Finding healthy female friendships in video games is shockingly difficult, especially since many projects allow players to customize their protagonist’s gender. Ironically, games centering around close companionships between female protagonists and secondary characters often belong to the historically male-dominated action-adventure genre: heroes in gun-blasting action games are stereotypically traumatized, unfriendly, and statistically male. Female action heroes are a rarity, let alone ones who are granted the space to make friends with other women along the way.
Female characters often seem more likely to be rivalsor enemies than friends, whether this is due to poorly-written stories or simply due to the necessity for conflict to drive the narrative. However, a handful of games instead choose to indulge in wholesome, heartfelt friendships between their characters. Female action heroes especially are prone to being anti-social like their male counterparts, but these women still manage to swap friendship bracelets with their female besties.
Super Mario Bros.
Identical to the monarch in appearance, with a matching haircut and dress only differentiated by her signature yellow, Princess Daisy has typically lived in Princess Peach’s shadow. As one of the few female character options in theSuper Mario Bros.universe, Daisy was a common second choice, typically selected if a friend had already claimed Peach as their avatar. After Princess Peach had debuted in 1985 as Mario’s love interest, Daisy temporarily replaced Peach in the 1989 Game Boy title,Super Mario Land, acting as Mario’s mandatorydamsel in distress character in need of rescuing. Fortunately, Nintendo’s original Princess didn’t hold any grudges, and Peach and Daisy reappear throughout the franchise as best friends (after Daisy started dating Mario’s brother, Luigi).
Daisy was included as a playable option inMario Tennisin 2000, starting a chain of appearances in the various Mario Party, Sports, and Kart spin-off multiplayer games, often on Peach’s team. Even when competing against each other, their competitiveness never stops Daisy and Peach from celebrating their victories together with high-fives and hugs. Daisy has never held the spotlight in her own right, mainly featuring as a supporting character until she became playable inSuper Mario Bros. Wonderin 2023. Her absence is also felt in her bestie’s solo games, notablyPrincess Peach: Showtime, where Daisy could have thrived as Peach’s loyal companion. Although not the most developed female friendship in gaming, this iconic princess duo will be recognizable to anyone who has ever picked up a controller.
Core Design’s 1996 cult classic game,Tomb Raider, was rebooted in 2013 by Crystal Dynamics, sending legendary heroine Lara Croft on another quest with a new female companion, Samantha Nishimura. In this new Survivor timeline, Sam is kidnapped by cultists while filming her university bestie’s adventures, motivating Lara to rescue her. Controversially, developers backpedaled on creating this friendship, as Sam was absent from the game’s sequels.
While writing the Dark Horse Comics that accompanied the reboot, writer Jackson Lanzing confirmed a canonical romance between Lara and Sam, claiming a kiss was censored and turned into a friendly hug during publication. Speculation arose that Sam disappeared because multiple female characters in the series would detract from the image of Lara Croft as a feminine lone wolf. Despite their erasure, Lara and Sam have a protective, caring friendship, whereby both risk their lives for each other, carving a path for future women action hero buddies, like theUnchartedSeries’ Chloe and Nadine.
In the original timeline, Jade debuted as Kitana’s personal bodyguard and childhood best friend inMortal Kombat 3, reappearing throughout the series to stand by the princess. When Kitana turns against Shao Kahn’s cruel reign, Jade is employed as the latter’s talented assassin and tasked with finding the former alive. Instead, Jade joins forces with Kitana to overthrow Shao and restore their homeland, Edenia, to its former glory. Their friendship is built on shared morals, as both women have proven they will oppose family, friends, and lovers if they turn evil. Despite an alliance with Jade’s boyfriend Kotal Kahn inMortal Kombat 11against Shao, Kitana will sever the pact if Kotal dares to hurt Jade; similarly, Jade threatens Kitana’s lover Liu Kang if he doesn’t treat Kitana well.
Paradoxically, their friendship thrives during the intro dialogue of their battles inMortal Kombat 11,swearing loyalty to each other just before fighting. Kitana even claims that Jade is “more my sister than Mileena,” her actual sibling and afemale villain with whom she has a deadly rivalrythroughout the franchise. Storytelling inMortal Kombatis second to incredible fight animations, meaning players can battle any character on the roster, regardless of their history. As such, Kitana and Jade regularly fight, but don’t be fooled by the violence. In a universe where body slamming is the preferred form of affection and conflict resolution, Jade and Kitana’s duels are their equivalent to friendship bracelets. Jade is currently absent from the new 2023 timeline inMortal Kombat 1, but characters reference Jade to Kitana, promising their friendship will be restored.
In 2017, Naughty Dog retired their infamous thieving hero, Nathan Drake, and promoted two popular female characters to main protagonists, forming an unlikely friendship inUncharted: Lost Legacy. In her first appearance inUncharted 2: Among Thieves, Chloe Frazer didn’t play well with others, and Nadine Ross was an ex-military antagonist inUncharted 4: A Thief’s Endwho fought against Nathan and his brother, Sam. It surprised everyone that these two distrusting women built not just a professional alliance inUncharted: Lost Legacy, but a genuine friendship.
Chloe and Nadine share countless jokes and connect over the hardships of being women in a male-dominated industry. Although their friendship hits rocky ground (literally) when Nadine discovers Chloe is secretly working alongside Sam Drake, the two reconcile in time to playfully push each other into water and ride elephants together; they could easily be mistaken for two besties backpacking across India in agame that feels like a virtual vacation. Ending their joint adventure eating pizza together, it is undeniable that Chloe and Nadine are jaded thieves turned supportive buddies inUncharted: Lost Legacy.
Spiritfarer’sprotagonist, Stella, hosts multiple spirits on her handcrafted hotel boat, including familiar faces from her past. Stella selflessly nurtures friends by discovering ingredients to cook their favorite dishes and creating personalized accommodations to make her guests’ final days comforting and happy. Healthy boundaries are respected inSpiritfarer, as spirits withdraw for quiet time and refuse and accept affection dependent on their feelings.
Spirits reciprocate Stella’s kindness with acts of service, like Summer teaching Stella how to help plants grow or Alice cooking meals. Of all the female guests Stella befriends, Gwen is the most intimate, because she guides Stella through a difficult childhood like a sister. In turn, Stella repays her by helping Gwen pass peacefully into the afterlife in thiscozy summer game. Dying is a rewarding experience in this game because Stella truly is a wholesome lifelong friend.
A scorned outcast at birth, awkward misfit Aloy is surprisingly popular with multiple heartfelt female friendships in Guerrilla Games’ 2017 post-apocalyptic epic,Horizon Zero Dawn. A potential friendship is tragically cut short with the war chief’s daughter, Vala, but Aloy bonds instead with the hilariously crude Petra while defending territory from bandits. InHorizon Forbidden West,Petra and Aloy reconnect in a tavern over cold beers; furthermore, Aloy eradicates corrupt leader Ulvund from Chainscrape, allowing Petra to rule and cementing their lighthearted friendship.
Two outcasts form a sweet friendship when Talanah mentors Aloy, whereby the latter proves herself and the former ascends to the rank of Sunhawk.Horizon Forbidden Westreunites these besties to swap love advice and share a wholesome hug, a big step for rarely affectionate Aloy. TheHorizonSeries proudly showcased itsstrong, post-apocalyptic female protagonistand her friends who defy gender stereotypes in pursuit of glory (and gossip over pints of beer).
