This is part of an ongoing series about my favorite memories
from video games. You can find the original list and table of contents in last
month's post or by clicking here. Please be aware that these posts are going to be full
of spoilers which may ruin the impact of these events on anyone who wishes
to experience them on their own in the future.
#5 - The Sacrifice of Palom and Porom
The theme of “redemption” is prevalent throughout Final Fantasy IV. The main character,
Cecil, gives up his unholy powers as a Dark Knight, to become a paragon of
justice called a Paladin. It is a grand undertaking and something he must do to
defeat the darkness within himself, before he can defeat the darkness that
threatens the world. Although the game’s main plot focuses on this change of
character, many of the finest scenes in the game are when other characters overcome
past mistakes and really pull through to save the day. Palom and Porom are two
such characters.
Palom and Porom are the youngest playable characters in the
entire “Final Fantasy” series so far. These twins are stated to be 5 years old!
I can’t imagine heading off into danger with two 5-year-olds tagging along,
regardless of how skilled they are in magic, but Cecil doesn’t have too many
options at this point in his adventure. He has recently arrived at a community
that was seen attacking in the opening sequences of the game. He is not well
received in Mysidia, but the Elder allows him an audience and tells him that in
order to proceed he must climb Mount Ordeals and undergo the test to become a
Paladin. Then in a glimpse of senility, he assigns the 5-year-old twins to
accompany Cecil to this mountain that few ever return from. Perhaps the Elder
is as annoyed with them as I soon get, but most likely he is just incredibly
confident in their abilities as magicians and that they make unsuspecting
spies.
Palom is the male twin, and a skilled Black Mage
(destructive magic). He constantly refers to himself as a genius and a prodigy
showing his cockiness and arrogance readily. He is disrespectful to adults and
over-confident in his abilities. He is prone to run at the mouth and almost
reveals they are spies to Cecil while traveling with him. In contrast, the
female twin, Porom, is a White Mage (restorative and protection magic). She is
equally skilled, but much more humble. She is constantly scolding (and beating)
Palom for blabbing unnecessarily and being rude, arrogant, or too sure
of himself. While Palom is often pompous and rebellious, Porom is modest and
obedient. Palom is impetuous and Porom is calm and focused. They are truly like
two sides of a coin, but what this amounts to for me is two characters who don’t
have a lot of on-screen appeal.
 |
| I kind of want to slap them both. |
After Cecil shocks the world and becomes a Paladin, the
twins decide to stick with him. Though they didn’t like him at first, and admit
their duty was to spy on him, they have come to respect and trust Cecil and
want to continue to help him fight against the looming evil in their world.
Since they survived the trials of Mount Ordeals, I assume the Elder thinks they’re
up for anything and allows them to continue the journey with Cecil. The group
infiltrates Cecil’s original turf, the Kingdom of Baron, and find that it has
been occupied by agents of evil all along. They defeat the second of four
fiends together and free Baron from its
dark master. But before the fiend truly dies he announces that the group is
caught in his trap and the walls around them begin to close in on them.
The adults confirm that the doors are locked. There’s no way
out and no way to stop the walls. Palom and Porom are oddly calm and Porom in a
display of maturity drops his arrogant posture and speaks with an air of duty
and honor. He announces there’s only one thing to do. They say they’re glad
they could have become friends with Cecil and thank the Sage Tellah, also
traveling with them, for everything he taught them. Then, in unison, they cast
a spell that turns their bodies to stone. Their little statues can be seen
holding back the walls and allowing the other members of the group to press on.
The group tries everything in their power to revive them from their stone
prisons, but their will to protect the group, and their willingness to turn
themselves to stone prevents them from being returned to flesh. They make an
ultimate sacrifice for the greater good, proving rather spontaneously that they
did have a wisdom and character beyond their years. 
Palom and Porom etch their ways into a player’s heart with
their noble sacrifice. All their mindless banter is now forgotten. All the
times they may have annoyed me is erased in a single moment of honor. When I
was playing this game at the young age of 11, this scene really meant a lot to
me. It demonstrated that kids can be brave, strong, noble and selfless. The unexpected loss of the two youngest members of the team really shocked me.
It was the twists and unexpected turns in the narrative like this that made me
realize how well a game could tell a story, and got me interested in telling my
own stories. Even as an adult playing through this game, I admit I tend to
choke up around this scene where the two little kids save a group of adults
from certain death. It’s a moment in gaming that has really stuck with me since
my childhood and will always among my most memorable moments.-TOP
No comments:
Post a Comment