When talking with Jeffrey Yohalem, the writer of Ubisoft’s Child of Light, he stated he had wanted to tell a story about a young girl, a change of pace for fantasy protagonists in video games. It’s safe to say there are more male than female leads in the video games, especially when it comes to playable characters. With Child of Light coming out this week, it seemed appropriate to revisit some of the best playable female characters in games.
10. Faith Connors
Mirror’s Edge didn’t have the biggest fan base upon release. In fact, the game threatened to fall into the realm of “cult-classic” as underwhelming sales left Electronic Arts cautious about revisiting series until a sequel was announced at last summer’s E3. Faith Connors, the game’s free-running hero – isn’t wildly popular, but in a list of kick-ass women she holds her own just fine. Armed with her determination and self-confidence – not mention some serious acrobatic skills – Faith attempts to prove her sister’s innocence while on the run from a dystopian totalitarian government.
9. Aveline de Grandpre
Up until two years ago, Assassin’s Creed was a boys-only club, a white-boys-only club to boot. Finally, when Assassin’s Creed: Liberation came to Vita, Aveline bucked both of the trends. Aveline is strong and tenacious in a time when nothing came easy to her race or gender. Her character might not get much time in the numerical series, but having a female, player-controlled protagonist in one of the biggest video game franchises is nothing to scoff at.
8. Clementine
When we first came across Clementine in the episode “A New Day”, she was a small, scared, and helpless child. Throughout season one of Telltale’s fantastic The Walking Dead series, we watched Clem grow up and find her strength with the help of Lee, who became a father figure to the girl in world filled with undead dangers. Now, as season two of the series begins, Clementine is anything but helpless. The little girl has developed into survivor who isn’t scared to go toe-to-toe with anyone or anything.
7. Claire Redfield
Remember the good ol’ days, when the name Resident Evil made your hair stand on end? You could probably swap Claire out for Jill Valentine, but I always thought Claire was the better character. Looking for her brother in a zombie-filled Raccoon City, Claire isn’t the type to play damsel in distress. Instead, she blasts her way through hordes of the undead and saves little Sherry Birkin from her monstrous father. Resident Evil slowly evolved into something else over the last decade, but the series boasts – especially in the early games – some strong female leads.
6. Jade
Ubisoft developer Michael Ancel created the lead of Beyond Good & Evil to be something more than the scantily clad action heroes which fill so many video game libraries. Jade not only keeps her clothes on, but also spends her time doing damage with a camera instead of a gun. Beyond Good & Evil discards many action game tropes and Jade is only one of them. The game has drawn a cult following – many of whom yearn for a sequel – with Jade winning people’s heart not with her looks, but with her character.
5. April Ryan
Cult-followings and female protagonists seem to go hand-in-hand. Another lead from a cult-classic is headstrong April Ryan from the adventure series The Longest Journey. Ryan is an artist living in the bohemian neighborhood of Venice when she discovers an ability to switch between her world of the future and a magical kingdom called Arcadia. April’s adventures sparked a sequel, Dreamfall, which garnered enough love to fund a Kickstarter for a third game in the series, Dreamfall: Chapters. Through the first two games, April isn’t always sure of the paths she walks, but proves to be a resourceful and intelligent hero nonetheless.
4. Commander Shepard
The majority of Mass Effect fans will tell you the best Shepard is FemShep. Despite the heavy use of the game’s male-lead in promotional materials, fans consistently gravitated toward the female option voiced by the fan-favorite Jennifer Hale. It is rare for a game – especially a Bioware game – to have such an beloved lead character, but FemShep stands out as one of the studio’s most iconic lead characters.
3. Ellie
Ellie doesn’t start off as a playable character in Naughty Dog’s post-apocalyptica masterpiece, but she takes a similar journey as the aforementioned Clementine, learning and gaining confidence until she is splitting open clickers and battling rogue humans. Ellie’s journey in The Last of Us is powerful and strong, she proves her humanity and bravery throughout. She also is the center of Left Behind, the DLC which released earlier this year, further fleshing out her character.
2. Samus Aran
Aside from a reveal at the end of the first Metroid, there is almost no indication Samus is a woman. At the time it was a statement – intentional or not – about the preconceptions players might have about a hero. It also spoke to how female heroes can be portrayed in game. Samus’ armor wasn’t fitted for an exaggerated chest, it didn’t reveal her skin, it was the exact same armor one would expect of any space-age hero. Samus has more company these days, but there are few female characters who have been around as long as she has.
1. Lara Croft
It is difficult to say whether or not Lara Croft would be so high on this list a few years ago. When it comes to objectified female leads Lara’s busty physique made it tough to argue for her. All-the-same, even in the days of the PlayStation, she was still raiding tombs and fighting supernatural evils without batting an eye. Since Crystal Dynamics has taken the reigns on the Tomb Raider series, they have worked to make the internationally recognized character someone more human and relatable. Lara’s fame, the eternal nature of her series, and her independence makes her the most important playable female character in video games.
Did we leave off your favorite character? Mention someone you believe deserves to be higher on the list? Let us know your thoughts.
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