5) Final Fantasy V (1992)
Since Final Fantasy V never made its way stateside during the SNES era like FFIV and FFVI did, many fans of the franchise missed out on it. Rest assured that its lack of localization in the early days should not be mistaken for a lack of quality.
Final Fantasy III introduced something wonderful with the job system, but it was in need of much refining. FFV took the idea and expanded upon it greatly, allowing you to not only shift between jobs throughout the game and learn new abilities, but also letting you take a couple abilities that you’ve learned to equip and use at any time, no matter your current position. You could have a Dragoon who could Cure, a Black Mage who could steal, or White Mage who could counter-attack. The depth of this job system was staggering for 1992, and is still impressive today.
Another great point is the limited amount of characters. While a large cast like what is seen in FFIV or FFVI has its merits, you often don’t get to know everyone very well. The central cast of Bartz, Lenna, Faris, Galuf, and Krile allows each member to have ample time in the spotlight, letting the player learn their backstories and truly appreciate them. It makes the death of one of them in the middle of the game incredibly emotional and difficult to take, not unlike Aerith in FFVII. It’s almost surprising how impactful that particular scene is.
