Intro –

When you think about a good RPG, games like Chrono Trigger, Final Fantasy VII, and even Octopath Traveler probably come to mind. But Final Fantasy V deserves to be part of that conversation as well. Over the years, it has built a huge fan base, and it’s not hard to see why.

After trying it for myself recently, I quickly understood why the game is so highly regarded. Its combat and Job System offer a different approach than many other RPGs, but I’ll get into that later.

What stood out to me most, though, wasn’t just how the game played—it was what playing it taught me about my own preferences as an RPG fan.

Now, what I bring before you today isn’t an attack on Final Fantasy V. The game has a lot going for it, from its gameplay systems to the quality-of-life improvements found in the Pixel Remaster.

I’m certainly not here to tell fans they should stop enjoying it because I understand why so many people hold it in such high regard.

Sometimes, though, we as gamers overlook the fact that a game can teach us more about ourselves than it does about whether it’s objectively good or bad. There’s often a bigger lesson waiting beneath the surface.

That’s the perspective I want to share today. This isn’t just about my experience with Final Fantasy V—it’s about what I learned from it and how those lessons helped me better understand the kinds of RPGs that truly fit my playstyle.

My hope is that, somewhere along the way, you’ll find something you can relate to as well.

Why Final Fantasy V Didn’t Grab Me Like Others Before It –

In the past, I’ve played and beaten several Final Fantasy games, including VII, IX, XII, and even XVI. I loved them all, with a few exceptions. The experiences those games gave me were unforgettable, and if I’m being honest, I plan to go back and play some of them again someday.

Why? Because they weren’t cookie-cutter RPGs. Each one followed its own identity while still offering a progression system that made sense to me.

Take Final Fantasy VII Remake, for example. It completely reinvented the battle system by letting me switch between characters in real time, which I absolutely enjoyed.

While Barret was laying down suppressive fire on turrets, Cloud and Tifa were taking care of Shinra guards. It created a sense of momentum that made every battle exciting. Before I knew it, the fight was over, and I was eager to see what the game had in store next.

When I first tried Final Fantasy V, it felt like a dream come true. The idea of assigning different abilities to different jobs sounded like something I would really appreciate. But after spending more time with the game, I began to notice a problem.

As characters mastered different jobs, the abilities they learned stayed with that individual character. If another character hadn’t learned those same abilities while using that specific job, they simply didn’t have access to them.

For example, let’s say I wanted my Mystic Knight to use Black Magic Level 3 abilities with my lead character. Great! But what if I decided to make my second character a Geomancer and wanted them to use those same Black Magic Level 3 abilities?

The problem—and this is what really got under my skin—was that my second character couldn’t use them because they hadn’t learned them as a Black Mage like my lead character had. That became frustrating.

The more I noticed this happening across my entire party, the more I found myself losing interest in the game. As the enemies became stronger, it grew harder and harder to justify sticking with only one or two jobs to overcome them.

Before long, I found myself right back at the same problem that had been bothering me from the beginning.ose enemies which still brought me back to my point.

The Job System Was Doing Too Much –

Now, I’m the kind of gamer who likes to experiment—to dip my hand into the cookie jar after midnight, so to speak. I enjoy learning the do’s and don’ts of a game’s mechanics through my own experience. Final Fantasy V seemed perfect for that because changing jobs felt like a dream come true. No one had to stay locked into a single role, and I could adapt my party to different battle situations on the fly. I had no problem with that concept.

What I didn’t expect was that I found myself changing jobs not because my current ones weren’t getting the job done, but because I knew every class had abilities I didn’t want to miss. My strategy became simple: stay with a job long enough to learn a few abilities, then switch to another one and repeat the process. I kept doing this for hours, only to realize that constantly changing jobs wasn’t improving my experience nearly as much as I had hoped.

Sure, I could have made all four characters Red Magi, but if that job didn’t have the hard-hitting magic I needed for a particular fight, then having four Red Magi wasn’t going to help me. Experiences like that slowly turned what once felt exciting into something that became more of a chore than a strategy.

One of the biggest frustrations, even in the Pixel Remaster, was the ABP (Ability Points) system. I’ll be honest—I turned the ABP boost up to 4x, and even then I was barely maxing out any jobs.

My goal wasn’t to master every class. I simply wanted each character to learn a useful collection of abilities before moving on to something else.

Even with the boost, I was only earning four ABP per battle instead of the normal one. After spending 52 hours with the game, I didn’t feel any closer to learning meaningful new abilities than I did when I first started. I kept fighting every battle, but the sense of progression I was looking for just wasn’t there.

One of my biggest goals in any RPG is to build my characters naturally. I like using them in battle, gaining levels, and gradually unlocking new abilities along the way. Final Fantasy V made that process feel much slower than I expected.

Instead of feeling like my characters were constantly growing, I often felt as though I had stopped making meaningful progress altogether. By the end, it seemed like everything—including the ABP system—was working against the way I enjoy playing RPGs.

My RPG Preferences –

Despite the flaws I found in Final Fantasy V, I can’t say I walked away without learning anything. In fact, I learned quite a bit. More than anything, the game reminded me of the kind of RPG experience I enjoy most.

