i don't know if it's still fair to call final fantasy v the most underrated title in the main franchise anymore, because it's sort of created a cult-classic echo chamber around the game that warrants a label closer to "fan favorite" more than "overlooked gem". and that's not to speak ill of the quality of the game itself - i'd actually argue it's the best of the super nintendo trilogy on some level - at least, far surpassing its more widely beloved predecessor.
on paper, it makes sense why final fantasy v hasn't quite crossed the bridge to worldwide universal acclaim - it's definitely the odd one out of the 16-bit trio on a few levels. for starters, it's the only one us westerners didn't get upon initial release, as square opted to release both final fantasies iv and vi over here (albeit in iv's case, heavily, HEAVILY neutered) and in place of v, the... rocky spin-off, final fantasy mystic quest. no, it wouldn't be until the playstation port bundled with its sequel as part of the 'final fantasy anthology' where v would see official release over here, with a good deal of load-time slowdown and an embarassingly poor translation (here's to you, y burn and karl boss!) and due to this and the fact it was pretty clearly overshadowed by... well, final fantasy vi, that it remained a pass for many people. the gba remake... er, port... er, remaster... er... expanded... re-release is arguably the definitive official release, with new jobs, dungeons and all - not to mention a pretty terrible iOS port and of course the spiffy new (glitch-laden upon release) pixel remaster - but if you're a child of the early-oughts internet as i was, THE definitive final fantasy v experience was how i replayed it this time around: RPGe's fan translation of the snes original, released in october of 1998.
as much as the re-releases add and all that fun stuff, there's something to be said about the beauty and breadth of this 16-bit original. much of the artistic design and sprite composition is essentially shared with the january '92 released romancing saga, but those few months in between saw a massive splash of polish - in no small part thanks to the efforts of soon-legends of squaresoft tetsuya takahashi and tetsuya nomura - which leave final fantasy v feeling like the first time squaresoft's team had truly embraced and mastered the look of this wild new era of console gaming. nobuo uematsu delivers a timeless score - one also regularly overshadowed by final fantasies iv and vi - which perhaps more than any other score in the series harnesses that romantic flair for whimsy and exploration this title so encompasses. tracks such as "lenna", "ahead on our way", "home, sweet home", and "walking the snowy mountains" remain some of the best the series has to offer - and i'd be remiss not to mention THE iconic piece of the soundtrack, "battle on the big bridge".
many complain that final fantasy v's plot feels too light-hearted, or even substance-less in comparison to that of iv and vi, and i'm going to really disagree there. listen, i love my squaresoft melodrama just as much as anyone else; i was enamored with final fantasy vi's operatic scale from the moment we met, but i think final fantasy v's more comedic and straightforward tone actually serves the experience perfectly. i might ruffle some feathers here, but i think v's story was one squaresoft was FAR more suited to write at the time, considering what a messy, bloated disaster final fantasy iv's plot is in retrospect. there are moments that actually get to me in final fantasy v, far more than i anticipated on revisit. the characters are super charming, too. i distinctly remembered faris being my favorite as a kid, but it's actually krile and ESPECIALLY galuf that won me over this time, not to mention loveable flunkie gilgamesh and the BRILLIANTLY bombastic nutcase, exdeath.
let's be honest, though - final fantasy v's legacy rides mostly on its combat and job system, and i won't disagree with that - it's some of the best the genre of turn-based jrpg has to offer, and i'd say as far as job-building jrpgs go, nothing has ever quite lived up to what final fantasy v sets out and achieves in spades. it's FUN to build ridiculous combos of characters and skills, and the grind can be a little tedious, sure, but when your reward is a 8-hit-combo-slashing time-magic-spitting mystic knight? the proof is in the pudding, friends, and the journey is good.
if you're at all looking to get into early jrpgs that focus more on gameplay and team building and don't need to be totally blown over by a plot, this is the one. hell, i think it's aged better than any of the final fantasies prior by such a wide margin i'd almost argue this game sort of makes final fantasies i and especially iii irrelevant. if we look at those three games as a development of the same ideas over and over, this is where they struck gold. a true classic on all fronts - underrated in 2022 or not.
