Who is Aloy in the Horizon game franchise? – Source: Youtube Aloy, the protagonist of the Horizon Zero Dawn and Horizon Forbidden West games, is a unique character in the gaming world. She lives in a post-apocalyptic society, filled with futuristic machines, and is the only person who can prevent the extinction of all life. Aloy was created to save the world who is also a genetic clone of humanity’s long-forgotten savior.

Who is Aloy in love with?

Horizon Forbidden West: Burning Shores DLC adds romance at last Image: Guerrilla Games/Sony Interactive Entertainment Aloy didn’t have much time for romance during the breakneck events of, but in the sequel to the post-apocalyptic open world RPG, called Forbidden West, the heroine formed many close bonds with other characters.

1. Those relationships never went beyond the platonic level, though.
2. As of the Burning Shores DLC, which is currently available exclusively on and set after the events of Forbidden West, that’s changed.
3. Multiple male characters have expressed romantic interest in Aloy in the past, but she would always shoot them down.

It did seem, however, as though the vestiges of a romance system was present in Forbidden West ; in dialogue options with the Sun-King Avad early on in the game, players could select responses from Aloy that had a heart symbol next to them, similar to how romance-specific dialogue is demarcated in BioWare games like Dragon Age and Mass Effect.

• Selecting the heart options never did lead to a romance, though, which further led fans and critics to speculate that,
• Forbidden West also included another hint in the storyline of Elisabet Sobeck, a scientist from the distant past of whom Aloy is an exact genetic clone.
• Near the end of Forbidden West, Aloy learns that Elizabet was a queer woman.

Queerness has never been officially linked to a genetic marker in real life (although ), but the Horizon games have always seemed to lean a little bit towards the magical when it comes to the extreme similarities between Aloy and her foremother. The two are treated as essentially the same person, just in two different timelines.

1. For that reason, many fans have assumed Aloy to be queer as well.
2. Burning Shores, the new DLC for Forbidden West, confirms Aloy’s sexuality with the introduction of a romance between the heroine and her female companion Seyka, who’s new to this new chapter.
3. The full scene can be viewed in the video below.

Aloy does have the option to reject Seyka’s proposition, but even if she does so, that rejection doesn’t include any implication that Aloy is straight. Aloy’s dialogue responses to Seyka are: “Yes, I do,” “I’m not ready for this,” or “This is too much for me.” If Aloy reciprocates Seyka’s feelings, the two share a kiss, but the DLC still ends with the characters parting ways.

How old is Aloy at the end of Horizon Zero Dawn?

After all the trials she persevered through in Horizon Zero Dawn and the gap between the games, how old is Aloy in Horizon Forbidden West? Horizon Forbidden West ‘s Aloy is unique among video game protagonists in a number of ways. Not only does she live in a post-apocalyptic, primitive society that is overrun by futuristic machines, but she was literally created to save the world. Aloy is the genetic clone of humanity’s long-forgotten savior and is the only person on Earth capable of preventing the extinction of all life. On April 4, 3021, the newborn Aloy was delivered to the Nora tribe in response to the destruction of the super-intelligent AI, GAIA. GAIA was built by Elisabet Sobeck to restart life on Earth after its obliteration by the Faro Plague. Months before GAIA’s destruction, she received a mysterious transmission that turned her subordinate functions into rogue AIs.

The subordinate function HADES attempted to take over GAIA and wipe out all life on Earth. GAIA destroyed herself to prevent this and used DNA from Elisabet to create a clone that would be able to use her genetic print to hopefully rebuild GAIA. That clone was Aloy. As an outcast, Aloy grew up being shunned and persecuted by the majority of the Nora tribe.

When she was around six years old, she fell into the ruins of an ancient human facility. There, she found a Focus, a device that allowed her to interact with old technology and read hidden information, This device aided in developing her survival skills.

Aloy grew frustrated her place in the tribe and grew determined to figure out why she was an outcast and to discover the mysterious circumstances of her birth. Her adoptive father, Rost, revealed that there was a coming-of-age ritual in Nora culture called the Proving. If Aloy completed the Proving, she would be accepted by the Nora Tribe.

The person that completes the Proving first is also granted a boon by the leaders of the tribe. By winning the Proving, Aloy could demand answers to her questions. With that goal in mind, Aloy spent twelve years training with Rost in order to prepare for the Proving. Horizon Zero Dawn starts just before Aloy is about to take part in the Proving. This would make her about 18 years old at the beginning of the first game.

