March 8 is a very important day around the world, as International Women’s Day is celebrated. In order to do our small part, PlayStation LifeStyle took a look at some of our favorite video game heroines. From major gaming icons like Lara Croft to recent PlayStation mascots like Aloy from Guerrilla Games’ Horizon Zero Dawn, we found a lot of powerful characters that are worth being praised on this fantastic day.
Since we are a PlayStation site, we had to limit the list to characters that have appeared on a game that was released for a Sony system. So while Zelda and Samus Aran may be the top video game heroines you think of, you won’t find them on our list. This didn’t limit our choices, though, as there were still dozens of awesome characters to choose from.
With those specifics now out of the way, check out our list below of 10 great video game heroines!
We hope you enjoyed our look at 10 great video game heroines. While we only highlighted a few fantastic gaming characters, there are plenty of other great women in gaming. From villains to heroes, we’re seeing a more diverse array of video game characters now. That’s great to see, and while there’s still a long way to go, so many kids now have representation in their favorite medium.
Let us know in the comments below which video game heroines are your favorite, and which one you’d love to see star in another game in the near future!
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10 Great Heroines
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Great Gaming Heroines
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Aloy
Horizon Zero Dawn may have just recently released, but protagonist Aloy has already captured the hearts of gamers. She's shown as an incredibly strong character, one that searches for the truth, even if she may not like the answers she finds. Guerrilla Games haven't shown a knack for creating great characters in the past, but they really did a great job making Aloy into a character with considerable depth.
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Bayonetta
While the titular star of Bayonetta hasn't had the best experiences on PlayStation (the PS3 received a sub-par port of the original, and the superior sequel is a Wii U exclusive), there's no denying that the Umbran Witch is an awesome character. She shows incredible skills while battling angels, and always oozes cool despite finding herself in some rather crazy circumstances. It's great to see a power trip from a female perspective, as heroes like Dante and Kratos have ruled the action realm for too long.
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Chie Satonaka
Persona 4 has a bunch of awesome heroines in its cast, but Chie is the real star. She demonstrates that it's perfectly fine for a girl to not have feminine hobbies, as she's obsessed with kung-fu flicks. From beginning to end, Chie proves herself to be a fantastic friend and role model.
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Clementine
Players have had the pleasure of seeing Clementine grow up during the span of Telltale's The Walking Dead. While she may have been a helpless child when the walker invasion hit, she has grown into a certifiable badass since then. She's had an incredible character arc, one that seems to be finally coming to an end in the latest series.
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Ellie
The Last of Us did an amazing job creating memorable characters, and nobody who played the game could come out of it disliking Ellie. From her struggles with survivor's guilt to having to keep Joel alive during the Winter, players got to see Ellie truly come to age by the end of the game. Her adventure will continue in The Last of Us Part Two, and it'll be exciting to see how she's changed since the first game.
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Jade
While Beyond Good & Evil's sequel may never see the light of day, the main character Jade has already made an impact. An investigative journalist, Jade is shown as being a real character, not just eye candy for players. She's a tough, intelligent woman that works to better her world by exposing a corrupt government.
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Jill Valentine
Jill Valentine has been the kick-ass star of the Resident Evil series since the very beginning. The talented special agent has battled various sorts of zombies over the last 20 years. Staying relevant for that long is an incredible achievement, and it shows just how likable Jill is.
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Lara Croft
While Lara Croft hasn't always been a great character, Crystal Dynamics has done a great job of making her matter in their recent games, including Rise of the Tomb Raider. Lara is an adventurous archaeologist following in the footsteps of her father. Her beauty is no longer the core of her character, as Crystal Dynamics have fleshed out her backstory and personality.
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Mae
The star of Night in the Woods is one of the most relatable characters in gaming due to her many mistakes. Mae is far from perfect, but is a work-in-progress that is trying to get her life together with some help from her friends. She doesn't have all the answers, but her desire to do what's right is truly inspirational (even if she does like to commit some crimes with Gregg).
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Max Caulfield
Few characters have a story arc as dramatic as Max Caulfield, but Life is Strange presents a stellar story. Max is immediately likable, and her power to time travel sets up many moral dilemmas for the young hero. She ultimately has to decide what is important to her, and it provides for one of the most heart wrenching scenes in all of gaming.