on paper, it makes sense why final fantasy v hasn't quite crossed the bridge to worldwide universal acclaim - it's definitely the odd one out of the 16-bit trio on a few levels. for starters, it's the only one us westerners didn't get upon initial release, as square opted to release both final fantasies iv and vi over here (albeit in iv's case, heavily, HEAVILY neutered) and in place of v, the... rocky spin-off, final fantasy mystic quest. no, it wouldn't be until the playstation port bundled with its sequel as part of the 'final fantasy anthology' where v would see official release over here, with a good deal of load-time slowdown and an embarassingly poor translation (here's to you, y burn and karl boss!) and due to this and the fact it was pretty clearly overshadowed by... well, final fantasy vi, that it remained a pass for many people. the gba remake... er, port... er, remaster... er... expanded... re-release is arguably the definitive official release, with new jobs, dungeons and all - not to mention a pretty terrible iOS port and of course the spiffy new (glitch-laden upon release) pixel remaster - but if you're a child of the early-oughts internet as i was, THE definitive final fantasy v experience was how i replayed it this time around: RPGe's fan translation of the snes original, released in october of 1998.
as much as the re-releases add and all that fun stuff, there's something to be said about the beauty and breadth of this 16-bit original. much of the artistic design and sprite composition is essentially shared with the january '92 released romancing saga, but those few months in between saw a massive splash of polish - in no small part thanks to the efforts of soon-legends of squaresoft tetsuya takahashi and tetsuya nomura - which leave final fantasy v feeling like the first time squaresoft's team had truly embraced and mastered the look of this wild new era of console gaming. nobuo uematsu delivers a timeless score - one also regularly overshadowed by final fantasies iv and vi - which perhaps more than any other score in the series harnesses that romantic flair for whimsy and exploration this title so encompasses. tracks such as "lenna", "ahead on our way", "home, sweet home", and "walking the snowy mountains" remain some of the best the series has to offer - and i'd be remiss not to mention THE iconic piece of the soundtrack, "battle on the big bridge".
many complain that final fantasy v's plot feels too light-hearted, or even substance-less in comparison to that of iv and vi, and i'm going to really disagree there. listen, i love my squaresoft melodrama just as much as anyone else; i was enamored with final fantasy vi's operatic scale from the moment we met, but i think final fantasy v's more comedic and straightforward tone actually serves the experience perfectly. i might ruffle some feathers here, but i think v's story was one squaresoft was FAR more suited to write at the time, considering what a messy, bloated disaster final fantasy iv's plot is in retrospect. there are moments that actually get to me in final fantasy v, far more than i anticipated on revisit. the characters are super charming, too. i distinctly remembered faris being my favorite as a kid, but it's actually krile and ESPECIALLY galuf that won me over this time, not to mention loveable flunkie gilgamesh and the BRILLIANTLY bombastic nutcase, exdeath.
let's be honest, though - final fantasy v's legacy rides mostly on its combat and job system, and i won't disagree with that - it's some of the best the genre of turn-based jrpg has to offer, and i'd say as far as job-building jrpgs go, nothing has ever quite lived up to what final fantasy v sets out and achieves in spades. it's FUN to build ridiculous combos of characters and skills, and the grind can be a little tedious, sure, but when your reward is a 8-hit-combo-slashing time-magic-spitting mystic knight? the proof is in the pudding, friends, and the journey is good.
if you're at all looking to get into early jrpgs that focus more on gameplay and team building and don't need to be totally blown over by a plot, this is the one. hell, i think it's aged better than any of the final fantasies prior by such a wide margin i'd almost argue this game sort of makes final fantasies i and especially iii irrelevant. if we look at those three games as a development of the same ideas over and over, this is where they struck gold. a true classic on all fronts - underrated in 2022 or not.