Final Fantasy V

"Squaresoft does it again, this time with a whole new style!"

Want to talk about a game worth reviewing? Well let’s talk about this one. All my life Final Fantasy games have always been my favorite, because of the way they always get you so addicted to the game and leave you glued to the screen for hours. RPG’s will do that to you, because there is so much to do! Due to the fact that it is a Final Fantasy game, it gets a 10 by default, they’re just that good. Squaresoft has that rare ability to not only mix a convincing storyline into a game, but yet make it fun to play as you go along with it. In Final Fantasy 5, you’ll find all of that and more, and even a whole new unique approach compared to all of the other Final Fantasy’s.

You start off as Butz, a kid that is just roaming around the forest with his pet chocobo when he sees a giant meteor hit nearby. That’s where you meet an old man with amnesia. Getting interesting? I’ll leave you right there. With that in mind, I bet you’re wondering what could happen next. It’s funny, because this is one of the only Final Fantasy’s that you wouldn’t consider a love story; Sometimes those lovey dovey storylines get boring, so it’s good to see a change! I’ll tell you what you should expect from the game, the addiction you’ll have to it after each surprise happens once after another.

Job classes have always been a factor in the early Final Fantasy’s, but this game takes it to a whole other level. If you’re wondering, that’s a good thing. This game gives you a chance to let any character in your party become any type of job class they please. The catch is the responsibility of training those job classes for each person is the problem. You can change job classes anytime within the game, but you have to gain job points for the job you want the most so it can be much more powerful. I think out of all the Final Fantasy’s, this is by far the most difficult one. In my opinion it would be because of the ability to choose your own job classes, guess it’s your responsibility to find out what boss is weak against what, so you’ll know what job class you have to use against them. Beware of the frustration you may get for losing to the same boss for the hundredth time, and try not to slam your system into the wall like you did the last one. One interesting thing about it is if you’re one job class, you’re still able to use the ability of one other class. You have to set the ability ahead of time, that way you can do it. If you don’t, well you’re screwed, simple as that.

The graphics are poor, but this is a Super Nintendo game, don’t expect anymore than what you see. You shouldn’t even have to worry about graphics anyways, the game play and storyline makes up for it all, so you won’t really worry about the fact that your characters look like a whole mess of colored squares running around the screen. The only disadvantage to me about this is the fact that when you’re up in the air with the airship, the bottom looks disgusting, and it makes it so hard to see where you’re actually at. Best bet is to pay more attention to the little map on the bottom right of the screen.

Let’s talk about the tradition you say? Don’t worry, FFV doesn’t break it. You still get to hang out with your chocobo buddies and be able to fly one this time. You also get to see your favorites summons like Shiva and Ifrit too, but only get to use them if you’re a Summoner. Of course it has the same victory music; you’d got to love that. Makes you want to hold your controller up in triumph whenever you defeat an enemy.

There is so much to do in this game. When you’re not playing through the story, you can always go ahead and do a side quest. Not only they’re cool to do, but they also help you build up your abilities and help you find certain items in the game to make you more powerful for when it comes to big boss man. It has a good replay value, what Final Fantasy doesn’t? With these awesome adventures, it’s always fun to do it al over again. If not just play it again for the fun of the fighting.

Rent or buy? Buy, definitely. This game is worth to be in anyone’s video game collection. I say you’re not a real gamer if you don’t have this one! We should all take the time to praise Squaresoft for yet, another masterpiece! Time to do the lay down of the game!

Fun: 10/10
Game play: 10/10
Controlling: 8/10
Graphics: 5/10
Sound: 6/10
Replay Value: 9/10

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 05/19/03, Updated 05/19/03