I wanted to take a break from procrastinating taking pictures for this blog to share with you Horizon: Zero Dawn.

There’s a whole host of reasons I like this game: excellent story telling, incredible and dynamic graphics, engaging game play….

…and a female protagonist with sensible clothing!! (and red hair, which is a bias for me)

Take a look at one of Aloy’s starting outfits:

Not only does it work with her movement/fighting style, geographic location, and access to materials, but they are practical, stylish, and even have realistic seam lines.

Since I started sewing, I’ve begun looking at the seam lines put on characters’ costumes. Often, seams seem to be placed for  looks alone, as if they were only style lines and not structural.

In example, here’s Reynn from World of Final Fantasy. I don’t have anything against this game – it’s funny and adorable. But the seam lines on Reynn’s top (look at the bust) baffle me. Is that a dart over a seam? Is the mid-bust “seam” actually something showing through from underneath? I have given up guessing.

But Aloy’s seam lines are right where they should be. They add to her aesthetic while remaining functional.

Taking things a bit further, there’s Aqua. Her costume is so cool but the harness over her nips? No thanks. My hubbs and I got into a little debate about Aqua’s harness. He thinks for the cross part of the harness to hit mid-chest, it has to loop over the bust apex. I disagree – the cross could still hit the same place but be elongated to hit under the bust. (PS how do her sleeves stay up?)

Also, sorry to pick on SquareEnix so much here. I love their character designs. We have been playing alot of their games recently (and always) so Reynn and Aqua were in the forefront of my mind.

In the spirit of equity, here’s an example of Bad Lady Armor from one of my all-time favorite  fictional ladies, Gabrielle from Xena (see right). She’s always got that midriff showing!

I have been awaiting Horizon:ZD for a long time. Watching the teaser videos, I was so hopeful that final-version Aloy would be given proper duds and the respect that goes with it. The creators did not disappoint and (so far) I find this game ticks all my feminist boxes!

(all photos are for reference/example/fun only, fair use and what not)