Final Fantasy V Advance review (Game Boy Advance)

It's hard to say enough good things about the job system. For starters, it gives you the freedom to completely change your characters' strengths and weaknesses at any time. So if you get stuck trying to beat a particularly tough boss opponent, you can experiment with some completely different tactics. The job system also offers some really exciting variety by featuring just about every cool character archetype that the Final Fantasy series has ever seen. So you're not just stuck with basic classes, such as knights, mages, and thieves; you also get berserkers, mystic knights, ninja, samurai, rangers, dragoons, chemists, beastmasters, and more. Some of these job types seem noticeably less useful than others, though, partly because some are better suited to supporting roles while others are great at dishing out damage. But in the end, it's fantastic to have all of that variety. And one of the best parts is that each character has a unique look for each of the different job types. It's as if each character has this huge wardrobe of completely different outfits.

The job system is all the better because it essentially gives you two experience tracks to consider for each character. Your warriors all grow stronger from gaining experience after each victory, but they also earn ability points that are used to unlock new powers for their current job. Each job has its own unique abilities, some of which are valuable enough to offset inherent weaknesses in those jobs. However, what's really intriguing about this system is that you can mix and match different abilities with different job types. The result is an open-ended character development system that lets you form a diverse and powerful squad. You can have a monk who is capable of dealing tremendous bare-fisted damage or casting some of the most powerful black magic spells. You can also have a ninja whose speed not only makes her quick to dish out pain but also quick to heal or revive injured comrades. Or you might want to equip a summoner with a dragoon's spear so that he can attack without penalty from the rear ranks while conserving magic power for a devastating area-effect attack. Suffice it to say, there are a lot of exciting possibilities to explore.

If there's any downside to this system, it's that it gives you a lot to think about and manage. The game doesn't force you to stick with any particular job types, but you'll naturally want to explore them all before settling on what seems like an ideal combination. On top of all that, Final Fantasy V Advance can feel quite punishing because you can look forward to plenty of powerful opponents who can defeat your characters or even the entire party quickly. Thankfully, the combat system has a nice, fast feel to it because this game comes from an era before Final Fantasy slowed down the pace with lots of big, ostentatious special effects. If your party is suitably equipped, you can breeze through most random encounters in seconds.

Final Fantasy V Advance includes a quick-save feature that lets you easily pick up and play the game in brief stretches. Playing a little at a time, however, might cause you to forget what it was you were supposed to be doing when you come back to the game. Otherwise, you can save your progress on the world map or in key points that are scattered about the dungeons. The game is fairly linear overall, but the world feels quite expansive. There are also a lot of secrets to explore and hidden items to discover off of the beaten path if you choose to invest the extra time and effort. Even though the presentation quality certainly isn't up to the level of newer Final Fantasy games, the depth of play is definitely there.

There's no good explanation for why Final Fantasy V was never released on these shores in the first place because it surely would have been as well received as the other 16-bit games in the series. Be that as it may, consider this a clear-cut case of "better late than never." The sign of a classic is when you can approach it years and years after it originally came out and enjoy it because it still plays great--not for nostalgia's sake. Final Fantasy V Advance is such a game. In spite of its humble stature as a Game Boy Advance rerelease of an old game, those who like Japanese role-playing games shouldn't miss it.