PlayStation Magazine - 05.2020

021

T

here’s more to Midgar’s

sweet flower seller than

first meets the eye. She

bumps into Cloud just

after his first mission

and the two share a fleeting

conversation before he has to run off

on account of the whole ‘bomb

exploding’ thing. The two then

reconnect later on when Cloud when

he gets separated from the rest of

AVALANCHE, and they end up

having to escape the Turks together.

Working for Shinra, the Turks are

officially known as the Investigation

Sector of the Shinra Electric Power

Company’s General Affairs

Department. Shinra has its sights set

on Aerith and the Turks have been

ordered to capture her. It doesn’t help

that by this point Cloud is on Shinra’s

most wanted list, so the two of them

hanging out only makes matters worse.

She might seem quiet, but she

yearns for adventure, and is more than

capable of making her own decisions

• in fact, once she’s decided
  something she can be almost stubborn.
  She won’t let others tell her what to
  do, and won’t back down from a fight
  she believes is right.
  Aerith is a standout character in the
  Final Fantasy series, and is often
  remembered as some sort of innocent
  icon, but the reality is that in the
  source material she’s a very strong,
  plucky figure. Her spirit is what makes
  her so likeable. She has a powerful
  affinity for magic, able to attune to its
  powers much more than the rest of
  the party can by using their Materia.
  While her past is shrouded in
  mystery (as are the reasons she’s so
  magically gifted), she always feels like
  she’s in control of her own destiny,
  and able to choose for herself where
  her path might lead. Though that said,
  more often than not that path will lead
  her to stay by the side of her friends
  and make sure they’re protected.

L

ike Barret, Aerith is a

ranged fighter. Hold

down the attack button and

she’ll fire off magical blasts

at an enemy, or you can

hold downwto charge

her up for a stronger blast.

Her abilities are magical in

nature, and often involve

stacking up pre-existing

powers to become

stronger. For example, she

can summon a fairy to her

side, and it will blast off

its own magical attacks at

the same time as Aerith to

double up her hits.

But while she is

surprisingly good at dishing

out her own damage, Aerith

truly excels in support.

Healing Wind returns as

a Limit Break, giving the

whole party a boost of

health, and her second

Limit Break allows her to

split her ATB bar up into

smaller segments, giving

her the ability to use even

more abilities than normal.

But she doesn’t have to

wait for her Limit Break

to heal, as she even has a

2-ATB heal that heals the

whole party for a smaller

amount. She also has Soul

Drain to suck health from

enemies, and Lustrous

Shield, which provides

defence and damages

enemies that come into

contact with it.

Flower to the people

If you play the game and
don’t end up all mushy over
Aerith, you’re a monster.

HOW SHE FIGHTS