Wryviews were created in the face of the illogical manner in which video game reviewers score games. In principle they are meant to strike out the bias inherent in most video game reviews by judging a game on what it aspires to be, as opposed to what the reviewer regards it should be. They are meant to inform the readers, and especially so not try to make decisions for them.

Today I'm met with the first game that could very well get a genuinely low score from me. As people who'd been following the series know, I've been primarily reviewing very well received cult-classic games. The only really controversial score I'd given was a 3/5 to Beyond Good and Evil, which I feel I was very well justified in giving. Now however, I'm doing a mini-Wryview of Final Fantasy V for the Gameboy Advance. It's a mini-Wryview because I couldn't bring myself to finish the game. Let it be said immediately that I don't actually dislike this game, but I simply fell victim to one of the common trappings of being impartial to my current endeavor. Though the game was constantly in my pocket and I had many opportunities to play it; I just wouldn't do it after about the 15 hour mark.

Everyone experiences this eventually, especially with RPGs: That time when they want to be able to say they'd completed a game, but find it has no real ability to call them back to it once the console's been turned off. As I write this I have to keep in mind that this game is created with fanservice greatly in mind, and it is in fact a great piece of fanservice. I'd heard the Playstation 1 version of Final Fantasy IV was riddled with loading times, and I can imagine the PS1 port of this game likewise suffered such a problem. Likewise this game is very much centered around oldschool gameplay, and thus the grind these games are famous for is rather well suited to being adapted into a handheld timewaster. Some might argue that re-releasing this game was unnecessary, but even not being an especially big Final Fantasy fan I see little reason to really complain. They created a definitive version of the game on an arguably more suitable platform. Certainly I could criticize some of Square Enix's decisions, but this actually seemed like a no-brainer.

In itself I don't really have any problem with the game being oldschool, but certainly being "oldschool" in itself doesn't really justify making an uncreative game. Final Fantasy V isn't an example of such a thing, though. I certainly have some gripes with the game, but if nothing else it really try to be creative with its trademark Job System. I do have some further thoughts on the title, though. I feel since I did personally take on the task of deciding to review the game that I should at least somewhat follow through. Let's go over a few individual aspects of the title:

In regards to plot this game isn't going to really surprise anyone TOO much. We have four sacred crystals which protect the world and four destined heroes who meet each other within the first half an hour of the game. Rather cliche. Our four main characters at least have some personality, though. This is actually one of the things I really like about the game. The characters themselves are fairly comical. They have simple personalities but they lend themselves well to entertaining situations. For example we have a brisk and hearty, but forgetful old man; often surprising people with his physical dexterity but also being the brunt of many jokes. While the old character in a party is usually supposed to be a mentor or nagger or sorts, Galuf doesn't really fit that stereotypical role. Next of all things we have a brash and crude female pirate named Faris. When she's cleaned up a little she's stunningly beautiful, but her personality is extremely crash and if you don't like it she'd sooner probably punch you in the gut than change.

Just like the plot itself these characters are really simple, but the game embraces the fact they aren't especially complex with silly lines like "Get away from her you piratey... pirate!" Likewise there actually is a significant plot that exists in the game, but in favor of putting emphasis on gameplay you could say there's little actual exposition. How should I explain this? Basically shit just happens. You know how some games might take some time to build up to the events, toss in some foreshadowing, or maybe draw out a conversation on occasion? Final Fantasy V basically says, "Fuck that. Your best friend died and on to the next dungeon!" It's very abrupt. The actual skeleton to the story is there, but the meat has been tossed out in favor of putting you on the battlefield more often. It's one of those cases where perhaps the developers felt it was better to leave some things to the players' imagination. The job system itself is actually what brings me to this conclusion.

