Locke was well received upon his debut.
Kotaku writer Jason Schreier discussed how Locke's character has more depth than as he initially appears, praising
Final Fantasy VI for depicting his and other characters' personalities in a subtle way. He argued that Locke's motivations for helping Terra as well as other people was because he was unable to save Rachel, thus driving him to save others. This point was also discussed by
Dengeki Online writer Kawachi, who covered how "painful" it was to see Celes question this approach to life. Locke's relationship with Celes was regarded as among gaming's best by
Paste writer Jessica Howard. touching upon Locke's propensity to protect women and how they grow closer despite internal traumas from which they suffer. Author Scott Lynch meanwhile named the titular protagonist of his book
The Lies of Locke Lamora after Locke, citing the heavy influence
Final Fantasy had upon his work. His relationship with Celes also received praise.
USgamer writer Nadia Oxford cited it as one of her favorite relationships in video games and one she often found herself coming back to when recalling romances in Japanese roleplaying games. She appreciated that while both characters start with significant flaws, they lean on each other through the story to mend their painful pasts as the game progresses. She also enjoyed that instead of blatantly stating they were in love, the game approaches it with a slow buildup, and praised it as a "nice example of showing versus telling", something she felt the genre wasn't particularly good at.
RPGFans Daniel Hernandez meanwhile praised Locke's charisma, and felt their relationship was "love in a very human, authentic fashion" in how it illustrated them moving on past their traumas. He further described was an aspect many could empathize with and recognize, and enjoyed the moment where they make their feelings for each other clear in the game's opera scene.
Analysis of themes and music In the book
The Legend of Final Fantasy VI, Pierre Maugein described him as a "classic RPG bulwark", a character that's depicted as a hot-headed savior ready to do the right thing at any given moment, and a character archetype that he felt was often a favorite of teenage gamers seeking escapism. However, Maugein stated that unlike many such examples his grief and guilt over Rachel made him unique. Instead of being driven by revenge against the Empire solely, his primary goal is to help others, but also by seeking Rachel's forgiveness, drawing comparison to the
Greek hero Orpheus. He further described it "tragic behavior that extricates him from his stereotype and provides him with an unexpected fragility", and as he completes his quest the lesson he learns is to move on. Maugein felt this was represented by his relationship with Celes, someone he cared for rather than wanting to protect, and found that this "powerful extremism" made him a "resolute yet poignant protagonist". Sebastian Deken in his book examining
Final Fantasy VI and its themes described him as a "pathologically heroic" character who compensates for failing Rachel by frequently throwing himself into danger and being immediately protective of any woman he meets. Deken felt a good part of his characterization was emphasized in his theme music which shared a similar excited tone to Locke's portrayal, with the third measure "being a little unhinged". He emphasized however that neither the theme nor the character give the impression of going too far off the rails, but instead are a "smidge manic", reflecting that his "brashness and thievery come from a fearless, well-intentioned heart" demonstrated in the heartbeat-like pattern in the music's strings. He felt that Locke's heart was the crux of his character: an aspect of him permanently broken, and his daring behavior being a way to avoid dealing with his grief and self-blame. Deken pointed out that while Locke's secondary theme, "Forever Rachel", was mostly a reiteration of his main theme shifted down a musical key and slowed down, it was also different enough and able to add to his character and the melodrama of Rachel's death. He felt by comparison the theme's use when Celes discovers a bird with Locke's bandana at the start of the game's second half was meant to represent hope in regards to Locke. Its use in the scene brings him into it despite not physically present, and gave both Celes and the player hope he survived the conclusion of the game's first half. Its last use at Rachel's farewell meanwhile represented Locke's revival as a character, no longer carrying the guilt he was carrying as the music transitions into his main theme, and in Deken's view illustrated how he was able to heal past his own trauma. ==References==