Fans of Horizon Zero Dawn have known about the upcoming sequel, Horizon Forbidden West, for quite a while now. Fans got an even more exciting look at Horizon Forbidden West in this week’s State of Play where 14 minutes of brand new gameplay was revealed. The footage shows off the graphic upgrades between last-gen consoles and this generation, not to mention new combat and enemies to look forward to. What should have been an exciting sneak peek at Horizon Forbidden West has now devolved, unfortunately, because some viewers have expressed disgust and disappointment at Aloy’s updated facial design.
Aloy is the protagonist of Horizon Zero Dawn and the upcoming Horizon Forbidden West. She’s voiced by Ashly Burch and modeled after Hannah Hoekstra, a Dutch actress. Aloy is widely regarded as a strong leading female character, with many players appreciating the way she was written, designed, and depicted. Aloy’s appearance has changed from Horizon Zero Dawn to Horizon Forbidden West, as the sequel takes place six months after the events of the first game. Her face looks a bit rounder, which could be explained by a few different things, but some fans reacted and decided her rounder cheeks were enough reason to now call Aloy “fat” and “ugly.”
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Perhaps the biggest factor at play here is that people are comparing last-gen screenshots with next-gen screenshots. Horizon Zero Dawn came out on the PS4, meanwhile Horizon Forbidden West will be both a next-gen and last-gen release. It makes sense for the developer to showcase Horizon Forbidden West with its PS5 next-gen technology, even though it will release for both PS4 and PS5. A large part of the complaints that some people have wagered simply comes from the technological difference that makes Aloy appear more realistically in Horizon Forbidden West.
There’s also a time jump to contend with between Horizon Zero Dawn and Horizon Forbidden West. A lot can change a person’s appearance in six months, which many fans have noted under the posts talking about how Aloy is now “fat.” Fans have also come to her defense by noting that, given the context of the games, she and everyone else in the post-apocalyptic world of San Francisco hardly used to eat. Things have surely gotten better since the end of Horizon Zero Dawn, so it makes sense that her cheeks may be a bit bigger. However, that doesn’t make her “fat.”
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Aloy doesn’t "wear makeup" in Horizon Zero Dawn, so it’s a little confusing as to why some people think she needs to wear makeup now in Horizon Forbidden West. If Aloy was the type of woman to wear makeup, then it would be within fans’ right to ask why she isn’t wearing it. However, she’s not the type to wear makeup. She lives in post-apocalyptic San Francisco — even if she did wear makeup, it would be smudged and largely sweat off by the end of the day.
The upset around Aloy’s changed appearance in Horizon Forbidden West is indicative of a larger issue within the gaming community. Female characters who are created like Aloy, or even The Last of Us 2’s Abby, to look like realistic women help other women see themselves in video games. Representation matters, and not every woman is extremely feminine or would take the time to put on a face of makeup before going into battle.
All in all, Aloy looks great in the upcoming Horizon Forbidden West. Her appearance may have changed, and in turn caused some fans to grow upset, but those upset about it really don’t need to be. Women exist to just be themselves — not to satisfy the male gaze or live up to a fantasy that other video games have perpetuated in the past. There’s nothing wrong with Aloy’s more filled-out cheeks, but there is something wrong with how some fans have perceived them.
Horizon Forbidden West is in development for PS4 and PS5.
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