Women are often heavily underrepresented in historical video gaming, but a handful of titles have featured famous women from history. Portrayed in a positive light, these characters represent the role of women dating all the way back to Ancient Egypt. For Women’s History Month, we wanted to highlight several of these real historical figures and the parts they played in some of our favorite historical games.
Deadliest Warrior: Legends
Fans of the Deadliest Warrior TV series might not be aware of the relatively unknown licensed video games that were released on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 almost a decade ago. Deadliest Warrior: The Game and Deadliest Warrior: Legends both received relatively mixed reviews from critics and fans, but the titles were arguably quite a bit of fun. The first game featured unnamed fighters like Pirate, Samurai, and Spartan. On the other hand, the sequel feels a bit more defined by featuring actual historical figures, including Hannibal, William Wallace, and even Joan of Arc.
Though she isn’t the star of the game, Joan of Arc appears as a more than formidable fighter, armed with an arming sword, flanged mace, and various crossbows. Though there are tons of historical video games that have featured figures from history facing one another in strategy gameplay, not many allow them to face one another in gruesome hand-to-hand combat, Mortal Kombat-style. Any fans of fighting games and this 15th-century warrior should give Deadliest Warrior: Legends a try, as they likely won’t be disappointed.
Pharaoh + Cleopatra
Fans of Ancient Egypt and Cleopatra should be happy to know that there is an excellent RTS game that covers both. Pharaoh + Cleopatra released way back in 1999 for Windows PC and is set during the final years of the New Kingdom. The game is technically two titles in one, with the original base game (simply entitled Pharaoh) in addition to its expansion, Cleopatra: Queen of the Nile. The game is a city-building sim made by the same of Caesar III. In addition to being a very fun (yet dated) city-building sim set during Ancient Egypt, the game is also quite educational. Those who have any interest in Cleopatra or Ancient Egypt history should definitely give Pharaoh + Cleopatra a try.
Wars and Warriors: Joan of Arc
Wars and Warriors: Joan of Arc is yet another game starring the 15th-century warrior, but this time with her front and center. In a similar style to Dynasty Warriors, players take control of Joan of Arc in this action-adventure title and rush into massive medieval battles. The game also features some light strategy elements, as you’ll have to command your army by making wise battle decisions. This game feels very fitting for Joan of Arc and feels like it really does the historical figure justice in many ways. This game is an easy recommendation for fans of Dynasty Warriors-type games and players interested in Joan of Arc and a rudimentary look into her history.
Assassin’s Creed: Syndicate
The Assassin’s Creed series has never shied away from featuring real-world historical figures in their games, and Assassin’s Creed Syndicate is no different. Set during the mid-19th century at the tail-end of the Industrial Revolution, Florence Nightingale and Queen Victoria are just two of the many historical figures that appear throughout the game. The series has always done a fairly great job at blending historical figures with fictional ones, and being able to interact with them is a fairly exciting concept. Though Syndicate probably won’t be your favorite Assassin’s Creed game (the entry was the last major one before the franchise got a major revamp), it is far from a bad game and should be exciting for fans of the Industrial Revolution.
Anne Frank House VR
Finishing off our list, Anne Frank House VR is really more of a virtual tour than it is an actual game. However, it does bridge the gap between history and gaming by immersing the player into Anne Frank’s world during the height of the Second World War. Unique to Anne Frank House VR, players will experience everything that the young Jewish girl did during her and her family’s time spent in hiding. Players don’t ever actually see Anne Frank, but the historical figure does narrate the interactive experience. This title is unlike any other and should be experienced by everyone with access to a VR headset.
These are just a few games that highlight significant women from world history. Though there are more games of this kind, it’s still evident that women of history are still underrepresented in video games. However, we can hope that this will change over time, and gamers can see better representation in the future.
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At Epoch Xperience, we specialize in creating compelling narratives and provide research to give your game the kind of details that engage your players and create a resonant world they want to spend time in. If you are interested in learning more about our gaming research services, you can browse Epoch Xperience’s service on our parent site, SJR Research.
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(This article is credited to Ben Price. For as long as he can remember, Ben has always loved playing, discussing, and writing about video games. Since receiving his B.A. in English, he now writes about them for a living.)