Graphically the game lends itself to this style too, with the characters being very low detailed but colorful, and often making small gestures as opposed to speaking with eachother. It doesn't sound like much but it's more subtle than a lot of games tend to offer. There's not a whole lot to discuss beyond this, though. Final Fantasy V is an old, relatively simple game. Once we cover the battle system we're just about done, so that said:

The combat is entirely what this game is about. Everything takes a back seat to the gameplay. At the time it had come out the game actually had a lot going for it too. The Active Time Battle System was actually extremely new and unlike anyone had really seen before in RPGs, and the Job System had come back from Final Fantasy III with refinements and non-generic main characters. Had we gotten this in America instead of Final Fantasy: Mystic Quest, I feel the public would have been much more impressed. Of course we have frequent random battles in this game, but surprisingly you're often given a ship of some sort on the world map that lets you avoid them. Likewise the dungeons in this game can be very very short. The abrupt style of storytelling I mentioned penetrates to the dungeons themselves, and once again lends itself well to handheld gaming. Some dungeons really can take a mere 15 minutes, and sometimes there's no dungeon at all. Just a quick boss battle. The encounter rate is very high, though. Clearly if you dislike these sort of games you already know to stay away, so let's not concern ourselves too much with that. The battle system remains solid, even if at this point it's a bit on the generic side. The real attraction and I'd have to say crux of this game is the Job System.

In essence you're always able to choose your characters' appearance and abilities. If you have a character who is currently using Black Magic everything about them changes. Their magic stats will raise, their physical defense will decrease, and they'll need to be given new equipment. They essentially become a whole new character upon changing their job. Likewise if a character becomes proficient in their current job, they're actually able to carry over one of their skills into another. Your character that you'd chosen to be proficient in Black Magic can likewise still have Black Magic while being a Warrior, and likewise when you become proficient as a Warrior you can transfer some kind of Warrior skill over if you decide to become a Black Mage again. Of course not every combination is smart. Even though you'd given your Warrior character Black Magic, that doesn't mean they have a high magic stat to put it to any use. Their spells will probably be borderline useless, but there's much more effective combinations to use instead.

It's actually a really neat concept. You can choose to make your characters appear as they might be expected to or otherwise. For example, Galuf the hearty old man might be expected to be a Barbarian or some other kind of physical character. If you feel it's more interesting that he be a Bard though, that's totally up to you. Likewise there is a certain inherent fun in being imaginative with your choices. A Bard who can create afterimages of himself like a ninja for example is a very novel idea. It's really all about imagination here. There's a certain appeal to playing pretend like this in the same way you might have done as a kid. The Job System is also what I consider the game's greatest flaw, though. Aside from the Job System everything about the gameplay had already been done, and this game puts all of its focus on gameplay. You could say the goal of the game was to create a suitable environment for the Job System itself to flourish. I really could argue that the Job System IS the game thanks to the fact that the developers actively push the emphasis of the game on combat.

In itself that's not a bad thing at all. The Job System really is a novel concept that I enjoy, but what I don't enjoy are the design flaws. You only have two skill slots. One you have no control over. It's determined by your job. The second is a custom slot that you can choose for yourself. The problem is that not all skills are created equal. In the face of being able to use Healing Magic, why would you want some sort of paltry skill like being able to run faster on the world map? The game isn't easy. You need to use your skills efficiently, while at the same time many of the skills you have access to are the opposite. Likewise many of the jobs themselves really aren't that good. Often they rely on somewhat random effects, such as the dancer class. Really the smart way to do things is to simply make a run of the mill Final Fantasy team. Something along the lines of Warrior, Black Mage, White Mage, ect. I really didn't want to do this, but to get through the game it became a greater necessity as time went on.

What it really comes down to is that while playing this game, I found decreasing motivation to use the more interesting jobs because they weren't actually useful. In itself this almost feels like it defeats the purpose of the game. I actually did enjoy what of the plot I saw, but it wasn't strong enough to pull me back in. Everything here is competent, and certainly I did not dislike my time with the title. Still, I wasn't compelled. The score of the game will have nothing to do with that, though. Rather I just can't help but regard the Job System as something of a creative failure and have to score accordingly. Again, keep in mind I did not finish this game. My evaluation is hardly absolute and were I genuinely being paid to write this I would have no right to push out an unfinished product. But based on the information I have at hand, I've made up my mind. Thinking it over moreso than anything else this game is basically just an oldschool RPG. Its goals are modest and certainly this game will bring some happiness to some people out there. Thus I give my score:

3 out of 5 stars

A 3 is the mark of a game that stands as a solid effort. Though the game may be exceptional in some regards and have good ideas, the author believes it did not grasp the full potential of those ideas. It is merely a sign that he feels there are better things to come from this concept. By no means is a 3 the mark of a poor, unenjoyable, or even average game. It merely means he'd like to see the concepts further developed.

In short: The reviewer's calling this a worthwhile experience... even though he didn't beat it.


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