More and more, there's been talk about over or hyper sexualization of characters in today's games. Whether it's the case that this is actually the reality, or there's that many people with the ability to spout off about it. But the point could be made that at least one upcoming game is teflon to such labels: Nintendo's Legend of Zelda spin-off, Hyrule Warriors.
Watch Midna Dominate Legions of Enemies In 40 Minutes of Hyrule Warriors Gameplay
At first glance, it's odd to think that Team Ninja of Dead or Alive fame could've ever been involved with a project featuring "positive" female roles. While the developer's iconic fighting series does feature strong female characters, said characters are also known for their other "assets," even if they're only catering to player demands. The same can be said for Nintendo's other partner, Tecmo Koei, known for the Dynasty Warriors games, whose ladies of history also sport some skimpy attire, and pretty damn odd for fighting on the battlefield.
But for Hyrule Warriors, things are a bit different. Consider the following...
Hyrule Warriors Detractors Would Do Well to Heed Words of Longtime Legend of Zelda Producer
Of all the playable characters revealed so far for Hyrule Warriors, 75 percent are female: Impa, Midna, and Princess Zelda herself. Even the main villain is a female, one of the few in the series. Granted, her own design could prompt the argument that she too falls victim to sexualization, but maybe that's the idea.
To fight against the concept, what better strategy could there be than for gamers to fight against the very embodiment?
On the other side of the coin, the designs for Midna, Impa, and Zelda are not only familiar to past appearances, but they also don't even come close to approaching anything resembling "sexual."
Said the game's development producer, Yosuke Hayashi, to Polygon about Zelda's design, "she is a ruler. So we want to make sure she is seen as a strong character in that she needs to look like a ruler, she needs to feel like a ruler."
"So, [she has] what you might consider a stronger look for the character. She is also a playable character here, so she needs to be able to go out and take out tons of enemies on her own. She needs to seem like a character they can do battle with. For us, seeing her take shape like that and seeing her develop in that way, it didn't feel strange, it felt really natural for her to, well of course she can fight like that. Of course she can do those things. So, we feel like maybe she always had that power, and now, with Hyrule Warriors, we're giving her the chance to show off the power that she always had. So, I personally like strong, fighting women, and we're happy to say there will be other characters like that, other strong female characters in the game."
At least one more playable character and villain still have yet to be announced, but if Hayashi's statements are any indication, expect more girl power. While we're waiting, new gameplay also surfaced. Check it out below.
Hyrule Warriors launches exclusively on the Wii U this fall, September 26.
