In some ways, it's perfect.

Final Fantasy V is a bit of a forgotten Final Fantasy. Its Japanese excursion was delayed by seven years and was bundled with another game that strongly overshadowed it. It was smashed between two games that took the JRPG world by storm. FFV isn't as straightforward as either of them and is definitely lacking in nearly all areas compared to those two. It's got a strong middle child vibe that is neither good nor bad, but it's certainly worth playing. But not the PS version or the SNES fan translation.

What does Final Fantasy V do that sucks? Honestly? Not much. I'm having a hard time comping up with things I hate, but that's not to say they don't exist.

The music. Admittedly, it's not bad per se, but it's really bland. There's nothing all that memorable about any of the tracks, and I don't recall any of them. Battle on the Big Bridge being an exception, albeit still repetitive, there's nothing that got stuck in my head. And I doubt I'll ever randomly get a track stuck in my head. There are three world map songs, but none of them made an impact. I'm struggling to say anything more because I don't want to put it down. The dungeon themes fit, the town songs are relaxing (but limited in scope), and the overworld tracks give me some wanderlust; everything fits. But this isn't Uematsu's best work. "What?," though, is a terrible song. I will consider dying on this hill. The biggest issue might be the best tracks are underplayed, while the worst songs are far too common. I'm listening through the entire OST on Youtube now, and I'm enjoying them, but I have no recollection of ever hearing most of these songs. Music is vital to an RPG, so a mediocre attempt at an OST is a big negative.

The plot suffers a lot from random actions that quickly need to be fixed. X-Death is going to kill everyone. Luckily, Krille shows up at the perfect moment to cast a simple Bolt spell to save us. Reina is dying from eating a dragon flower. Luckily, Krille shows up at the perfect moment with a potion. I'm still not sure what cured her the first time? How many times does an earthquake bring about good fortune? And don't even get me started on that stupid twig scene.

On the flip side, what does Final Fantasy V do well?

The system is the best in the franchise, even better than Tactics'. And it's not just the job system, but the whole show. But first, let's talk about the job system. Compared to FFIII, it's vastly expanded upon. Job levels no longer equate to minuscule stat buffs but to actual, "tangible" skills. When you get your ABPs, you learn something you can carry over to another vocation. Before, you were just that job, and starting over again weakens you. It's as though you were never a monk or dragoon to begin with if you switched over to a black mage. And, when you're ready to face the endgame stuff, you can make your character as you see fit. All the passives you've mastered are automatically applied to the freelancer/bare job, meaning everything you've worked for has value! And then, you can choose two of the skills that you've built your character around. I could finally get the dragoon/time mage combo I've always wanted. And I didn't even need to fully master either of them to do so! I did finish dragoon, though.

Along the same lines, I liked how so many bosses could be cheased. That isn't an uncommon feature in RPGs or video games, but it's usually done through esoteric, nonsensical equipment layouts or a too deep understanding of timing and luck to accomplish. You do need some idea of what levels or types your opponents are, but if you're stuck on a boss forever, there's probably a fun way to get past it. As a child of the internet, there were so many times I couldn't defeat a boss, so I'd go to forums. With FFV, there's a  decent shot someone could say, "just use X," and I'd be free. It's great for when you simply want a story.

And, again, that's it. So that leaves a lot of stuff I haven't talked about. So what's my feeling on them?

The characters are hit-and-miss. I don't feel like Bartz adds much to the plot. So he's the son of someone from the last group that saved the world? He's not exactly noble, courageous, or strong with any personality traits. He's not even a chosen one. At the start of the games, Bartz doesn't even want to join Galuf and Reina. At least Vann wanted to be a part of the story!
Krille exists only so Galuf can die. Her only trait is "granddaughter" of someone from the last group that saved the world. Oh, and she can talk to animals. Does Krille speak beaver? I guess that's something. Every time she opens her mouth, it's to remind us of how rad Galuf was. She doesn't even become Queen at the end of the game! Her own kingdom doesn't want her?
Galuf is a great character. I don't like his amnesia shtick at the start of the game, though. Maybe it's because twenty years of that trope has ruined it for me, but it's real deus ex-y here. But, being a forgiving man, let's overlook it for a moment. It is a method for an old man to grow. We can experience his change when many of his ilk are set in their ways by that age. At least they are in video games. He's had his quest to save the world, and his personality isn't likely to change based on the terrible events he's already seen. But, by losing his memories, he can be shocked and grow as a person. And then, we can compare him between worlds and how he interacted with his friends and granddaughter.
Reina and Faris are a bit too much alike. Faris has one of the more interesting twists in the franchise and is supposed to be a counterpoint to the regal Reina. However, both are very similar in nature. Faris is described as the brash and confident type, but Reina is the one who's rushing into danger first. Reina jumps into the warp portal to Galuf's world before anyone else and does all she can to save the two dragons. They are sisters, so I suppose there'd be some similarities, but you'd think the vast differences in upbringing would make them less alike? It's a nature vs. nurture thing. I'm glad both are emotional with their animal friends, but make one more timid or unsure of herself. Maybe if Faris' big plot scenes hadn't been as front loaded?

Ignoring my gripe with the plot from above, it's a basic story. There's nothing inherently wrong with that, but it shows how most of the dev work was put into the battle system. It's a great system, but I'm a plot guy. At least X-Death has a decent backstory. He's an amalgamation of sealed demons absorbed by a tree. It works for me and 1994. You have to overlook a lot of plot holes, like how does a tree know about the Void and its connection to Enou? Who really is Enou? I know he's a boss in the GBA bonus dungeon, but I feel like he's more important than this version lets on. But ya know what, he wasn't the shocking final boss like Zemus or Necron, so I'll let it slide. X-Death is a great boss!

Final Fantasy V isn't a bad game, but it is very ...meh-y. The franchise took a massive turn after FFX in terms of a lot, so if we discuss just those ten, FFV falls right in the middle of several things. The numbering, obviously, but also in terms of quality. The games I'd rank higher than it is much better, but the games I'd rank lower kinda suck. FFV isn't a masterpiece, but it's a pile of garbage. Writing this review is starting to give me writer's block because there's not much to say about it. I can write 2000 words about FFX because I loved it, but I can also write 2000 words about FFXII because I hated it. But with the middle piece, I'm tapping out here.

V/X Perfectly in balance...