Is it known what Claw in PSIV corresponds to Rika's Claw in PSO?

[feather-flower]

As stated in the thread-title, I'm wondering whether it was ever specified which Claw from Phantasy Star IV, is the same as Rika's Claw in Phantasy Star Online?

It was featured in a commercial and an art-book, but I don't remember any point in Phantasy Star IV, where that huge mechanical arm was ever highlighted, or made to be the "definitibe" weapon associated with Rika.

PSIV Commercial that features the Claw Arm:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ydM-LhVF_xQ

PSO-W's database entry for Rika's Claw:

http://www.pso-world.com/items.php?op=viewarticle&artid=521

PSIV Art-Book illustration that features the Claw Arm:
https://segaretro.org/images/thumb/5/53/PhantasyStarIV_Art_Cover2_Japan.jpg/425px-PhantasyStarIV_Art_Cover2_Japan.jpg

Or was this Claw Arm only an out-of-game idea that never had in-game relevance?

[thepeaguy83]

Irrelevant to the series. It's just conceptual artwork that wasn't used in the final product.

I believe that they hired the same artist who did the artwork for PSII's JP game case (I cannot recall his name, but I think he's a freelancer). Toru Yoshida is the man behind all of the character and some enemy designs that were used in II & IV. He's a close colleague to Rieko Kodama, one of the founding members behind the original PS series.

[feather-flower]

Irrelevant to the series. It's just conceptual artwork that wasn't used in the final product.

I believe that they hired the same artist who did the artwork for PSII's JP game case (I cannot recall his name, but I think he's a freelancer). Toru Yoshida is the man behind all of the character and some enemy designs that were used in II & IV. He's a close colleague to Rieko Kodama, one of the founding members behind the original PS series.

Ah, I see!

Thank you very much for clarifying things for me. The info is greatly appreciated!

I definitely prefer the Japanese cover for Phantasy Star II, so it seems like this particular artist had a special flair for depicting the world envisioned by Rieko Kodama & the rest of the original team.

In the end, it does provoke the imagination about what story-events might have been cut from the finished-game, where Rika had acquired such an impressive Claw though!