5 stars simply because this game is just so........FUN!! amazing job system that still holds up - even playing this 20+ years later i still found it super satisfying to experiment with each character's jobs and figure out which skills worked well together (ninja + rapid fire is awesome for the record) and i honestly think its some of the best combat in the entire final fantasy series.

and no, the story and characters aren't as deep as a lot of the following titles (or maybe even ffiv) but there were some surprisingly touching scenes in there, and i found myself tearing up at the ending cutscene because after hours of grinding abilities and exploring the world(s) with these characters i couldn't help but become attached :'') also, if you care (i do) having a gender nonconforming party member, especially in a game this old, is pretty cool.

for the most part, though, the story is pretty lighthearted and a lot of the dialogue is incredibly silly...which i also think is fun! possibly a controversial opinion, especially if you're a fan of final fantasy's more serious narratives, but i think the localizers really nailed the tone and humor (while still keeping enough of a balance for the occasional serious moment), and i found a lot of the sillier scenes and characters genuinely very funny. gilgamesh is one of my favorite ff antagonists now, just because he never failed to make me laugh.

i really don't have it in me to seriously criticize any part of this game, it was just that fun. bartz & co. im so sorry you were robbed of your ds remake your game is a solid 10/10