Final Fantasy V

Final Fantasy V is the fifth installment of the main Final Fantasy series, and it was originally released for the Super Famicom in 1992.

It was ported to the PlayStation in 1998. This version had an opening FMV added, and it was the version was the first version that was released outside of Japan (as part of Final Fantasy Anthology).

The game was later ported to Game Boy Advance as Final Fantasy V Advance with a few additions, and that version was used as the basis for the mobile and Steam releases.

The game has also been released on Virtual Console on Wii, Wii U, and New 3DS, though only in Japan.

Gameplay
The game uses the Active Time Battle system, which first appeared in the previous game, Final Fantasy IV. A change, however, is the addition of a gauge so that the player can visualize at what time and in what order the player characters can act.

Final Fantasy V's distinguishing feature is its improved version of the Job system, which had previously appeared in Final Fantasy III. Characters can use abilities from one job that they have leveled up enough while they are in another job.

Playable characters
There are five playable characters, chosen by the crystals and collectively referred to as the Warriors of Light.
 * Bartz Klauser - A wanderer who is the son of Dorgann, one of the Dawn Warriors that sealed Exdeath thirty years ago.
 * Lenna Charlotte Tycoon - A princess of the kingdom of Tycoon.
 * Galuf Halm Baldesion - One of the Dawn Warriors. He has amnesia until he reunites with his granddaughter Krile. He is the king of Bal.
 * Faris Scherwiz - A pirate captain. Her real name is "Sarisa" and she is the lost princess of Tycoon, and Lenna's older sister. She was found and raised by pirates after she was lost at sea.
 * Krile Mayer Baldesion - Galuf's granddaughter. She replaces him in the party when Galuf sacrifices himself to protect his friends and Krile from Exdeath.

Antagonists

 * Exdeath - The main antagonist of the game. He was sealed by the Dawn Warriors thirty years before the game, but his seal was broken. He seeks to merge the worlds back together so that he can destroy everything in the Void.
 * Gilgamesh - Exdeath's "right-hand man" who is used as comic relief, and considers Bartz his rival.

Supporting characters

 * Alexander Highwind Tycoon - The king of Tycoon, and Lenna and Faris's father.
 * Cid Previa - A genius inventor from Karnak.
 * Mid Previa - Cid's grandson.
 * Ghido - An ancient sage turtle.

Locations
The game has three different worlds. Bartz, Faris, and Lenna hail from the first world (referred to as "Bartz's world" at one point in the game), while Galuf, Krile, and Exdeath hail from the second world (referred to as "Krile's world" at one point in the game). The third world is the world as it originally was, before it was split in two to seal the power of the Void.

Bartz's world

 * Carwen
 * Castle Tycoon
 * Crescent
 * Desert of Shifting Sands
 * Gohn
 * Gohn Meteorite
 * Island Shrine - Inaccessible until the worlds merge.
 * Istory
 * Istory Falls - Inaccessible until the worlds merge.
 * Karnak
 * Karnak Castle
 * Karnak Meteorite
 * Library of the Ancients
 * Lix - Bartz's hometown.
 * North Mountain
 * Pirates' Hideout
 * Pyramid of Moore - Inaccessible until the worlds merge.
 * Ronka Ruins
 * Ship Graveyard
 * Tule
 * Tycoon
 * Tycoon Meteorite
 * Walse
 * Walse Meteorite
 * Walse Tower

Krile's world

 * Big Bridge
 * Barrier Tower
 * Castle Exdeath
 * Castle of Bal
 * Castle Surgate
 * Drakenvale
 * Fork Tower - Inaccessible until the worlds merge.
 * Ghido's Cave
 * Gil Cave
 * Great Forest of Moore
 * Great Sea Trench - Inaccessible until the worlds merge.
 * Gloceana
 * Moogle Village
 * Moore
 * Phoenix Tower - Inaccessible until the worlds merge.
 * Quelb
 * Regole
 * Sealed Castle
 * Underground Waterway

Merged world
The merged world consists of locations from the other two worlds, although many are inaccessible. A few previously inaccessible locations can now be accessed. A couple of new locations do exist, however.
 * Phantom Village
 * Unknown Cave

Other

 * Interdimensional Rift
 * Void

Scrapped localization
In a 2007 interview on the Player One Podcast, Ted Woolsey stated that he had almost finished translating the text of Final Fantasy V when the localization was scrapped in favor of creating a new title aimed at western markets, Final Fantasy: Mystic Quest. He stated that he believed that the reasons for the cancellation were that the game was too complicated and not "mainstream" enough. It seems that there were still plans to release it in North America later, however; in a 1994 interview with Super Play Magazine, Ted Woolsey said that Final Fantasy V was planned for a western release in 1995 (the year after Final Fantasy VI had released) under the name Final Fantasy Extreme.