List of Games with the Main Protagonist Being Female

[Emperor Megas]

I'd like to check into this game, but I can't find it by that spelling.

It's actually spelled: Götzendiener (but you can find it listed as Gotzendiener as well). It's a pretty great game.

[ubersaurus]

Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic II lets you play as a female character, and apparently, the female character is the "canon" one.

Last Hope on the neogeo/DC also features a female pilot. I want to say Border Down does as well. All the characters you can play in Triggerheart Exelica are girls, too, as are all the characters in the fighting game series Arcana Heart.

Anyone mention Tomb Raider yet?

[sheath]

It's actually spelled: Götzendiener (but you can find it listed as Gotzendiener as well). It's a pretty great game.

Thanks, I found it under Gotzeindiener. If it plays as great as it looks I will definitely be picking this one up, provided it isn't one of those $50+ PCE-CD games.

[mobiusclimber]

Thanks, I found it under Gotzeindiener. If it plays as great as it looks I will definitely be picking this one up, provided it isn't one of those $50+ PCE-CD games.

It's super cheap but it's also fairly short with little to no replay value. It was produced by Gainax, btw (Neon Genesis Evangelion, His & Hers Circumstance, Mahoromatic, etc etc).

Personally, I'd like to see this list restricted to games that were released in the states and that aren't just a "select a character" type game.

In that vein, there's also Syberia I & II, A Witch's Tale, Aeon Flux, Sabrina the Teenage Witch, Wendy: Every Witch Way, Ghost in the Shell (PSX & PS2), Wet, Gurumin...

[Aussie2B]

There is literally a crap-ton where you can choose a female main character... If you want to count them, Good Luck!

Yeah, my thoughts exactly. If we cast our nets THAT broadly, then it stops being an interesting subject to look into, if you ask me. I mean, what's the point when we're counting pretty much EVERY fighter, for example? It's far more interesting to limit it to games where you're FORCED to select a female character or not play at all. It's a gutsy move on the part of the developer because it can literally be a game-breaker for some male players.

Granted, there's still some grey area even there. With, say, Suikoden 3, there are three main characters and only one is female, but to play through the full game, you do have to select that female character eventually and play through her story. In comparison to, say, Star Ocean 2 where you can pick a female lead and get a very slightly different presentation of the story, but you still play through the entire same game via either character.

And then there's the matter of if you want to talk about games that have a main protagonist only or if we should include, say, any fighter/wrestling game that has an all-female cast, even if there isn't much in the way of story or a defined lead.

[The 1 2 P]

Someone mentioned the Mary Kate and Ashley games but theres also the numerous Hannah Montana games and all the other Disney series games starring female leads.

[mobiusclimber]

Someone mentioned the Mary Kate and Ashley games but theres also the numerous Hannah Montana games and all the other Disney series games starring female leads.

Yeah, and not only are there games based on movies like Mulan or Snow White, but there's also a line of Disney Princesses games where you play as the various female protagonists from past Disney films.

[fairyland]

Cannon Spike? Cammy is the main character in that, but you can select several other people.

Catwoman. I know, people want to forget about that.

Shame that people already named the ones that immediately came to my mind. !

[Gameguy]

Dracula X: Rondo of Blood. You can fight Dracula as a little girl, which is pretty awesome for a Castlevania game.

[Nz17]

OK, I hope a lot of you will read this even though it is pretty far down the list of replies.

For a game to count in this list, the main character, the protagonist, must be female - but she must clearly be the main character, be more important than the other characters, and if you will, the game is about her. She is the hero, she is the champion. She is not one of many, she is not a selectable option, nor is she a player-created character. She is not a faceless, replaceable character. She is not an unlockable. And she isn't there mainly to be ogled.

This list is not a list of playable female characters, but of female lead characters who are either the only playable character in their games, or the predominant character who is clearly the lead.

And if you would, please follow this format with your suggestions:
Console system
Game Name (Note) [Character Name]

So for example:
PlayStation
Little Princess: Marl Ōkoku no Ningyō Hime 2 (Japan-only) [Kururu] {Fixed}

[todesengel]

Edited my list to match your example.

[Robocop2]

Would MGS 2 count? Raiden was kind of a little girl in that game

[Satoshi_Matrix]

Not sure if these have been mentioned, but I'll throw them in in case they haven't yet:

Athena - You're thr goddess Athena, or at least SNK's Athena (NES)
Legend of the Ghost Lion - A rather obscure RPG where you play as a little girl with a sharp stick (NES)
Pokemon Crystal - Kris, the best Pokegirl ever. (GBC)
Pocket Monsters Trading Card Game 2 Team Great Rocket - Had a girl named Mint (GBC)
Megaman Powered Up - You can play as Roll! (PSP)
Bulletwitch - You play as a witch. For fires bullets. (Xbox 360)
Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem - the main lead is a woman (GC)
Fatal Frame 1-4 - You play as various women (PS2/Xbox/Wii)
Heavenly Guardian - You're a snow goddess. (PS2)
Heavy Rain - Some chapters you play a woman named Madison (PS3)
Kameo - Kameo is a shapshifting woman (Xbox 360)
Robot Alchemic Drive - You can play as a girl named Yui Tsukioka (PS2)
Shantae - Shantae is the best genie ever. (GBC)
Wendy: Every Witch Way - You're Wendy the witch (GBC)
WET - Don't fuck with Ruby Malone (360/PS3)

[mobiusclimber]

Not sure if these have been mentioned, but I'll throw them in in case they haven't yet:
.....
Shantae - Shantae is the best genie ever. (GBC)

I was reading your list and thinking that almost every single one of them had been mentioned already but hot DAMN did you even read the first post of this topic??? BOTH Shantae games are listed.

