Gil Turtle, Omega, and Shinryu being more challenging than anything thus far.
Evil tree>mind broke clown
funny enough I said ff3 felt more like a sequel to 1 than 2 now 5 feels more like a sequel to 3 than 4
a very big and flashy game that's a bit more tongue and cheek with its characters and story than some of the previous entries
also i really liked a lot of the enemy designs in this one
a very big and flashy game that's a bit more tongue and cheek with its characters and story than some of the previous entries
also i really liked a lot of the enemy designs in this one
the first final fantasy with real actually written characters and cutscenes, pretty interesting plot, coolest world out of the pixel games imo if you looking for a starter ff but specifically the pixel gens pick this one up for sure
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
I wanted to quickly write this to keep riding on the high of the excitement in beating the game while I have all my thoughts in order. In general, every Final Fantasy game after FF3 feels like a natural evolution of the games should progress. FF3 took the job aspect of FF1 and made it more flexible in being able to change whenever, adding an element of preparation to dungeons and bosses. However, FF3 lacked a lot in the storytelling aspect so FF4 went balls deep in presenting a gripping narrative. In turn, FF5 is the next step of FF4 in combining an engaging narrative in the same level as FF4 while also implementing the classic job system FF3 had and expanding on that. With the implementation of job skills, customization for each character is so layered in how you want to tackle every single obstacle in the game. Moreover, this game nudges you on what to choose next with how expertly shops and chests give what you’re naturally going to be the next classes for your party members. And oh boy your party members.
Although Bartz is not necessarily as complex as Cecil, the overall cast makes up for it with how great their chemistry is from Faris’s feistiness to Galuf’s old man shenanigans. Exdeath is easily the best villain so far in how well defined his character is and how the game builds him up very early on while never pulling the rug in showing a twist-villain out of nowhere. There's also a lot of standout NPC characters like this iteration of Cid who’s more aware of the damage has caused because of his inventions, or Gilgamesh who has some incredibly great dialogue as a joke henchman. A small nitpick I have with the narrative is mostly that the scale doesn’t feel as high as it was in FF4 but the smaller scale honestly works in its favor with every plot thread actually being properly resolved.
One thing of note is that although I did use a guide to find some side stuff that I was advised to pay attention to, I have to praise this game with how clear it is in presenting the next objective as I have only once or twice gotten lost while playing this game compared to previous entries. Not only that, but this game also really pushes in finding the side content with the summons such as Bahamut challenging you after your first tablet find. It's hard to see FF6 top this but I also said that about FF5 when I completed FF4 so I am both hopeful and excited.
Although Bartz is not necessarily as complex as Cecil, the overall cast makes up for it with how great their chemistry is from Faris’s feistiness to Galuf’s old man shenanigans. Exdeath is easily the best villain so far in how well defined his character is and how the game builds him up very early on while never pulling the rug in showing a twist-villain out of nowhere. There's also a lot of standout NPC characters like this iteration of Cid who’s more aware of the damage has caused because of his inventions, or Gilgamesh who has some incredibly great dialogue as a joke henchman. A small nitpick I have with the narrative is mostly that the scale doesn’t feel as high as it was in FF4 but the smaller scale honestly works in its favor with every plot thread actually being properly resolved.
One thing of note is that although I did use a guide to find some side stuff that I was advised to pay attention to, I have to praise this game with how clear it is in presenting the next objective as I have only once or twice gotten lost while playing this game compared to previous entries. Not only that, but this game also really pushes in finding the side content with the summons such as Bahamut challenging you after your first tablet find. It's hard to see FF6 top this but I also said that about FF5 when I completed FF4 so I am both hopeful and excited.
one of the best in terms of gameplay. The job system is 10/10
Wonderful game that is a bit too grindy. Just a bit. The job system is interesting. I think I'd have liked it more if you could swap a Job's default ability for another ability you learn from the same job. I think lots of jrpgs are out there that have been in conversation with this system ever since it came out.
There Will Never Ever Be a turn-based RPG as peak as Final Fantasy V, and that's ok
the insanely customizable job/ability system is a bit too much at times and arguably at its most enjoyable during mid-lategame after which was basically just grinding every character for abilities to slap onto my freelancers & mimes
p2w samurai money yeet was funny
p2w samurai money yeet was funny
Final Fantasy V era la espina clavada que año tras año me iba escociendo de la franquicia por ser el único que no había jugado nunca (a excepción de Final Fantasy XI, pero ni tenía internet, ni dinero para pagar una suscripción mensual); y siendo como soy de fan de los FF clásicos, no tenía ningún tipo de sentido que no le hubiese dado una oportunidad aún... Y cuanto me arrepiento de haber tardado tanto.
