Joystiq [PlayStation]

9. Rydia -- Final Fantasy IV

Rydia was that Final Fantasy IV green-haired child that we all thought had died, but miraculously -- and surprisingly -- returned to us as an older and wiser woman. Her transformation from childhood to adulthood was significant because it symbolized growth in her character and clearly showed how far she had come. Like Cecil's metamorphosis from Dark Knight to Paladin, Rydia's "growing up" is one of the most impressionable character developments from the earlier Final Fantasies. Along with her change in character, her fighting style changed as well. Rydia uses several different weapons; however, the one that we think should be synonymous with her is the whip. Not too many Final Fantasy characters use a whip for a weapon, so it's nice to see something different from the usual assortment of sword types. An ace up her sleeve is her ability as a summoner. In order to incorporate her summons, we think that they could briefly show up in either the middle or at the end of a combo string. It would be unbalanced to let her summon a helper in battle, so we thought that quick cut-in cameos of Asura, Leviathan, and others would be a cool and fair way to integrate these creatures in the game.

21/03/08