[edit: And don't mind me, I'm just feeling bitchy. =p]

[lkermel]

Here're some Famicom games featuring female protagonists (just off top of my head):

Apple Town Monogatari
Goardic Gaiden
Space Hunter
The Quest of Ki
Titanic Mystery
Valis
Valkyrie no Bouken

And some Super Famicom ones:

Advance Variable Geo
Battle Zeque Den
Clock Tower
Madō Monogatari
Natsuki Crisis Battle


The PC Engine has also its share. There are literally tons of Japanese games featuring female protagonists - Kiki KaiKai, Cotton, Valis, Makeruna! Makendou, the Valkyrie series, Marchen Maze, all the 'dating games' (Nakayama Miho no Tokimeki High School, Tokimeki Memorial...), Fushigi No Yume No Alice, Ginga Fukei Densetsu Sapphire, Wonder Momo.... The list is probably HUGE !!!

As a side note, this is what I don't like about the new Metroid game (Other M) - the fact that Samus was a female bounty hunter was really nicely integrated (and subtle) in the other games, now they use it as the main selling point, and it became bigger than the game itself...

[Aussie2B]

And she isn't there mainly to be ogled.

Then I think the list would have to be cut down to like 10 games, haha. There are very few games that have a female lead that isn't sexualized to some degree. Even the cutesy ones are usually in somewhat skimpy clothing. You'd have to look more toward the games that are specifically targeted at female gamers, otherwise their angle is probably to attract male gamers that want to look at a cute/sexy girl as they play. I can't think of many examples in which the game is pretty neutral, not targeting any particular gender of gamer, while also having a non-sexualized character. Lenneth of Valkyrie Profile is about the only one I can think of, which is one of many reasons why I love the game so much. Truly a respectable, strong female lead. Samus is almost there, but then there always has been the selling point of the bikini ending.

By the way, the star of Little Princess is Kururu, Cornet's daughter.

[Emperor Megas]

Yeah, my thoughts exactly. If we cast our nets THAT broadly, then it stops being an interesting subject to look into, if you ask me. I mean, what's the point when we're counting pretty much EVERY fighter, for example? It's far more interesting to limit it to games where you're FORCED to select a female character or not play at all. It's a gutsy move on the part of the developer because it can literally be a game-breaker for some male players.

I've literally never even considered that before. You really think that there are people (enough to actually matter, I mean) who wouldn't play a game because the protagonist was female? Weird.

[The 1 2 P]

And she isn't there mainly to be ogled.

Then this list would be cut by like 75%.

And if you would, please follow this format with your suggestions:
Console system
Game Name (Note) [Character Name]

I'm going to go back and edit my list as best as I can..

Then I think the list would have to be cut down to like 10 games, haha. There are very few games that have a female lead that isn't sexualized to some degree. Even the cutesy ones are usually in somewhat skimpy clothing. You'd have to look more toward the games that are specifically targeted at female gamers, otherwise their angle is probably to attract male gamers that want to look at a cute/sexy girl as they play.

My thoughts exactly. As soon as I read what he wrote I said Bayonetta, Bulllet Witch and most of the other games we listed need to be removed from the list. But instead he needs to remove that part from his criteria.

[Aussie2B]

I've literally never even considered that before. You really think that there are people (enough to actually matter, I mean) who wouldn't play a game because the protagonist was female? Weird.

Absolutely, but there are varying degrees. Some guys will play a game if there's no option but they'll still complain and feel uncomfortable playing as a female character. That's probably why it was a secret in the first Metroid and was a subdued fact in later games, at least until the most recent ones in which it's long been accepted that Metroid has a female lead. But, for example, I see guys complaining on Valkyrie Profile boards on a regular basis that they'd rather have a male lead. Some never play the game, some suck it up.

Female gamers have never had that luxury because we accepted playing as male characters from the very beginning because there was no other option, even when it would produce awkward moments like having to name your character in Dragon Warrior and then having the princess profess her love for you. I long ago decided to always come up with a male name for a male character in a game rather than going with my own name like the typical male gamer would. It's funny how even with a series like Harvest Moon that seems to attract female players more than male, we still had to wait a long time to get a female lead with a selection of men to marry (the Game Boy games in which you can select a male or female sprite hardly count because it's a stripped down Harvest Moon with no dating element).

[mobiusclimber]

Female gamers have never had that luxury because we accepted playing as male characters from the very beginning because there was no other option, even when it would produce awkward moments like having to name your character in Dragon Warrior and then having the princess profess her love for you.

Funny because a lot of times I go out of my way to make these sort of things happen in games (ie, trying to trick games into making same-sex relationships, like naming a knight in full armor a girl's name or giving the women a man's name).