Remaining Fantasy V might be probably the most ignored instalment within the mainline collection. It did not come West till years after its unique launch, and by the point that it lastly bought a PlayStation port, it had been left within the mud by its genre-defining successors. What’s extra, V by no means actually acquired the retroactive consideration that was granted to the likes of Remaining Fantasy III or Remaining Fantasy IV.
However Remaining Fantasy V deserves one other probability. It combines a extra concerned gameplay loop with a storytelling focus, making for a reasonably robust-feeling RPG. That stated, the story and the characters are literally a step again in contrast these of its fast predecessor. The sport’s crystal-based plot may be barely plodding and predictable, whereas occasion members lack depth by way of persona and motivations.
Nonetheless, the sport as an entire retains the sense of journey that is so key to retro Remaining Fantasy — and that is one other world that is pleasing to discover. There are additionally extra light-hearted moments sprinkled all through V, which supplies it a singular sort of allure when in comparison with its darker, moodier siblings.
Remaining Fantasy V’s gameplay techniques are what makes it value taking part in as we speak. It takes the job system from Remaining Fantasy III and runs with it, letting you tweak your heroes to a formidable extent. As an alternative of simply assigning courses to your staff, you may grasp particular skills from completely different jobs and apply them to others. This mainly means you could create hybrid character courses, permitting for an addictive stage of occasion customisation.
This does, nevertheless, push a have to grind if you wish to unlock a variety of job skills. Fortunately, the Pixel Remaster makes the method simpler than ever, as a brand new ‘Increase’ can multiply the quantity of Potential Factors that you simply purchase from battles. Useful!
With an honest story, okay characters, and fairly customary turn-based fight, Remaining Fantasy V does really feel a bit too secure at occasions, however the expanded job system actually ties loads of the expertise collectively. A forgotten Remaining Fantasy for a lot of, however one which’s nonetheless enjoyable to play by.
