R P G A M E R . C O M   -   E D I T O R I A L S

Don't Give Them All to Me Now

!

!

Michael "Macstorm" Cunningham
STAFF EDITORIALIST

Video game characters are just that, characters. In many big name RPGs, it seems as if companies are trying too hard to market characters like they would actors. It seems as if they have to introduce all playable characters within the first few hours of the game. I can understand focusing on a main character and giving that character top billing, but what about supporting characters? Do they all have to be introduced right away?

Look at Final Fantasy X's playable characters. You had met all of them before you left Besaid Island. You may not have picked up Auron and Rikku until a little later, but you had already met and played as them. Final Fantasy VIII does almost the same thing, giving you all your playable characters (not counting the barely playable Edea) very early on. There are no last minute characters anymore. Do companies think that the characters will not be as memorable if not introduced right away?

Let's go back to the SNES for a minute. Was Edge of FFIV any less memorable of a character even though he was not introduced until deep within the game? Would his introduction have had as much impact on the story had he been introduced earlier? What about FFVI's Setzer? He was a late game addition, but he still ended up being a main focus of the game.

Now I realize that due to the way the stories of certain games have been written, they require the characters to be introduced much earlier. Does it always have to be that way? Are they worried about character development or stat development? Are they afraid that characters will be unbalanced? I just don't understand, that has never been a problem before. It's not going to hurt a character's feelings to be introduced deeper into the storyline.

I look at meeting and obtaining new playable characters like opening birthday presents. I don't want to open all the presents too soon or I spend the rest of the day wishing there would be at least one more. Would it kill the marketability of a character if he/she was not introduced until the last quarter of the game? I think not. I have found myself playing through many RPGs just wishing for one more character.