Thursday, 3 January 2013

An Analysis of FF6 Characters - Terra Branford

Terra Branford is the first of the main characters you are able to control. A large portion of the story, particularly in the beginning of the game, revolves around Terra and her powers. While all of the characters, or at least the majority of them, are main characters, it is arguable that Terra is the primary character in the game.



We are first introduced to Terra as an imperial soldier travelling to Narshe. There is not much to see in regards to Terra's characters, as she is a mindless lackey, a slave to  the Empire due to the slave crown Kefka placed upon her head. But her encounter with the esper Tritoch certainly shows that there is something unusual about her.



When she awakens, she has no memory of herself other than her name. The man who found her, Arvis, is astounded by her quick progress. However, in the beginning of the game, Terra seems almost helpless, even useless in certain instances, particularly when she must be rescued by Locke. But as the game continues Terra evolves into a stronger character striving to find her way and figure out the right thing to do.


The purpose of her character appears to be facilitating the explanation of the world of Final Fantasy VI (the World of Balance, as the World of Ruin is experienced in the same way by the characters as the player, as they are living it at the same time). She cannot remember a thing about herself, and has no idea how the world around her works. She views the world around her with complete wonder, much like a first time player might; marvelling at the machinery and magic of it all.

Things need to be explained to her, as she knows nothing of the world. This is an easy way to convey information to players; as they explain the world, the war, and hat needs to be done to Terra, it is all explained to the player as well.

Terra is not just a window for the character, she is also an important character, and plays a key role in contacting the espers and her magic is really very powerful. All in all, Terra is a very powerful character of many uses and has been and will continue to be one of my favourite came characters of all time.



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