Acknowledging that many people have spoken of female characters like liabilities for a game’s success seems like a pretty obvious, innocuous statement to make. So when I talked about this in early July, I frankly just found it bizarre when I came across people elsewhere discussing this and saying they had never heard anyone speak of female characters like an obstacle for a game’s success—that no one has ever said that; that it would be a nonissue regardless, because we already have games like Metroid.
I’ll get to more awesome female-led indie games in a moment, but that’s just … really? Even loosely following gaming news, aside from deliberately being obtuse, how could anyone never have heard of the many times people in the industry have brought this up?
Like how the long anticipated The Last Guardian was originally supposed to star a girl. This was changed because despite the game’s director, Fumito Ueda, being imaginative enough to create a giant puppy-bird, he couldn’t envision a girl wearing pants. Don’t worry; it wasn’t just the pants, though. When later asked to clarify his statements, Ueda elaborated, “Yes, one is a more technical reason, because it’s not easy for girls to make acrobatic movements—I think it’s unrealistic. Maybe that’s just my personal [opinion]. But also, many of the players are male, and it’s easy for them to use the boy character.” The bolding is mine.
So nobody feels female characters are an impediment to a game’s success? No publishers felt that way about the Shantae series? No marketing team thought The Last of Us would do better without Ellie on the cover? Ken Levine didn’t use that reasoning to justify keeping Elizabeth off the cover of BioShock Infinite? What about Sony thinking a female lead in Horizon Zero Dawn could be a sales risk? How about Ubisoft trying to justify not including playable female characters in Assassin’s Creed by saying it would have been too much work? Or how women simply appearing in FIFA 16 provoked so many misogynistic responses that EA’s COO spoke out about it? This doesn’t mean games that faced this problem and wound up changing their vision can’t be enjoyable; it simply means this is an issue that exists, and it inhibits creators and women simultaneously.
I could devote this article solely to talking about repeated examples of the trend. But I’m going to transition over to talking about some fun indie games now for the same reason I did last time: rather than lament a blatant and depressing problem, I’d rather praise some underrated games that prove this shouldn’t be a problem. If even indie titles with female leads like Bloodstained can get the massive support they do, that seems like a pretty clear indicator that actual consumers aren’t bothered by this. So until big name companies stop with the lame, antiquated excuses, let’s talk more indie titles starring kick-ass women!
Another Metroid 2 Remake
For those who hadn’t heard, we got Metroid in 1986, so female characters don’t need more representation, and sexism in games is over. You know, that series that originated by hiding its protagonist’s gender until the ending which revealed Samus was a woman by showing her to you in a bikini (if you got the “best” ending). The series where the most recent entry depicted Samus as so subservient, that she would burn to death before protecting herself without a man’s permission. Oh, and the series that fans have been wanting a sequel to for five years, and when they finally get it, Samus won’t even be in the game!
Regardless of when Nintendo is ready to prioritize Samus again, she is a beloved character, so you can’t blame some fans being impatient for another good game in the series. Hence Another Metroid 2 Remake. The fan game is exactly what it sounds like, aiming to do for Metroid 2 what Zero Mission did for the first game. Newbies to the series likely wouldn’t be enraptured by the original Metroid 2’s monotone Game Boy graphics and scarce soundtrack, so AMR2 remakes everything from the ground up in Zero Mission style graphics, with new areas, mechanics, and bosses added in.
The game is the work of one person who has been creating it for years now, with no interest in receiving any compensation (hence why Nintendo hasn’t shut it down). While it isn’t complete yet, you can already play much of the game via the demo from the official site. There’s no ETA on the completed product yet (I’m betting in the next year based on the progress reports) but who knows, the next time we actually see Samus might just be from an indie developer.
Life is Strange
Life is Strange is a borderline mention since, while Dontnod Entertainment are indie developers, publisher Square Enix are obviously quite well-known. Nonetheless, if you like Telltale’s games like The Walking Dead, this is much the same play style except with teenagers, time travel, and possibly lesbians. It’s impossible to judge as a whole since it will be a five episode season and the fourth is only coming out now, but the story is intriguing so far.
Like Telltale’s games, Life is Strange tries to impart how every choice has consequences. That’s a bit misleading, as games like this would have to be Skyrim-sized to account for all the different timelines created based on how you treat each character. But it’s about the journey, not the destination. And interactive TV shows like this fill that journey with hidden details that reward exploration and shed more light on characters you thought you had figured out.
Also worth noting is that Dontnod are the same developers behind Remember Me. You know, that game where creative director Jean-Maxime Moris said, “We had some [companies] that said, ‘Well, we don’t want to publish it because that’s not going to succeed. You can’t have a female character in games. It has to be a male character, simple as that.'” Hey, look, there’s that thing which apparently no one is saying! And while some might seize upon Remember Me’s lackluster sales to say they should have listened to publishers about their protagonist, Life is Strange faced the same issue and appears to be doing fine. Dontnod have even said it’ll be getting a second season.
Telltale’s Walking Dead series
In case you do like your interactive TV shows with zombies, then be glad Telltale is continuing to expand their interpretation on the popular zombie franchise with The Walking Dead: Michonne. While the series will only be getting three episodes compared to Telltale’s standard five per season, it does still give players the chance to learn more about one of the most popular and badass characters in the franchise.
And while you’re waiting for that, you can always enjoy the first two Walking Dead seasons if you haven’t already. While you’re playing as a man in season one, Clementine is definitely the emotional core of the season. And then when you get to season two, you finally get to play as her!
