Is there a cooler Ice-elemental RPG stalwart than the blue-skinned and frequently cold-hearted Shiva? 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Final Fantasy's familiar icicle-tossing lass may owe her na𓆏me to the Hindu husband of Goddess Parvati, but in true Final Fantasy tradition, these real-world cultural roots have taken on a bold new shape of their own.
Shiva has appeared in so many installments of Square Enix's mega-popular role-playing series, and she's taken a more important role than ever with Final Fantasy 16. Let's peer through time as we rank Shiva's every past appearance. Remember to 'chill out' - after all, this is just our opinion!
What about the games we didn't list? There aren't any summoned monsters in Final Fantasy until the third game, so that's why there's no mention here of the first two. And Final Fantasy 12 replaces the traditional elemental summons with a separate pantheon befitting its Ivalician setting - but an important Archadian airship carries Shiva's name, not to mention the ice queen's appearance in spinoff game Final Fantasy 12: Revenant Wings.
Updated on June 27, 2023 by Quinton O'Connor: We wrote this a few weeks ago. What's changed between then and now? Why, the sixteenth mainline Final Fantasy was released. No biggie! Naturally, we've rushed back here to add the latest Shiva to the stockpile.
14 ♕ Final Fantasy 13🃏
In Final Fantasy 13, Shiva is a pair of twins who... transform into a motorcycle. ꦡA motorc🎶ycle that hero Snow Villiers then rides around. Snow... rides... Shiva.
We reckon you e💖ith❀er love this or hate it. You can probably guess where we stand on the subject.
13 🅰 Final Fantasy 3 🤪
Shiva may have found her origin story with Final Fantasy 3 - after all, this is when summoning first became a thing - but there's not much else that can be said for her in this game. The spell used to draw her forward in combat is called Icen, for heck's sake; first-time players wouldn't even know she's Shiva without context from other entries.
We're not too keen on her somewhat bland design, either, though it might just be a side effect of seeing that hair sticking up like so many icicles. How very... 1980s?
12 Finꦗal Fantasy 7
We promise we aren't dropping Final Fantasy 7's Shiva this soon for shock value. If any list gets shock value, it's one that ranks Ramuh. Do you get it? Do you get it? Anyway, here's the thing. For its time, FF7's summons looked fabulous in that jump from 2D to 3D. Some still hold up well. Others... maybe not so much.
It's not that Shiva's attack animation is bad, though we'd sooner call it bland than grand. It's... how do we put this? It's... that outfit. Look, Shiva is frequently pretty clearly eye candy, and we suppose stuff could be written about that decision. In this case, it's not so much that angle as it is how bizarre her clothing looks. Is it even clothing? Or is it, like, purple tentacles, conveniently placed? If it really is something Shiva wears rather than grew from her flesh, it's the world's single worst swimsuit design ever.
11 💖 Final Fantasy 4
Final Fantasy 4 is the first game in the series to star real characters who assume the roles of specific job classes - FF2 started the characters thing, but everyone was more or less a jack of all trades. Rydia is FF4's summoner, and thus Final Fantasy's first full-fledged take on the trope. She's neat, with some good growth and an attachment to a couple of choice summons.
Shiva isn't one of them. Rydia just sort of lines her arsenal with Shiva upon rejoining the team later in the game after an extended absence. There's not much to say as a result; the animation is fine, and the weird 1980s hair makes its dastardly return.
10 F𒐪inal Fantasy 11
There's some pretty cool lore for several of Final Fantasy 11's Avatars, as the game's summons are called, but we're not in love with Shiva's. She was a capable young ruler beloved by her people but exiled by scheming nobles; her faithful followers found Shiva encased in ice in the far north (naturally), died beside her, and the world's goddess took pity and gave Shiva a heavenly rebirth of sorts.
Wait, what about the followers? They died, too, you know. In any case, FF11's Avatars are nifty enough, but the limits of its engine make for somewhat drab renditions. Without excellent backstory, this leaves Shiva a bit cold.
9 𒊎 Final Fantasy 6
Shiva gets a small bit of dialogue in Final Fantasy 6, which puts her ahead of a good few of her other selves narratively, though it's still just a tad. Even so, there's something to be said for watching the poor gal straight-up die before the party's eyes at the Magitek Research Facility. We appreciate her magicite form aiding the heroes in the form of an Esper.
FF6 Shiva's attack is kind of neat, yeah? She blows an icy wind in a cone from her hands. There's nothing else quite like it in the other games, so props for that.
8 Final Fantasy 9 💃ꦕ
Eidolon Summoner Garnet's turn at the Shiva wheel (not literally, she isn't Snow Villiers) is a bit middling, but not without its merits. We don't think FF9 Shiva's design is much to write home about, though as always with this stuff, your mileage may vary.
On the flip side, not only do we love how rapidly she twirls when she's summoned - it's charming! - but the ice her signature Diamond Dust ability ushers forth upon the enemy looks convincingly sharp, which a nice touch not all the other Shivas, or Shivae if you will, can muster.
7 Final Fantasy 7 Remake 🦋
Sure, she's basically 'just' Final Fantasy 7's Shiva given another swing at the bat with graphics some three generations down the road from the original. But Square took a rather rough first draft and perfected it with Remake. We enjoy how appropriately Hindu this universe's Shiva is, and that really comes through here.
More importantly? We can tell this Shiva's clothing is clothing; no questioning whether it's eerie purple tentacles like before. The shards of ice she launches at her foes are even sharper than FF9's, too, giving her a more menacing appeal.
6 ♋ Final Fantasy 5༺
Nostalgia's a heck of a thing, and if you don't happen to harbor precisely the sort we do toward Final Fantasy 5 Shiva, you might be left wondering why she made it so far up the list. It's all about combat in this case. As a summon, she's fine; as a boss fight, she's either a cakewalk or a memorable nightmare, depending on whether you decide to battle her when you're stronger or when you can first encounter her.
We love going the former route, in case it wasn't already obvious. Not only is Shiva accompanied by some Ice-elemental flunkies, but the queen of winter herself packs a huge punch at that point in the game courtesy of her Blizzara spell. Prepare for pain.
5 🎶 Final Fantasy 15
Final Fantasy 15 gives most of its Astrals more story content than your average summon, and Shiva is no exception. She serves the world of the living in the guise of a certain character whose identity we'd rather not reveal lest we spoil the experience for first-time players, but it's a nice twist we hope you'll appreciate.
We'd go so far as to say Shiva's whole thing is lore in this game. There's only so much you'll learn on the surface, but - much like Ifrit - you'll find out so much more through the Episode Ardyn DLC. Not surprising: Shiva was once quite cold toward humanity. Rather eye-opening by comparison, if still appropriately punny: it was Ifrit who warmed her heart and made her love us all.