I like being able to see what abilities I’m working toward so I can plan my strategies and build my characters accordingly. I don’t enjoy having important progression hidden behind mystery because, for me, that takes away part of the satisfaction of carefully developing my party.

To put a finer point on it, Final Fantasy IX handled this in a way that really clicked with me. Yes, your weapons and armor have abilities tied to them, but that gave me even more incentive to learn those abilities before moving on.

If you expect to coast through the game while learning as little as possible, you’re going to have a hard time against monsters like Ironite.

Call me old school, but I’ve always preferred progression to be tied to the individual character. Going back to Final Fantasy IX, Vivi is a Black Mage who learns support abilities from equipment designed specifically for him.

That means no matter what anyone else equips, abilities like Magic Element Null belong to Vivi alone. It reinforces each character’s identity while still rewarding you for investing time into developing them.

Ultimately, Final Fantasy V showed me why I have the RPG preferences that I do. It helped me understand that I enjoy progression systems that are clear, character-driven, and easy to build strategies around.

That doesn’t mean I’m unwilling to try new ideas, but when it comes to RPG progression, I’ve learned what works best for me. As the saying goes, if it isn’t broken, don’t fix it.

Simple Progression Systems, Preferred –

When I think about games like Final Fantasy VI, Final Fantasy VII, Chrono Trigger, and Chrono Cross, their progression systems all have one thing in common: simplicity.

They aren’t trying to change your characters or force them into roles that wouldn’t fit them in a million years. Terra isn’t trying to be Celes, Cloud isn’t trying to be Aerith, Crono isn’t using Shadow magic, nor can you make Kid an Innate White character.

Instead, each of these characters grows within their own strengths. As they gain levels, they learn abilities that fit who they already are, and that’s what makes these progression systems such a slam dunk.

Everyone becomes stronger naturally throughout the game without having to equip abilities or weapons that make them feel awkward or out of place.

Take Chrono Trigger, for example. Once your first three characters receive magic, each of them learns techniques tied to their respective element. As long as they continue participating in battle, they progress naturally while staying true to the role they were designed to play.

That’s exactly why I prefer this style of progression. It doesn’t undermine what the characters are supposed to be just to adapt to different combat situations.

No matter what happens, Crono remains the Lightning user, and Serge remains the Innate White element user. Even though he temporarily becomes Lynx because of FATE, he eventually regains his body and returns to the role that defines him. Nothing about his identity changes—it simply grows stronger as the game goes on.

Freedom Doesn’t Always Mean More Fun –

To the average gamer, being able to switch jobs and become whatever you want might be incredibly appealing. Honestly, I can see the appeal myself. But here’s where things become complicated.

Even if your White Mage borrows Mystic Knight abilities, they’re still fundamentally a White Mage, with all of the strengths and weaknesses that come with that role.

For many players, experimenting with different combinations is part of the fun, and I completely understand why they enjoy that level of customization.

For me, though, it spoiled what could have been a great experience. I didn’t want to give my Dragoon White Mage abilities or turn my Red Mage into a Geomancer because every job should justify the cost of becoming that job.

Take the Red Mage, for example. The tradeoff is clear: you gain access to both Black and White Magic, but you never reach the full potential of either because the job is designed to be a balance between the two. That’s what makes the class unique.

Likewise, I would never put Dualcast on a White Mage or Black Mage because, to me, that ability belongs with the Red Mage. That’s where it feels the most natural.

That’s ultimately why Final Fantasy V didn’t click with me. The game gives you so much freedom to mix and match abilities that the distinct identity of each job starts to blur.

I prefer progression systems where every class has a clear purpose, meaningful tradeoffs, and a role that remains true to what it was designed to be.

Closing, Not Every RPG Has To Be Your RPG –

To wrap things up, we gamers sometimes try to fit square pegs into round holes by convincing ourselves that we have to love every classic RPG. While that sounds ideal, it can also lead to pretending you enjoy a game that simply doesn’t fit your tastes.

Take me, for example. I never enjoyed the first four Wild Arms games. To me, Wild Arms 5 is the best game in the series and the only one that truly clicked. Sure, I bought Alter Code: F, Wild Arms 2, Wild Arms 3, and Wild Arms 4 again, but that doesn’t automatically mean I’m going to love them any more than I did the first time. Wild Arms 5 will always be my favorite in the series. I’d die for that game.

Instead of forcing yourself to enjoy every RPG, spend your time with the ones that genuinely resonate with you. For me, that’s games like Shining Force II, which never takes itself too seriously and delivers an experience that simply feels fun from beginning to end.

That’s why I chose the games I did. They fit my straightforward gaming style. I’m not afraid to work for victory, but I don’t want an RPG to spend dozens of hours convincing me why I should like it. I’d rather play games that naturally click with me than force myself to enjoy something just because it’s considered a classic.

Not every classic RPG is going to be the right fit for every player, but it’s always worth keeping an open mind about the games that have the potential to do so.

If you’re like me and prefer RPGs that let characters grow naturally instead of constantly changing jobs or roles, I’ve put together a list of some of my favorite games that embrace that philosophy.

Check out my Benable list, “RPGs That Reward Simple Character Progression,” for more recommendations that prove sometimes the best progression systems are also the simplest. https://benable.com/RoddyMcG/rpgs-that-reward-simple-character-progression