Square Enix is planning to soon release Final Fantasy V Advance, which will be the first re-release since it was originally brought to the US in Final Fantasy Anthology, and will be the first time many people will have to try it, due to Anthology's rather limited release. Just like Final Fantasy IV Advance last year though, this new portable version comes with some nifty upgrades that will make the experience fresh for even those who played V on the PlayStation so long ago.

Final Fantasy V opens with a young man named Bartz, camping for the evening with his chocobo, when he hears a loud crashing, and looks up to see a meteorite come rushing into the planet. He goes to investigate, and, like all good RPGs, this simple choice ultimately affects his entire destiny, pulling him and the group of friends he meets into an adventure he never dreamed of, involving crystals, and evil wizards. The more lighthearted story of this game fits nicely with its newfound portability.

The battle system in Final Fantasy V is the same ATB used in IV-IX, but V contains the job class system. This enables the characters to switch what abilities they have access to at any time outside of battle, whether it's white magic, swordplay, martial arts, training monsters, etc. However, if a character stays with a class long enough, they'll permanently learn abilities from that class to carry over into any other they use, so a time magic wielding knight, or dancing black mage are all possibilities for combat. This system allows for much greater depth than the first glance gives.

Of course, for those who've already played Final Fantasy V, everything said is all common knowledge, but the new extras aren't. Final Fantasy V Advance has been upgraded visually. All the sprites are more rounded and softer looking, when a character speaks they have a character portrait that shows who's speaking, the colors have been brightened, giving a fresher, warmer feel, and the backgrounds in battles have been drastically improved. Also, V Advance has had all the music remixed, and the tunes sound greater than ever before. Finally, in the way of bonus content, the new obligatory 30 floor bonus dungeon has been added, with a special new boss never before seen laying deep at the bottom of it. New and varied pieces of equipment will be found, and four brand new job classes have been added in, just to extend the replay value that much more.

All in all, this is looking to be an exciting release, whether one has completed the PS version ten times, or this is one's first Final Fantasy, due to all the classy improvements upon the original. Keep watching for a review sometime after the game is released, early next week.

SCREENS

• A goblin...the first step towards victory!
• Can the Light Warriors save the crystals?
• Wonderful view from up here.
• If you can read this...you should've previewed this, not me!
• Dragon: faster and tastier than a chocobo.

LINKS

• Forum Discussion
• Official Japanese Game Web Site