FINAL FANTASY V, the relatively obscure classic known mostly for its sophisticated and in-depth job system, will soon be re-released for American fans to enjoy, with new challenges, new dungeons, and plenty of other exciting additions designed to please both hardcore and first time players alike.

FINAL FANTASY V ADVANCE begins in the Wind Shrine, where the King of Tycoon has come to investigate an irregularity in the winds. He’s just in time to see the magical wind crystal shatter, which stops the wind everywhere in the world. The king’s daughter, Princess Lenna, who followed him to the Wind Shrine, finds a mysterious old man, Galuf, lying unconscious next to a meteor. Lenna, Galuf, the explorer Bartz, and the pirate Faris are drawn together by fate to find out the mystery behind not only Galuf’s meteor, but the elemental crystals and the evil plot of the man known as Exdeath.

Features

• New Jobs: Gladiator, Oracle, Necromancer, and Cannoneer
• An all-new dungeon
• Expanded monster bestiary
• Improved graphics
• Music player and remixed soundtrack

In this epic adventure, players must acquire shards of the shattered elemental crystals as they progress through the game, allowing them to adopt new jobs. These jobs will be familiar to FINAL FANTASY fans, including such old favorites as knights, dragoons, black mages, and white mages. Defeating enemies will earn points for your jobs, which in turn will allow a character to use a job’s unique skills even while they’re using a different job entirely. For example, a white mage can become a knight but keep some of their white mage skills. This provides you with all sorts of interesting ways to achieve total dominance over your foes.

Bottom Line

Kudos to Square Enix for buffing up this classic RPG and giving it a facelift. FINAL FANTASY V is naturally a must have for the FINAL FANTASY fan, but it also makes an ideal entry level title for gamers and non-gamers curious about RPGS. Any drawbacks that haunted its previous incarnation have been polished up and the additions have made for a very rewarding experience.