Some titles, like the action-adventure Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice, prove that games can have excellent female protagonists and representation.

In 2016, Teresa Lynch, a media communications researcher at Indiana University, published an article in the Journal of Communication about the hyper-sexualization of female video game characters. After evaluating 571 playable female characters from 1989 to 2014, Lynch noticed that, even in the later years, female characters usually had only supporting roles and were often more sexualized than male characters.

But, the study also showed that the sexualization has declined since 1995. While the game industry still has a long way to go, many great titles are beginning to feature incredible female protagonists.

10 Little Misfortune

Taking place in the same universe as the cult-classic horror point-and-click Fran Bow, Little Misfortune is a 2019 horror adventure game that follows an eight-year-old girl named Misfortune Ramirez Hernandez who is part of a dysfunctional family. After the narrator tells Misfortune that she can win eternal happiness if she completes his game, Misfortune accepts the challenge and goes on a journey across her town so that she can win the prize for her mother.

Unlike Fran Bow, Little Misfortune is mostly a short walking sim that simply has the player move either left or right across the screen to continue the story. But, there're plenty of choices that truly impact the overall narrative, and there're also some mini-games throughout the experience.

9 Never Alone (Kisima Ingitchuna)

With an upcoming sequel having been just announced this year, now is a perfect time to revisit the 2014 puzzle platformer Never Alone, which was developed in collaboration with the Iñupiat, an Alaska Native people. Based on the traditional Iñupiaq tale "Kunuuksaayuka," the game follows a young Iñupiaq girl named Nuna and her Arctic Fox companion as they go on a journey to search for the cause of an endless blizzard that is ravaging their home.

During a single-player game, the player switches between Nuna and the Fox to solve puzzles since they both have unique skills. In a multiplayer game, the two players each play as one of the two characters and work together. As players progress, they slowly learn about Iñupiaq culture through both the in-game story and the unlockable videos.

8 Lost in Time

Despite the fact that video game development is still largely a male-dominated field, women have always been an integral part of all video game history. One of the most significant early examples of this is the French video game designer Muriel Tramis, who was the first black woman game designer. In 1987, she created her first game, Méwilo, which centers around an old Martinican legend, "The Legend of Gold Jars," that says that plantation owners would kill slaves near buried gold so that their souls would guard it.

While Tramis has developed multiple games over the years, one of her most well-known games internationally is the 1993 adventure game Lost in Time. After losing consciousness while exploring a shipwreck, a woman finds herself transported back in time to the year 1840. With the ship still intact, she decides to explore, and eventually uncovers some truths about her past.

7 A Year of Springs

Although most triple-A games still don't have much LGBTQ+ representation, many indie games are beginning to include their own LGBTQ+ characters and stories. The indie title A Year of Springs, which is possibly one of the best springtime games, consists of three visual novels that not only focus on three women but also on their various LGBTQ+ identities in realistic and heartwarming ways.

Originally released separately, the three stories focus on a group of friends: Haru, Erika, and Manami. The first story, one night, hot springs follows Haru, a trans-woman, as she tries to have fun with her friends at a hot spring. Then, last day of spring follows Erika as she realizes her possible romantic love for Haru. Finally, spring leaves no flowers, follows Manami as she discovers she might be on the ace/aro spectrum.

6 Unsighted

Created by LGBTQ+ Brazilian game developers Tiani Pixel and Fernanda Dias from Studio Pixel Punk, Unsighted is a post-apocalyptic science-fiction metroidvania that was released towards the end of 2021. After waking up from a long sleep, the main character, an amnesiac Automaton named Alma, finds herself in a world that has been devastated by a war between humans and Automatons.

Alma learns that Anima, the resource that gives Automatons sentience, has been blocked and the available reserves are running out. Without Anima, Automatons become mindless killing machines, so Alma goes on a journey to re-release the Anima, save her friends, and find her girlfriend, Raquel. With both roguelike and multiplayer modes, this game has plenty of replay value.

5 VA-11 Hall-A: Cyberpunk Bartender Action

Inspired by the aesthetics of some of the best PC-98 games, VA-11 Hall-A: Cyberpunk Bartender Action is a visual novel bartending sim that follows a young female bartender named Jill as she serves drinks at a small dive bar within the futuristic Glitch City. During this dystopian future, the player meets a large cast of unique characters that range from catgirls, streamers, detectives, idols, and more.

Instead of the typical dialogue choices found in most visual novels, the player influences the narrative and which ending they get by deciding which drinks they serve to the various characters. Because of this, players need to pay attention to each of the character's details in order to know what ingredients to use.

4 Valkyrie Profile

With the Valkyrie series finally receiving a new installment titled Valkyrie Elysium this year, now is the perfect time to go back to the franchise's roots with the original 1999 PS1 JRPG Valkyrie Profile. The game follows a woman named Lenneth, who is a valkyrie tasked with finding souls from Midgard and training them as einherjar for the upcoming apocalyptic battle known as Ragnarok. Depending on the player's actions and the difficulty setting, there're three possible endings.

Since the battle is arriving soon, traversing dungeons, visiting towns, and recruiting heroes all use up the limited periods available in each chapter, which means players must use their time wisely. Because of the unique gameplay mechanics, large cast of characters, and interesting story, the game was a success and had three other installments, which were all prequels.

3 Mirror's Edge

Released in 2008, Mirror's Edge is an action-adventure platformer that takes place in a futuristic dystopia where everyone is controlled by an oppressive regime. To get around the extreme surveillance, a group called Runners use their parkour abilities to run across the monochromatic cityscape in order to deliver and receive unregulated messages and packages. One of these Runners is the main character, a young woman named Faith Connors.

After Robert Pope, a political candidate who had planned to deregulate the society, is murdered and Faith's sister, Kate, is blamed for it, Faith must save her sister, figure out who actually killed Pope, and uncover the secrets within the city. In 2016, the game received a reboot titled Mirror's Edge Catalyst, which changed most of the plot.

2 Horizon Zero Dawn

Created by Dutch video game developer Guerrilla Games, who also created the Killzone series, Horizon Zero Dawn is a 2017 open-world action RPG that follows a young huntress named Aloy. A thousand years after military robots destroyed earth and an A.I. had to restore life on the planet, humans now live as various tribes with only remnants of their technologically advanced past.

Aloy, who was kicked out of her tribe, Nora, at birth, has been training for many years to win her tribe's competition so that she can learn why she was cast out. But, after her tribe is attacked by a group called the Eclipse, she ends up embarking on a journey that will reveal the truths about her identity and the world. At the start of this year, the game received a sequel titled Horizon Forbidden West.

1 Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice

Developed in 2017, Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice is an action-adventure game that follows a Pict warrior named Senua who goes on a quest to defeat the goddess Hela to save the soul of her dead lover, Dillion. Haunted by the trauma of her past, Senua's journey helps her deal with grief, process her father's abuse, and accept herself.

The game is significant for accurately portraying Senua's struggles with psychosis, which she originally believes is a curse. Currently, a sequel titled Senua's Saga: Hellblade II is being developed.

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