Siempre se le critica por ser un FF con una historia muy básica, que repite de nuevo los tropos que llevamos viendo constantemente en la saga, que el villano es malo porque es malo y quiere destruir el mundo... Y sí, es cierto que FFV usa los mismos clichés que la propia saga ha creado para sí misma, pero los ejecuta excelentemente bien y, como digo siempre, si un cliché está bien ejecutado, no importa que estén usando ese cliché. Además, tiene una serie de factores y de inclusiones en este título, que le hacen diferenciarse de los cuatro primeros por varias razones.
Para empezar, el tono. Final Fantasy V sabe que es otra aventura con los cristales, sabe que vamos a controlar a los héroes de la luz, sabe que el villano es malo maloso porque sí, y es por ello por lo que cambia la perspectiva y la usa a su favor. El juego, a pesar de ser muy turbio y visceral en algunos puntos, tiene un constante tono humorístico, casi paródico, es como si el propio juego estuviese parodiando la saga al mismo tiempo que se toma en serio. Esto es muy similar a lo que hace Disney en sus películas actuales, en las que se critica a sí mismo rompiendo los clichés que ellos mismos instauraron años atrás. Aquí no los llegan a romper, pero sí que los parodian, e incluso, gracias a darnos una trama tan previsible, nos consiguen colar un par de plot twists que no te los esperas.
Los personajes. A pesar de que algunos son más planos que una tabla de planchar, como es el caso de Bartz y Lenna, luego nos muestran a los maravillosos Galuf, Gilgamesh y, sobretodo, Faris. Y en ésta última es con la que reivindico lo anteriormente dicho de que un cliché bien ejecutado anula el hecho de que sea un cliché, dado que Faris no es más que otra princesa más que no se siente princesa y quiere dejar de serlo, pero en vez de hacerle disfrazarse de campesina o vivir como una viajera errante... Hacen que se convierta en una ♥♥♥♥♥♥ capitana pirata. Incluso también hacen que tenga que ocultar su verdadero sexo a su tripulación por el machisto implícito, pero ella se gana su título por puro derecho, un personaje maravilloso. Siempre suele haber alguien en cada juego de la franquicia que destaque y se convierta en mi favorito de ese título, en este ha sido Faris con mucha diferencia. Aunque no me gustaría dejar de lado al ya conocido por todos Gilgamesh. Este personaje es un emblema de la saga, aparece en prácticamente todos los Final Fantasy posteriores al V debido a su carisma, en lo que se basa su personaje y su maravillosa OST de combate. Ha sido un verdadero deleite disfrutar de su desarrollo como rival de Bartz y en Pixel Remaster han hecho que una ♥♥♥♥ obra maestra como es Battle On The Big Bridge, llegue a otro nivel. Que ese es otro punto a tener en cuenta...
La música. Si hay algo más que evidente por lo que jugar las versiones Pixel Remaster y no otras, es por el refinado apartado musical que han hecho. Han sabido reimaginar las maravillosas composiciones del gran Nobuo Uematsu y llevarlas a un nuevo nivel, implementando temas mucho más cañeros y que le sientan como anillo al dedo a estos rematers. Puesto que, a pesar de no haber jugado nunca FFV, su entera OST es lo único que conocía con profundidad.
El sistema de trabajos es algo bastante novedoso, porque aunque tuviésemos uno similar en el III, es en este donde se saca todo su esplendor y será el que futuros juegos de Square tendrán en referencia y llevarán incluso más lejos (las maravillosas franquicias de Bravely Default y Octopath Traveler). Además de ofrecer una gran libertad de plantear los combates como tú quieras e incluso a modo de coleccionismo, para poder tener todos los oficios completados y habilidades aprendidas, dando así más horas de juego a los que buscan completar todo al 100%
La dificultad. Este es, posiblemente, el Final Fantasy con mayor dificultad en su trama principal. Cada boss era un verdadero reto y nunca acababa los combates con los 4 personajes en pie. Si que es cierto, que si en la etapa final dominas ya el sistema de trabajos y habilidades, todo va a ser un paseo, PERO, no te descuides, que te pueden dar un susto hasta los monstruos salvajes. Y bueno, si tenemos en cuenta a Shin Ryu y Omega... Apaga y vámonos... Otro factor que debemos agradecerle a FFV, fue el que creo el concepto de "super bosses", ese tipo de jefes secundarios que están reservados a los jugadores que busquen más reto del que proporciona la aventura base.
En conclusión, es un Final Fantasy algo diferente, pero que mantiene la más pura esencia de la franquicia. Además, en esta versión dan una serie de facilidades (como podría ser el autoguardado entre salas) que hacen que la experiencia sea mucho más accesible y no tan injusta en algunos puntos. Recomendadísimo.