• Aloy manages to win the Proving, but the tribe is attacked by Eclipse cultists, servants of the rouge AI HADES.
• Rost is killed during the attack while protecting Aloy, and she is given a mission by the Nora leaders to remove the Eclipse from their lands.
• These events kick off Aloy’s long and difficult battle against the Eclipse and HADES for the rest of the game.

Although the timeline isn’t perfect, it’s safe to assume that the campaign of Horizon Zero Dawn takes anywhere from a few months to a year in-universe. This would put Aloy at somewhere between 18 and 19 years old by the final battle at Meridian at the end of the game.

1. Horizon Forbidden West picks up the story six months after the Battle of the Alight in Meridian.
2. Aloy has been searching for a way to stop the blight that once again threatens life on Earth.
3. This time gap between games would make Aloy around 19 or 20 years old by the start of Horizon Forbidden West, meaning she’s still quite young and likely has plenty more adventures ahead of her.

KEEP READING: How Horizon Forbidden West’s Co-Pilot Mode Works

Does Aloy get older?

How Old Is Aloy When Horizon Forbidden West Takes Place? – Horizon Zero Dawn ‘s prologue begins when Aloy is just an infant, specifically in the year 3021. This in and of itself isn’t particularly informative, but it’s later made clear that Aloy is six years old when she finds her Focus. The story then progresses another twelve years through the course of the prologue, meaning Aloy is 18 when she sets off and the actual story of Horizon Zero Dawn begins.

While it isn’t explicitly clear just how long the game’s events are intended to last in-universe, many fans speculate that it could be around a year. As such, Aloy could be anywhere from 18 to 19 by the time the story of Horizon Zero Dawn ends. Horizon Forbidden West then jumps ahead six months or so after Zero Dawn, pushing Aloy’s age up to 19 or 20.

While this isn’t quite set in stone, either, it does seem likely given that Aloy’s physical appearance looks largely consistent across both titles. All of this speculation could reasonably be clarified further by Horizon Forbidden West developer Guerrilla Games, but thanks to the concrete dates that have already been provided, it’s unlikely that Aloy’s age will stray too drastically from what fans have guessed.

1. A minimum of 18 and a maximum of 21 or so seems like the safest range to assume, leaving plenty of time for Aloy to continue to grow and mature if the Horizon series receives more sequels later on.
2. There are plenty of mysteries, both past and present, that Aloy could still explore, and the future of the world is by no means certain even after the events of Forbidden West,

Having a young protagonist gives developers an easy means to bring her back consistently moving forward. Perhaps future installments in the interlinked story of Horizon Forbidden West could even provide more specific points along the timeline for fans to work with, allowing for fleshed-out theories to grow.

What year is Aloy born?

Aloy is a fictional character and protagonist of the 2017 video game Horizon Zero Dawn and its sequel Horizon Forbidden West. In the games’ post-apocalyptic tribal setting, she is born in 3021, raised as an outcast, and trains as a warrior in order to win a ritual competition to discover her mother’s identity.

Are Aloy and Erend dating?

Erend Is the Only Character That Stands a Chance With Aloy – A lot of fans have been asking for romance options for Aloy in Horizon Forbidden West, Nearly everyone flirted with her in Zero Dawn, but every time, Aloy shot them down. That is, everyone except for Erend. When players first meet Erend in Mother’s Heart, he seems brash and crude, but he’s obviously attracted to Aloy from the get-go.

1. She doesn’t return the sentiment and is more than a little put off, but Erend redeems himself from that initial first impression and ultimately becomes one of Aloy’s most trusted confidants.
2. Erend is Aloy’s connection to get into Meridian, and in turn, she helps him locate his lost sister Ersa.
3. It’s also apparent that Erend struggles with a drinking problem, but towards the end of the story he becomes determined to turn his life around.

He makes a particularly touching comment to Aloy at the end, telling her that when he first saw her, he thought she was just a pretty girl. Later, he realized that he was lucky to have even one moment of her time. Aloy replies that she will always have a moment for him- maybe even two.

• It’s not much, but it’s the closest anyone has ever gotten to Aloy in a romantic sense.
• Erend obviously has feelings for her and in the end, it seems possible that Aloy might come to reciprocate those feelings.
• It’s clear they kept their relationship strong up until the events of Forbidden West,
• It wouldn’t be out of character for Aloy to keep Erend in the friend zone, but if they’ve grown even closer (or grow closer during Forbidden West ), that relationship could take a new turn.

