by Erpy » Sun Jun 28, '09, 7:53 pm
Usually, I don't so much as determine characters by their gender but by their personality and skills. That said, I've played plenty of rpg's where the females aren't the typical gentle healer/mage.
Chrono Trigger: Ayla. Strongest physical attacker in the game. Of course, her boyfriend is much more feminine than she is.
Seiken Densetu 3: Riesz. Amazon and lance-wielder with above average physical attack.
Final Fantasy 6: Terra and Celes can both act as front-row brawlers or back-row spell slingers depending on what you equip them with.
Final Fantasy 9: The biggest * on the planet is actually a woman general. Most foot soldiers in the game are women while the mage soldiers are guys. And then there's Freya who, although not very feminine by human standards, plays very much like you'd expect a male brawler to.
Septerra Core: Main character is a female with a rifle and all-round stats.
Lunar 2: Female dancer becomes speed demon with painful attacks. (basically Rika without the healing skills)
Some examples of females who ARE healers but tougher than the stereotype would let you believe.
Lunar: Jessica's attack is actually above average and in addition to her in-your-face attitude, it's also revealed she can beat her muscule-bound boyfriend at leg wrestling.
Shining Force 2: Master monks can heal but due to the way the experience system in that game works, they can also become the hardest hitters on the force.
I haven't seen a lot of Alys equivalents in other games yet though...females with an attitude who don't fit into the tomboy category.