Horizon: Zero Dawn’s protagonist Aloy is written as an exceptional person, set apart from others by her task to save the world and the heavy responsibility that comes with it. She’s inspiring and captivating, but for all her flawlessness, she’s not particularly relatable. Gradually, big video game publishers are warming to the idea that a hero doesn’t have to be a bulky, bald man. But while we’re seeing more women in leading roles, we aren’t seeing a great deal of depth. Heroines like Aloy are more superhero than human: Aloy is pragmatic, strong and has little to lose. She’s destined for greatness and has access to a power that those around her can’t fathom, let alone control. Aloy’s adventure — like that of so many heroes and heroines — rarely mirrors the more common struggles people experience in their day to day lives. Instead, Horizon’s non-playable characters examine womanhood in a way the hero can not. Both the main story and the sidequests include female characters who are heroic in their own unexpected ways, and these characters help to flesh out the world and make it feel lived in, rather than a cold backdrop for Aloy’s grand quest. Survival is its own battle Horizon’s post-post-apocalypse imagines a reset civilization in which modern prejudice around gender and race are reimagined. Humanity is grouped by tribes in which both men and women share power, and feuds largely stem from conflicts of geography and spiritual belief. Women are equally represented throughout the game’s… [Read full story]