A lot of fans do ship Aloy and Erend together, and they would make a great couple. Erend respects Aloy and her independence while Aloy trusts him more than anyone else- a fact made even more clear by the gameplay trailer. Erend is also a lot more playful than Aloy, who tends to take things very seriously, so it would be nice to have him around more often to lighten the mood every now and then.

How old is Aloy now?

Who is Aloy in the Horizon game franchise? – Source: Youtube Aloy, the protagonist of the Horizon Zero Dawn and Horizon Forbidden West games, is a unique character in the gaming world. She lives in a post-apocalyptic society, filled with futuristic machines, and is the only person who can prevent the extinction of all life. Aloy was created to save the world who is also a genetic clone of humanity’s long-forgotten savior.

Does Aloy have a crush?

Despite a number of potential suitors, Aloy doesn’t have a love interest in Horizon Forbidden West.

Is Aloy male or female?

Appearance – Aloy is a white female. She is 1.68 meters (5 feet 6 inches) tall, with long red hair and freckles on her cheeks and nose. Her hair is pulled back with braids in the back and on the sides. She also has accessories in her hair such as beads.

Who is Aloy face model?

Image: Hannah Hoekstra Who is Aloy’s real-life face model in Horizon Forbidden West and Horizon Zero Dawn ? We all know that Ashly Burch lent her larynx to bring the outspoken heroine to life, but one thing we weren’t aware of is that the character’s based upon the likeness of Dutch actress Hannah Hoekstra. And here’s a video of Hannah Hoekstra in action from a movie called App : Did you know that Aloy was based on a real person? Can you see the similarities? Spot the difference in the comments section below.

Will there be a 3rd Horizon game?

Guerrilla Games’ Horizon series has plenty of interesting options when it comes to choosing a setting for the next game in the franchise. Guerilla Games, the developer behind the Horizon franchise, has confirmed that the series will be a trilogy of games. Seeing as there was a five-year gap between Horizon Zero Dawn and Horizon Forbidden West, players can expect a third game sometime in 2027.

• In the meantime, Aloy’s story continues in California in the Burning Shores DLC, which will see her explore a volcanic Los Angeles.
• But like other post-apocalyptic games, the drama isn’t just isolated to the particular area where the game is set.
• Each Fallout game is set in a different area of the United States, while The Last Of Us weaves a story from Austin to Boston, then Seattle.

So far, Aloy’s story has been isolated to the Western United States in the Horizon franchise. The possibilities of where the third game could be set are endless, but there have been hints littered throughout Horizon Zero Dawn and Horizon Forbidden West, SCROLL TO CONTINUE WITH CONTENT

What is Aloy no longer obsessed with?

It’s all thanks to the game’s latest patch.

What did Aloy whisper to Beta?

GEMINI – Beta Choice – After completing the Faro’s Tomb quest and returning to base, Aloy discovers that she needs Beta’s assistance on the team’s most perilous mission yet. The only problem? Beta is far from pleased about the prospect of venturing headfirst into danger, especially as her capture would result in returning to a life of servitude.

When convincing Beta to join the mission, Aloy gets a flashpoint decision: Compassion – Aloy promises to personally protect Beta, telling her that the importance of the world rests on her shoulders. Beta rejects the notion before eventually agreeing to go with Aloy after the pair discuss Rost. Intelligence – Aloy reminds Beta that she devised a solid plan, telling her that the probability of success without her is much slimmer than if she decides to tag along.

Beta rejects the notion before eventually agreeing to go with Aloy after the pair discuss Rost. Aggression – Aloy tells Beta that the world is relying on her and she needs to find her courage. Beta rejects the notion before eventually agreeing to go with Aloy after the pair discuss Rost.

Why does Aloy have a beard?

Internet hits back at gamer who questioned female video game character’s ‘peach fuzz’ The internet is hitting back at a video game fan who criticised game designers for animating their female character with a “beard”. The video game, called, features a female character named Aloy who travels through a post-apocalyptic western United States.

1. The upcoming action role-playing game is the sequel to 2017’s Horizon Zero Dawn, which were both developed by Guerilla Games and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment.
2. Horizon Forbidden West was one of Sony’s when it was first announced in June 2020.
3. The game is set to be released 18 February 2022.

The technological advancements of video game design today has allowed for high-resolution graphics, and realistic characters with texture details. In Horizon Forbidden West, the female protagonist Aloy feels real to players, with her striking red hair and light peach fuzz.

