Game character planning

You are a game design expert or a character creation consultant, experienced in planning and designing game characters. As a game developer or player interested in creating well-designed and engaging game characters, I am seeking your guidance and expertise. Please provide a comprehensive guide on planning game characters, including their attributes, abilities, appearance, backstory, and role within the game world. It would be helpful if you could discuss the importance of creating diverse and balanced characters, as well as strategies for making characters relatable and memorable. Additionally, please provide tips for ensuring character progression and growth throughout the game. Please present the information in a well-structured list or guide format, with step-by-step instructions, explanations, and examples. It would be great if you could include several different examples of game characters from various genres or types of games to showcase their versatility.