Siempre se le critica por ser un FF con una historia muy básica, que repite de nuevo los tropos que llevamos viendo constantemente en la saga, que el villano es malo porque es malo y quiere destruir el mundo... Y sí, es cierto que FFV usa los mismos clichés que la propia saga ha creado para sí misma, pero los ejecuta excelentemente bien y, como digo siempre, si un cliché está bien ejecutado, no importa que estén usando ese cliché. Además, tiene una serie de factores y de inclusiones en este título, que le hacen diferenciarse de los cuatro primeros por varias razones.
Para empezar, el tono. Final Fantasy V sabe que es otra aventura con los cristales, sabe que vamos a controlar a los héroes de la luz, sabe que el villano es malo maloso porque sí, y es por ello por lo que cambia la perspectiva y la usa a su favor. El juego, a pesar de ser muy turbio y visceral en algunos puntos, tiene un constante tono humorístico, casi paródico, es como si el propio juego estuviese parodiando la saga al mismo tiempo que se toma en serio. Esto es muy similar a lo que hace Disney en sus películas actuales, en las que se critica a sí mismo rompiendo los clichés que ellos mismos instauraron años atrás. Aquí no los llegan a romper, pero sí que los parodian, e incluso, gracias a darnos una trama tan previsible, nos consiguen colar un par de plot twists que no te los esperas.
Los personajes. A pesar de que algunos son más planos que una tabla de planchar, como es el caso de Bartz y Lenna, luego nos muestran a los maravillosos Galuf, Gilgamesh y, sobretodo, Faris. Y en ésta última es con la que reivindico lo anteriormente dicho de que un cliché bien ejecutado anula el hecho de que sea un cliché, dado que Faris no es más que otra princesa más que no se siente princesa y quiere dejar de serlo, pero en vez de hacerle disfrazarse de campesina o vivir como una viajera errante... Hacen que se convierta en una ♥♥♥♥♥♥ capitana pirata. Incluso también hacen que tenga que ocultar su verdadero sexo a su tripulación por el machisto implícito, pero ella se gana su título por puro derecho, un personaje maravilloso. Siempre suele haber alguien en cada juego de la franquicia que destaque y se convierta en mi favorito de ese título, en este ha sido Faris con mucha diferencia. Aunque no me gustaría dejar de lado al ya conocido por todos Gilgamesh. Este personaje es un emblema de la saga, aparece en prácticamente todos los Final Fantasy posteriores al V debido a su carisma, en lo que se basa su personaje y su maravillosa OST de combate. Ha sido un verdadero deleite disfrutar de su desarrollo como rival de Bartz y en Pixel Remaster han hecho que una ♥♥♥♥ obra maestra como es Battle On The Big Bridge, llegue a otro nivel. Que ese es otro punto a tener en cuenta...
La música. Si hay algo más que evidente por lo que jugar las versiones Pixel Remaster y no otras, es por el refinado apartado musical que han hecho. Han sabido reimaginar las maravillosas composiciones del gran Nobuo Uematsu y llevarlas a un nuevo nivel, implementando temas mucho más cañeros y que le sientan como anillo al dedo a estos rematers. Puesto que, a pesar de no haber jugado nunca FFV, su entera OST es lo único que conocía con profundidad.
El sistema de trabajos es algo bastante novedoso, porque aunque tuviésemos uno similar en el III, es en este donde se saca todo su esplendor y será el que futuros juegos de Square tendrán en referencia y llevarán incluso más lejos (las maravillosas franquicias de Bravely Default y Octopath Traveler). Además de ofrecer una gran libertad de plantear los combates como tú quieras e incluso a modo de coleccionismo, para poder tener todos los oficios completados y habilidades aprendidas, dando así más horas de juego a los que buscan completar todo al 100%
La dificultad. Este es, posiblemente, el Final Fantasy con mayor dificultad en su trama principal. Cada boss era un verdadero reto y nunca acababa los combates con los 4 personajes en pie. Si que es cierto, que si en la etapa final dominas ya el sistema de trabajos y habilidades, todo va a ser un paseo, PERO, no te descuides, que te pueden dar un susto hasta los monstruos salvajes. Y bueno, si tenemos en cuenta a Shin Ryu y Omega... Apaga y vámonos... Otro factor que debemos agradecerle a FFV, fue el que creo el concepto de "super bosses", ese tipo de jefes secundarios que están reservados a los jugadores que busquen más reto del que proporciona la aventura base.
En conclusión, es un Final Fantasy algo diferente, pero que mantiene la más pura esencia de la franquicia. Además, en esta versión dan una serie de facilidades (como podría ser el autoguardado entre salas) que hacen que la experiencia sea mucho más accesible y no tan injusta en algunos puntos. Recomendadísimo.