Ten female protagonists bringing classic gaming back on track today!
In this list we will be talking about ten classical female protagonists representing gaming in its former light.
Some have been on the gaming screen for a long time,
others made an appearance but never made a comeback,
and some are introduced characters so well designed and developed they made it to the walls of homes around the world.
There is one thing bringing them all together, and that's the great way
they've been introduced to us, not leaving behind anything we've loved about the days of past.
Join us on this trip back in time!
Number 10 - Anya Romanov - Stolen
There are many ways to qualify as an honorable
representative of classical gaming because gaming has a lot of things to offer and
Stolen combines some favorite gameplay elements gamers would like to experience today,
delving deeper into this classically shaped adventure.
Releasing a game today gives a lot of opportunities to look behind and learn or inspire yourself
from previous titles and genres. Thanks to the classical games, today's games build over what was left behind.
Often compared to the old Metal Gear Solid franchise
Stolen had the potential to shine but ended up in the back alley of gaming.
It is truly the only game executed in this specific way
where entering a museum to steal an artifact in James Bond style feels extremely satisfying and natural.
The idea of including a female protagonist in such a game also
enhanced its presentation, a key characteristic for some of the most beloved retro era games.
Anya Romanov grew up in Forge City where she also became a professional thief with a lot at her disposal.
She is not like any thief, she has principles and morals,
and no matter what she will never turn to murder or any type of heavy violence.
She is only interested in stealing the objects her clients want to retrieve.
Mixing vital gaming components turning into core ideas and perception of what gaming is supposed to be today,
blended all together with a kick-ass thief protagonists,
Stolen turns into a vital part to bringing gaming ideas back on track today.
Number 9 - Violet Summer - Velvet Assassin
Inspired by a true person known as Violette Reine Elizabeth Szabo an SOE agent
captured and executed by the German army during World War II
Violet Summer partially shares the fate of her source of inspiration.
Torn by her memories in the worst condition trapped in a hospital bed
Violette went through her past until reaching the breaking point of her conscience.
The horrors somebody could have gone through even though trained to murder and act like a cold killer has taken over her.
This is a great example of one of the most common themes in action FPS and hack-and-slash
classical gaming genres.
Although Velvet Assassin released in more recent years it managed to capture this classic theme well enough,
turning into a modern protagonist deceiving players with her classic mindset, feel, looks and vibe.
Number 8 - Catwoman - Catwoman™/Batman Arkham series/Injustice
Catwoman is one of those protagonists you hear about and
immediately envision retro alleys through the night while the rain is pouring down the lighted streets.
Walking down those alleys, climbing on the rooftops, fighting with criminals at the local club or
helping another urban hero save the city. This is the vibe of some of the most beloved classic games and movies.
Loved for her edgy nature, leather clothes, fighting style,
natural predatory skills or just because all of that stands so well in the gaming world,
just as we're used to seeing it since classic eras,
regardless of the release date and equipment, all
artistic representations of this badass character have been so well executed that until today
Catwoman makes drinking a glass of milk in a strip club still relevant,
making fans desire to experience a new standalone Catwoman game in 2018 and beyond!
We can only hope! But this cat was made to be in the spotlight!
Number 7 - Jade - Beyond Good & Evil
We all remember the compassion we loved feeling for characters and situations in those good old classical gaming days.
Jade is definitely one of the most special characters the gaming world would ever know and remember and want to learn more about,
whether through her natural look, martial arts, photography skills or emotional characteristics.
An ordinary girl living an ordinary
futuristic world
but with a very blurry background.
An orphan, living with her adoptive uncle page in the so called Lighthouse Shelter where she also lives with other orphans
she is very concerned and protective about.
All of the struggles Jade had to go through had turned her into both a strong and caring individual
determined to find the truth of her identity and help everybody surrounding her.
When introduced to the game for the very first time a friend told me he loves Jade because of how natural she is.
Seeing more simple and natural characters like Jade would definitely benefit gaming.
Beyond Good & Evil is purely timeless!
Number 6 - Nilin Cartier-Wells - Remember Me
Remember Me is one of the most underrated highly entertaining intense and beautiful fast folding story gaming
experiences
Disliked by most generic gamers for its unique combat style. Remember Me took a lot of criticism for what it could have been
forging a bad reputation with its launch making people not want to give it a try and speak before delving into this well-crafted
one-of-a-kind sci-fi adventure!
Stunning high-quality retro-inspired alleys, districts and buildings, specially composed unique soundtrack
bringing many new feelings to this genre,
making this experience
very memorable, like its character Nilin Cartier-Wells who was born in a futuristic version of Paris,
neglected from her parents,
occupied by their work to create a better future for Humanity.
This eventually led to a lot of errors in Nilins memory which brought her father to invent a way to remix his own daughter's memories
By that time Nilin has made contact with an A.I. known as H3O
who saw only sadness and forged a gloomy picture in his memory of the world surrounding her,
Impacting the future of Neo-Paris and what Nilin's parents spent their lives working on,
but eventually leading Nilin to even greater and unexpected discoveries forming a deep beautifully crafted story
connecting with both her family and the city.
Remember Me is one beautiful example of what gaming genres like
action-adventure were all about, holding those classical important elements like taking the role of a well-developed
protagonist in a full of story driven world, symbiosis
a lot of games completely fail with! A worthy mention on our list!
Number 5 - Alice Lidell - Alice: Madness Returns
Alice is pretty much the top of the cake when it comes to being relevant.
Taking shapes in books, movies, games and other artistic forms,
this character and fiction is so inspirational that over time keeps coming back bringing new things to the horizon,
never boring its audience!
Alice: Madness Returns is the latest most recognizable and influential gaming installment created.