The Longest Journey series
Yet another episodic game, and probably the most unique of the bunch, Dreamfall Chapters: The Longest Journey is actually the third game in a series. The adventure games alternate between a futuristic world and a fantasy realm, with a conspiracy story linking them both. This third entry of the series continues in the vein of exploring imaginative dimensions with interesting characters. Only three of the five episodes have been released so far, but it’s already delving into some complex topics and difficult issues.
Since this is a sequel, it might be hard to jump right in without playing the prior games. But the game does offer a recap for newcomers, and if you’re still filled with a lot of questions, then that just makes for a good excuse to play the previous titles and see what you’ve been missing as you solve more puzzles in these rich worlds.
They Bleed Pixels
If you love challenging games like Super Meat Boy or Hotline Miami and still have any hair left you’d like to tear out, this game will do the job. The graphics and gameplay are simple, but if you’re playing games like this, you aren’t doing it for pretty cinematics and complex strategies. You’re doing it because you’re a masochist. Kill Cthulhu-esque monsters, avoid tons of spikes, and see if you can make it to the end of each stage in a dozen or so attempts.
Never Alone
Made in collaboration with members of the Iñupiat, an Alaskan Native people, Never Alone is a puzzle platformer about a young girl and an arctic fox attempting to stop an eternal blizzard. The game draws upon actual Iñupiaq culture and mythology to create its story, characters, and challenges. It plays similarly to something like Limbo with its mixture of puzzles as well as surrealism to keep you asking questions.
The game is narrated in the Iñupiaq language, and also features unlockable extras and interviews so you can learn more about the culture as you play. An expansion for the game is due out July 28.
Freedom Planet
It’s no secret Sonic the Hedgehog hasn’t had a consistent track record lately. Sega themselves recently admitted as much with their vow to regain consumer trust and, well, hopefully stop releasing games like Sonic Boom. While Sega struggles to return to form, one fan already took the lead when he began conceptualizing what would become Freedom Planet.
The title’s Sonic fangame origins are obvious. Much like the original Sonic trilogy, you control an adolescent, anthropomorphic animal speeding through 2-D stages and destroying robots along the way. Though it borrows significantly from Sega’s flagship franchise, Freedom Planet also incorporates its own new mechanics for the unique experience Sonic 4 should have been.
Also, while Sonic’s most notable female character is Amy Rose (whose defining characteristic has long been stalking and harassing Sonic in an unrequited romantic interest that’s become increasingly tiresome and creepy), Freedom Planet’s main trio of playable characters are all positively-depicted female leads. Hopefully Sega takes a cue and learns to “step it up” as their mascot says. Freedom Planet is being ported to the Wii U in August.
The Marvelous Miss Take
This is another simple yet challenging game. It plays like one big top-down stealth section in a Metal Gear Solid title…except you can’t just choke out or shoot people who are about to find you. It’s surprisingly rare to see a pure stealth game where you’re left with no other option for success than just staying out of sight. The Marvelous Miss Take not only leaves you no lethal fallback plan, but was actually specifically designed to feature no violence in the game. That’s right Garrett, most master thieves aren’t walking around with explosive arrows.
The Cat Lady
This is definitely the darkest game among these titles, so if you’re looking for a light-hearted distraction, this probably won’t be up your alley. The game deals with the topic of depression, and places you in the role of a woman whose story begins when she kills herself—which is when she learns she can’t die. She becomes stuck in a reality of nightmarish people who want to hurt her and feeling the constant reminder of why she didn’t want to go on living. The story becomes a mystery, determining what is part of the protagonist’s life and what is a manifestation of her mental state.
The game looks simple enough with its basic puzzle adventure genre controls and washed out graphics style, but the story is definitely complex in subject matter. It’s billed as a horror game, so expect grisly violence, unsettling topics, and creepy imagery going in. But some of the best moments aren’t just the surreal symbolism, but also the quieter moments when you get to piece together what haunts the protagonist.
Heart Forth, Alicia
Now that it’s been in development for over a year, more details are coming forth about this intriguing metroidvania. Despite the simple art style (which looks great), the creator says he wants the game to have an epic storyline akin to games like Final Fantasy VII. The combat, however, has been compared to Castlevania: Symphony of the Night. Sounds like a good combo to me.
Heart Forth, Alicia was present at E3, and the developers say they’re aiming for a late 2015/early 2016 release. This world of wizards seems original, and the trailer is exciting, so this looks like one to keep an eye on as more updates come along.
And if you’re looking for an excuse to try out some of the games I mentioned last time, Transistor was recently ported to iOS, while the beautiful and touching Ori and the Blind Forest will be getting an Xbox 360 port later this year as the game continues to acquire positive reviews in the meantime.
Then Shantae: Risky’s Revenge recently came to PS4, and the belly-dancing genie’s games can’t be recommended enough. As I said before, looking beyond the abundant boobs, Shantae is a cool, competent heroine who works her girly sass while whipping ass. She rocks her femininity and makes no apologies for it.
And if you want even more dancing, Crypt of the NecroDancer is coming to PS4 and PS Vita soon to give you more opportunities to test out your rhythm. The Sony versions of the dungeon crawler will also be getting an exclusive chiptune remix of the soundtrack to play in-game.
Chris Isaac (@thechrisisaac) is a freelance writer and journalist residing in Philadelphia. He’s written professional things about social issues and media for places like The Philadelphia Inquirer, and USA TODAY College. He also writes fiction that you’ll totally want to read once some of it actually gets published—it contains pirates and unicorns, so you know it’ll be awesome!
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