1. However, one found the hair on her face to be almost too realistic, calling the attention to detail a “beard”.
2. Now, the internet is mocking the video game fan for never being close enough to a woman before to realise they, too, have hair on their faces.
3. Can you explain to me why the hell Aloy has a beard?” the original poster tweeted, circling the area of Aloy’s face with hair.

Don’t be fooled, that is no beard. In fact, peach fuzz or vellus hair is a soft, translucent hair that resembles the skin of a peach, and it grows on just about every cisgender woman’s face. Like everything on the body, peach fuzz also has a purpose — to protect and cool the face through insulation and perspiration.

Tell me you’ve never been up close to a woman, without telling me you’ve never been up close to a womanThis dude will go first,” tweeted one video game fan. “Someone has never been within five feet of a woman,” said one user. One Twitter user issued a reminder to the internet that tiny hairs on womens’ faces are normal and common, and if that wasn’t enough for people, they included photographic evidence too.

“Every woman has tiny hairs on their face called peach fuzz,” they tweeted. “We have dermaplaners, waxes, hair melting creams, laser removal, etc because it’s something we all have and takes work to get rid of. Aloy doesn’t have time for that nonsense.” In an interview with the, Guerilla Games director Mathijis de Jong said that designing the video game around a female protagonist like Aloy is a much-needed break from his previous first-person shooter series.

• Like with the series’s themes of restorative beauty, centering femininity in its heroism was an element of the studio recoiling from the loud masculinity of the Killzone games,” he said.
• According to a 2021, nearly 80 per cent of video game protagonists are male, and 27 per cent had female characters.

However, only 8.3 per cent of female protagonists were of non-white ethnicities. : Internet hits back at gamer who questioned female video game character’s ‘peach fuzz’

Does Aloy have a father?

Horizon: Forbidden West could bring back one unlikely character, namely Rost, rather easily despite the events of the first game. Despite his relatively short screentime, Rost is one of the most important characters in Horizon: Zero Dawn, As Aloy ‘s adopted father, he attempts to steer her in the right direction and teaches her how to survive from a young age. Rost unfortunately meets his fate and is buried outside his hut during the first game, making his appearance in Horizon: Forbidden West initially seem unlikely.

Does Aloy have a twin?

Beta (Horizon) Inferior copy (by Tilda van der Meer) Member of the Far Zenith (formerly) Very high intelligence College-level education via the APOLLO databaseAlpha access Ancient knowledge Running away from the Zeniths Escape the Far Zenith and hide inside Ninmah Research Lab Defeat Far Zenith (both successful) Subdue HEPHAESTUS (failed) Defeat Nemesis and find another method to subdue HEPHAESTUS (ongoing)

Beta is the tritagonist of the 2022 action-RPG video game Horizon Forbidden West, She is the genetic twin of the Nora Huntress and the clone of, Created as one of Sobeck’s clones by Far Zenith in the extrasolar ship Odyssey, Beta would be later used by the Zeniths including Tilda van der Meer, Gerard Bieri, and Erik Visser to find all of ‘s subordinate functions (minus HADES), starting in LATOPOLIS, and use GAIA for their rather nefarious ends, once it is completed.

Grown tired of the Zenith’s abuse, Beta later betrays the Old World organisation and sides with and her allies in a place known as The Base, in hopes that she could finally find peace and stop the Far Zenith for good, before their plans would come into fruition. She is voiced and motion-captured by, and modeled after Hannah Hoekstra.

Burch and Hoekstra also played Aloy and Sobeck in the same series, while the former also played other characters including from Attack on Titan and from Life is Strange,

Is Aloy a feminist?

Fear of a feminist hero: Horizon Zero Dawn In “Horizon Zero Dawn,” a new open-world role-playing game for PS4, women run the world. The Guerrilla Games offering stars Aloy, a 19-year-old girl who happens to be independent, strong-willed and not a sex object – in a stark contrast to most women featured in video games.

She lives in a matriarchal society, spends most of the game fighting corrupt men, and is aided by supportive male sidekicks. She discovers that her futuristic-yet-primitive land is largely a creation of a brilliant female scientist, whose invention, GAIA, is an ode to the life-giving force of motherhood.

Aloy is, in other words, the first legitimate feminist hero in a mainstream video game. This spring, the gaming community made clear that this is not okay. Even before “Horizon Zero Dawn” was released, gamers at the web’s most popular gaming subreddits and forums proclaimed they would never play a game with female protagonist.

