To me, Dark Souls II is like if someone saw Dark Souls and said, "Hey! Let's make that into a video game!"

That doesn't mean that I think DS2 is bad, or that I think it's design is poor, I just think that its design philosophy is a lot more "gamey" feeling. This is my second time playing it through, (the first was in 2016) and I think I've really warmed up to it in the time since. I think DS2 tends to get a bit of a hard rap for not being as polished or as fresh-feeling as Demon's Souls or DS1, and I think it's actually a pretty solid sequel, all things considered. One thing I genuinely came to appreciate in this playthrough, is the sense of "hope" that runs at the plot's core. I really enjoy that several travelers you meet along the way, come back to live with you in Majula. It gives you a sense that you're not actually alone in your struggle, a beacon of light in a game series famous for its dreary isolation. While it's not my favorite Souls game by far, I'd rather play Dark Souls II than most games! That's how well I'd say this one's stuck with me.

It's objectively not well constructed, but I greatly admire the spark of an idea that sits within this one. There are themes and ideas introduced here that become the cornerstone of some of the greatest adventures in Final Fantasy. Stories about noble heroes rebelling against a corrupt empire, a vast and mysterious world populated with fantastic creatures; even the concept of your own party members sacrificing themselves in the name of a better future! You can really see the team at Square beginning to play with these ideas in this game, and the elements they decided to reject or expound upon in future entries.

(Also, it needs to be documented that in this game, the main villain literally dies, goes to Hell, and beats up Satan. He does all of this, so that he can come back to life and fight you again! Imagine hating some dudes so much, you fight the devil and WIN. Like, godamn dude!!!)

I have a deep fondness for most games in the Final Fantasy series, but I love this one in particular because it has humongous "Dragon Ball Z" energy.

Final Fantasy V is an adventure where you get to hang with your pals, travel around the world, and fight bad guys while obtaining powers with style. This is Final Fantasy at its utmost campiest, and Exdeath, a literal alien tree monster, is an incredibly goofballs villain. You can genuinely feel the fun Square was having in the early 1990's, playing fast and loose with tropes in the genre they helped to codify. In my mind, there is no doubt that if this game was localized outside of Japan at the time of its release, JRPG fans would speak of FFV in the same fondness reserved for esteemed entries like FFVI and FFVII. I find this game immaculately charming.

(Also, this is the game that gave us Gilgamesh, and by extension, Battle on the Big Bridge, the most bodacious Final Fantasy tune. +5 stars for that specifically.)