Though it's storyline is disappointing, especially compared to other Final Fantasy games, it's still a satisfying game.
The storyline, in brief, deals with these "elemental crystals". At the start of the game, the wind stops blowing and leaves Princess Lenna of Tycoon to investigate. Shortly after, she meets Bartz, Galuf, and Faris. Together they find out that the Wind Crystal broke, and that was the cause of the wind coming to a halt. So our heroes decide to team up, travel around the world, and prevent the other crystals from meeting the same fate. And so our story begins. There aren't many twists or clever moments, and the storyline was a let-down.
There is also a lack of character development. Like said, the game revolves around 4 characters named Bartz , Galuf, Lenna, and Faris. Bartz is an adventurer who's best friend is a Chocobo; Faris is a pirate; Lenna is a princess; and Galuf is an old man who has amnesia. Unlike say, Final Fantasy 6, you don't find yourself connected with the characters as not enough is gone towards their development. They fall so flat that you find yourself not caring for them very much.
So what makes Final Fantasy 5 a good game?
The Job System.
Now, combat is the same as the others in the series. There are random battles, then the command screen appears, and you choice the desired action.
But the job system is where you choose what abilities a characters learns. A few of the first and basic jobs are Knight, Black Mage, White Mage, and Summoner. After giving a character a job you have to collect AB points which you get after battling monsters. After a certain amount of AB points, you learn an ability. So say, for instance, you give Lenna the White Mage job. After about 100 AB points, she'll be able to learn a spell such as Cura. After a certain amount of AB points, a character will master a job.
There is no limit to the amount of jobs a character can master, which is where the fun lies. The game allows to customize the characters in whatever way possible. Want a Knight who can use Black Magic or Summon monsters? Well, in Final Fantasy 5 it's possible.
There are many jobs in this game, and your curiosity will likely make you want to master all just to see what abilities you'll get. Most of the game's enjoyment comes from this aspect.
Final Fantasy 5 is a satisfying game, that is long and worth playing. It's storyline is disappointing, but the job system compensates for much of that. I'd recommend this to any fans of this genre.