Essays 08 April 2022, 14:56

Strongest and Bravest Female Video Game Characters

There is no shortage of female characters in games these days. Especially when it comes to leading roles, there's been a huge improvement in female representation. Some of them wield magic, some are children of destiny, but all are incredibly courageous.

Senua (Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2)

Year of debut: 2017
Key games: Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice, Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2
Age when she achieved her greatest deeds: 22–28
Model, motion-capture specialist, voice actress: Melina Juergens

Senua is suffering from a mental condition. There's a lot of madness in her and sometimes it's difficult for her to distinguish the projections of her own mind from reality. As the authors of the game reveal, the Celtic warrior is faced with enormous trauma and psychosis. She cannot escape the voices appearing in her head, and yet she reaches the Viking hell where she faces her worst nightmares.

Senua is not always able to contain her own fears. She's prone to panic attacks and temper tantrums. The voices in her head usually show her the right path, but sometimes they make her feel even more lost. The girl blames herself for the death of Dillion, her friend and lover. To bring him back to life, she takes his skull on a journey to Viking hell.

Even though she manages to carve her way through hordes of enemies and find the paths she should follow to reach her destination, she's unable to revive her beloved one. In the end, however, she reconciles with his death and, symbolically leaving his skull behind, letting him go. And this is perhaps the greatest act of courage. The heroic warrioress acknowledges her own helplessness, the inevitability of death, and accepts the past. It's all tragic, but at the same time it's difficult to find another game depicting a character struggling with guilt, trauma and psychosis in such a realistic manner.

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Senua (Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2)