In February, for instance, user TechniMyoko canceled his order because the game was described as “the feminist action game we’ve been waiting for.” Others cited the game, along with the new all-female “Ghostbusters” film, as unfortunate side effects of feminism and “SJW’s” – social justice warriors.

Executives at Sony, the game’s publisher, have said that they were anxious about featuring a female hero. They worried that it would alienate too many gamers. Sadly, if you’ve spent enough time in the gaming community, none of this, comes as a surprise.

• The vast majority of big-budget games feature male protagonists.
• All female game commentators, journalists and bloggers I know have cited some sort of harassment from men online.
• The most outspoken get death threats.
• Last year, Hafu, one of Hearthstone’s most popular – and best – professional gamers, was competing in a tournament when a display of the match had to be shut down.

Why? The organizers made the mistake of showing a live chat stream. Almost instantly, the tournament turned into a realm for trolls and sexual harassment. “Horizon Zero Dawn” is what gamers call a “triple-A” title, the kind of console-defining game that embodies the height of both technology and artistry.

• The game is Sony’s big, bold answer to Nintendo’s “The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild,” as well as the company’s first attempt to establish a must-have exclusive for PS4 after the dramatic failure of “No Man’s Sky.” Yes, “Horizon Zero Dawn” is a big deal.
• It’s also a fantastic game.
• It has the expansive, lush world of “The Witcher 3,” but also a more engaging and dynamic fight system, akin to “Destiny” and “Gears of War.” The deep quest system reminds you of “World of Warcraft,” but instead of grinding for loot and experience, the leveling up in “Horizon Zero Dawn” feels organic.

Then there’s the original sci-fi setting: Hundreds of years after a world-ending event has leveled civilization, humanity has resurfaced as a primitive tribal society. Among these bow-and-arrow warriors walk strange metal beasts: heavily-armed sentient robots that resemble horses, bulls, ostriches and panthers.

Aloy lives among the Nora tribe, who are ruled by three matriarchs and who worship a mysterious futuristic entity called the All-Mother. The kind of game “Horizon Zero Dawn” is, and the kind of hero Aloy represents, matters. It matters that it’s an action title whose story emphasizes social progress and empathy over violence.

It matters that it’s a product made in a male-dominated landscape that stars a woman who, unlike Lara Croft, doesn’t look like a pinup girl. It matters that gender isn’t treated as a gimmicky selling point. (Consider “Bayonetta,” in which the luscious female hero literally can’t fight back against her enemies without shedding her clothes.) To see such progress in a mainstream title excites me.

It’s equally exciting that the superb story is also packaged within the most notable release of 2017. As of writing, the game has sold more than 2.6 million units. That success may mean a sequel, and perhaps the start of a franchise. But the bigger takeaway is this: Sony gambled on a story told from a non-male perspective, and it didn’t just work.

It gave us a glimpse of the future. : Fear of a feminist hero: Horizon Zero Dawn

Does Sylens like Aloy?

Horizon Forbidden West Ending: Sylens’ Choice – Meanwhile, Sylens has always been a loner. He has a deep respect for Aloy and her capabilities, but his pursuit of knowledge has seen him in isolation for most of his life. His indirect aid to Aloy in Horizon Forbidden West early on and even for the first game mostly is from afar.

This pursuit of knowledge also means that he is the first to know of Nemesis’ existence, outside of Horizon Forbidden West ‘s Far Zeniths, He concocts a plan, one to survive Nemesis, but he also knows Aloy will never go along with it—putting the two at odds. When Sylens is beaten at his own game, he has to join Aloy and her companions in their assault of the Far Zenith base.

When all is said and done, Sylens faces a choice: he can survive the arrival of Nemesis and obtain his ultimate prize—access to the APOLLO databases aboard the Odyssey—or he can remain on Earth with Aloy and her companions, where he feels they will all ultimately perish.

How old is Erend Forbidden West?

Appearance – Erend is a Caucasian man in his late twenties, with a tall, stocky build and pale blue eyes. Erend’s dark brown hair is fashioned in a mohawk, and he has thick sideburns and a moustache. Erend is always seen in Vanguard armour, which is made primarily of forged Oseram steel and secured with leather straps.

How rare is Aloy?

About Aloy

What is Aloy no longer obsessed with?

It’s all thanks to the game’s latest patch.