Shaped up in a corrupted version of Wonderland,
Alice is struggling to find the truth of the horrible events happening in her life that has also reached within her mindset
completely transforming and corroding the beautiful Wonderland turning it into a real horror.
This must be the price anybody pays when reality
clashes with his Wonderland and this is something one should never allow to happen,
but Alice is broken and she has no choice than to face her fears!
Alice: Madness Returns
brought back what we've seen in American McGee's Alice
but successfully managed to visually and gameplay-wise
improve it, including core components for a fun game time, like platforming, deep story and puzzles,
playing around with the mind of every gamer.
The results of combining what people loved with what people love now
gave this Alice return a new beginning to build for the future!
Number 4 - Rayne - BloodRayne series
Today the zombie apocalypse has taken over gaming,
but in the past gaming was consumed by the idea of vampires.
Vampires inspired classical games so much that many genres were fed to that idea,
but BloodRayne grew an entire generation and deserves to shine in the history of gaming for that reason.
Once known as the 'Femme Fatale' in gaming, Rayne is definitely one of the most beloved vampire ladies in gaming,
if not, the only beloved one.
What was a gamer back then without playing a leather clothed, high-heeled protagonist,
slim, feminine, red-haired, green-eyed and pale-skinned 'Dhampir', a hybrid between vampire and human,
highly skilled and trained agent of the Brimstone Society, an organization
sworn to protect humanity from
supernatural threats.
Under that cold facade Rayne is highly intelligent and confident,
sarcastic, stubborn and if required
seductive.
She can also be compassionate for someone she's known for a while or has spent a lot of time with.
Seemingly, those are the most common traits classical gaming would use to portray strong female protagonists, leading to huge
success in the industry of how women identify as very strong individuals.
Gaming has always had a special place for female protagonists!
Number 3 - Faith Connors - Mirror's Edge series
Mirror's Edge has managed to achieve the undone in gaming today,
turning out one of the best 'yin and yang' gaming examples, combining classic and modern in one,
mainly through its environments and vibe, but not falling farther with its main protagonist Faith Connors.
Similar to one of our previous mentions, Faith has grown into us with her rarely seen in the industry natural looks and character personality.
She is fighting to keep the world for families, friends and herself relevant, risking her own existence
instead of watching the world she's known fade away. She is a fighter for freedom!
Faith is one of the most influential and well-received
protagonists opening new horizons in gaming, bringing stylish classical notes with modern and unseen ideas, closely
reminding us of Jackie Chan himself and retro games like Streets of Rage.
Jackie Chan's work is the example of the beautiful urban classical vibe and experience and Faith
Connors is the only protagonist in gaming to ever plead that same charismatic vibe, making us adore her so much.
The idea of being able to play as a runner, a character who loves to live on the edge, a
character so different and yet so familiar in a world built by classical rules and
regulations, in times when gaming starts taking shapes in not very good directions,
experiencing the world of Mirror's Edge feels very refreshing and different.
Number 2 - Kate Walker - Syberia series
Not only did Kate Walker start as a classical gaming protagonist,
but she is still relevant today with the most recent release of the most anticipated
adventure game in one of the most beloved, if not the most, critically acclaimed
adventure series.
This character is a very important part of classical gaming.
A series giving so much to its main character that other female gaming protagonists can only dream of.
Kate Walker is a character who actually develops within the game,
mentally and physically.
Kate is a lawyer sent from New York to retrieve a signature for a contract
she has brought with her to be signed by the owner of a toy factory in Valadilene.
Completely bored with her trip to the 'end of the world', she can't wait to complete the demand of her boss. Mr. Marson.
Little does she know what this distant world is going to uncover before her eyes,
and potentially unlock something she's been pushing away for a long time,
finding her true identity, an adventurer!
This authentic and surreal frozen-in-time vibe,
encourages you to discover,
learn more, and develop, just as it does with Kate Walker as she visits those rusty buildings and creaking wooden floors.
You play with a character who acts just like any person would that has fallen in this situation and
take an ultimate decision to leave your comfortable world in New York behind and go on an unknown journey,
because you feel sympathy for the world
you've just gotten to know and never thought existed, and probably somehow feel pity that you've never thought of it.
In many other games you'd explore environments with the character you play with, but most of the time you just pass through those
environments and they feel empty, although they have their own identity and history.
Syberia explores everything having you take the hands of Kate Walker going through everything like you're one and the same person.
This is the true definition of the classic vibe
we'd want to experience playing a game with its lead protagonist and one of the best representatives of classical gaming today.
Syberia is a shellfish forgotten in the adventure crate and inside it is the pearl
represented as Kate Walker, a true masterpiece!
Number 1 - Lara Croft - Tomb Raider series
Tomb Raider is a franchise that set the beginning of almost all games
we've seen ever since. It has changed the perception of gaming taking this industry to new heights
by creating the basics for the action-adventure genre and inspire ideas of things
almost every single game includes today as a core component - the gameplay style, story development, combat and
platforming.
There is no doubt why Tomb Raider is also known as the mother of gaming.
The game also has a solid background, especially to introducing one of the first influential physically and mentally strong
female protagonists in gaming. Lara Croft developed the gaming industry by getting rid of the standard and repeatable
Indiana Jones male protagonist. common for most games,
and introducing a female one for the world to see.
As anything brand new in a growing industry, this blasted the world, and Lara quickly turned into a sensation.
Inspiration for many through the long journey of the still ongoing
franchise, Lara Croft, pure classic gaming character, is an icon that should never disappear from the big screen,
to constantly remind us of the roots of gaming, turning her into the best-known female protagonist
bringing all classic gaming standards to our doors today!
This wraps up our list for today. Would you like to see more like this? Then don't forget to like and subscribe!
Your #1 honest review source, JM™: Playing with Soul!
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Written by JM™: Playing with Soul!
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