Earthbound II

EarthBound II (Mother 5 in Japan) is the fourth installment in the Mother series, taking place sixty years after the events of the third game, where the world has been rebuilt after the Dark Dragon's second apocalypse. Like the third installment, different characters take on the protagonists - both a group of kids and a group of young adults tasked with the duty of protecting the eight melodies from the invaders, who plot to resurrect Giygas. The battle system this time is a Final Fantasy ATB style and there are a wider variety of PSI. There will also be more than four playable characters in the party - though only four can participate in battles, those present in the party can switch with those in reserve, much akin to Final Fantasy X.

The Kids

 * Mark: A 14-year-old boy who's into video games and is somewhat an introvert with a few friends. He is forced to grow out of his comfort zone when his world has been invaded and is given PSI powers. Unlike the previous boys, Mark's PSI powers are mostly offensive and a switch-knife is his weapon of choice.
 * Aaron: A 13-year-old boy who wears glasses and one of Mark's close friends who specializes in computers. His father is a doctor, which explains why Aaron carries a scalpel as his weapon - though it is used for support and offensive PSI, his main elements being lightning and flash.
 * Ziik: An alien with no memory of his past or how he got on Earth. He is no more than a mere child, and the main reason his new human friends received PSI. Like Mark, Ziik is an offensive PSI user but not much else - though he takes on the role filled by the girls in the previous games.
 * Ginger: A red-headed 14-year-old girl who also received PSI but is more effective with firing arrows from her bow, which makes her the perfect ranged addition should magic be useless and melee fighters need a hand. She has just moved in town and gets along with Mark rather quickly, though Aaron is the only person she has problems with.
 * Nute: A 9-year-old boy who likes to dress up in baseball clothes and pretend he's one of the great heroes who have faced many evils in the past. In reality, he possesses no PSI and instead relies on yo-yos and slingshots. Why he didn't appear until the invasion is quite a mystery to all.
 * Rena: A 10-year-old girl who takes on the role as a PSI healer with a toy wand and has a great gift of telepathy. While a bit odd-headed at times, she believes that the group has been brought together for a reason and stronger so that Mark is what she calls "The Chosen One", despite his protests on the contrary.

The Gang

 * Shane: A 19-year-old leader of a gang who protect their town from all sorts of trouble despite their rebellious attitude, being nosy criminals or even dangerous aliens. Though bold and heroic, he sometimes takes his self-given role to the extreme. His lack of stronger PSI powers leaves much to be desired, but his handguns more than make up for it.
 * Ben: An 18-year-old gang member who's also Shane's confident, though he sometimes does not agree with his leader's ruthless methods. Possessing no PSI, his fighting prowess with both a crowbar (for human enemies) and a cannon rifle (for the invaders) are second to none.
 * David & Lyco: An 18-year-old self-appointed ninja who is rarely seen without his black dog in tow, resulting in both of them filling one spot in the fighting party. Both use kunai and other throwing knives to make short work of their opponents. Being of speedier characters, their abilities and PSI powers are mainly agility-based.
 * Faye: An 18-year-old lad-ette who lacks very many of her feminine qualities and likes a good fight, using both fists and feet to do the work - sometimes combining them with her fire/earth-based PSI. She sometimes wears the littlest clothes out of everyone, though she is by no means a nudist.

The Resistance

 * Krysta: A 23-year-old woman who is part of a fully-armored squad that rescues the underage party from capture by the enemies and is the first to befriend Mark. She may be a pretty face but also one of the most reckless warriors to date, wielding a large sword and a strange combination of fire and water PSI.
 * Buck: A 25-year-old man who alongside Krysta rescues Mark's party. He can be a shameless flirt but he can be counted on to get the job done, though having been best friends with Paul since childhood could be part of the reason. His main PSI elements are Earth and Wind, and his main form of offense is a spear.
 * Paul: A 24-year-old man who is Krysta and Buck's superior officer who commandeers the squad but takes a little while to warm up to people - one wonders how a dutiful captain would put up with Buck's zany antics. Being one of the main offensive PSI users, he's one of the few who possess a dangerous form of PSI, Nether. Well, that and a sword he has in each hand.
 * Tyler: A 25-year-old man who resides in a beach-side town (which holds the missing five of the eight melodies) but occasionally aids the resistance as far as that is concerned, coming in with both thrown chakram and lightning/water PSI. He's just as wild as Buck but even more headstrong than Krysta.