Is Aloy male or female?

Appearance – Aloy is a white female. She is 1.68 meters (5 feet 6 inches) tall, with long red hair and freckles on her cheeks and nose. Her hair is pulled back with braids in the back and on the sides. She also has accessories in her hair such as beads.

Was Tilda in love with Elizabeth?

Personality – Tilda is a mysterious person that refuses to share much information about her life. She is very fond of art, having multiple pieces of her favorite Old Ones artwork hung up inside her mansion. Unlike the rest of Far Zenith, who hold the tribal humans in contempt, Tilda was the only one capable of displaying respect for a select few, such as Aloy and Sylens.

Is Aloy a feminist?

Fear of a feminist hero: Horizon Zero Dawn In “Horizon Zero Dawn,” a new open-world role-playing game for PS4, women run the world. The Guerrilla Games offering stars Aloy, a 19-year-old girl who happens to be independent, strong-willed and not a sex object – in a stark contrast to most women featured in video games.

1. She lives in a matriarchal society, spends most of the game fighting corrupt men, and is aided by supportive male sidekicks.
2. She discovers that her futuristic-yet-primitive land is largely a creation of a brilliant female scientist, whose invention, GAIA, is an ode to the life-giving force of motherhood.

Aloy is, in other words, the first legitimate feminist hero in a mainstream video game. This spring, the gaming community made clear that this is not okay. Even before “Horizon Zero Dawn” was released, gamers at the web’s most popular gaming subreddits and forums proclaimed they would never play a game with female protagonist.

In February, for instance, user TechniMyoko canceled his order because the game was described as “the feminist action game we’ve been waiting for.” Others cited the game, along with the new all-female “Ghostbusters” film, as unfortunate side effects of feminism and “SJW’s” – social justice warriors.

Executives at Sony, the game’s publisher, have said that they were anxious about featuring a female hero. They worried that it would alienate too many gamers. Sadly, if you’ve spent enough time in the gaming community, none of this, comes as a surprise.

The vast majority of big-budget games feature male protagonists. All female game commentators, journalists and bloggers I know have cited some sort of harassment from men online. The most outspoken get death threats. Last year, Hafu, one of Hearthstone’s most popular – and best – professional gamers, was competing in a tournament when a display of the match had to be shut down.

Why? The organizers made the mistake of showing a live chat stream. Almost instantly, the tournament turned into a realm for trolls and sexual harassment. “Horizon Zero Dawn” is what gamers call a “triple-A” title, the kind of console-defining game that embodies the height of both technology and artistry.

• The game is Sony’s big, bold answer to Nintendo’s “The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild,” as well as the company’s first attempt to establish a must-have exclusive for PS4 after the dramatic failure of “No Man’s Sky.” Yes, “Horizon Zero Dawn” is a big deal.
• It’s also a fantastic game.
• It has the expansive, lush world of “The Witcher 3,” but also a more engaging and dynamic fight system, akin to “Destiny” and “Gears of War.” The deep quest system reminds you of “World of Warcraft,” but instead of grinding for loot and experience, the leveling up in “Horizon Zero Dawn” feels organic.

Then there’s the original sci-fi setting: Hundreds of years after a world-ending event has leveled civilization, humanity has resurfaced as a primitive tribal society. Among these bow-and-arrow warriors walk strange metal beasts: heavily-armed sentient robots that resemble horses, bulls, ostriches and panthers.

Aloy lives among the Nora tribe, who are ruled by three matriarchs and who worship a mysterious futuristic entity called the All-Mother. The kind of game “Horizon Zero Dawn” is, and the kind of hero Aloy represents, matters. It matters that it’s an action title whose story emphasizes social progress and empathy over violence.

It matters that it’s a product made in a male-dominated landscape that stars a woman who, unlike Lara Croft, doesn’t look like a pinup girl. It matters that gender isn’t treated as a gimmicky selling point. (Consider “Bayonetta,” in which the luscious female hero literally can’t fight back against her enemies without shedding her clothes.) To see such progress in a mainstream title excites me.

It’s equally exciting that the superb story is also packaged within the most notable release of 2017. As of writing, the game has sold more than 2.6 million units. That success may mean a sequel, and perhaps the start of a franchise. But the bigger takeaway is this: Sony gambled on a story told from a non-male perspective, and it didn’t just work.

It gave us a glimpse of the future. : Fear of a feminist hero: Horizon Zero Dawn

Jonathan Rivers