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Post by vetus on Nov 30, 2015 5:31:59 GMT -5
"Damsel in distress" video games is a classic theme in video games with Super Mario games being the most famous example. But what about reverse damsel in distress reversal video games, where the main heroine has to save a man? Here is the only games like that I know:
- Mischief Makers:
One of my favorite games and probably the funniest Reverse "damsel in distress" video games where robot maid Marina has to save her creator (that happens to be a goofy, perverted old man a la Muten Roshi from Dragonball) all the fucking time. And unlike most woman-looking robots in japanese video games, anime and manga, Marina doesn't have a sexy or typical moe design.
- Super Princess Peach:
From my favorite platform games and one of the most misunderstood with our beloved princess being the star for once and save Mario from Bowser. Many people probably avoided it for being too girly for them while some reviewers criticized it for being sexist. What did you expected from Princess Peach, to attack with bazooka? At least the american commercial is really badass with a bunch of young princesses training like soldiers.
- Zelda CD-i games:
Many years ago before people in tumblr started demanding for a main Zelda game with Zelda as the main, playable character, Philips make two Zelda games where Zelda herself saves the day instead of depending on Link. Too bad these games suck. At least Hyrule Warriors exists now where you can pick from three different versions of Zelda to kick ass.
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Post by X-pert74 on Nov 30, 2015 5:34:54 GMT -5
You named both of the examples I would have thought of. Mischief Makers really is an awesome game in so many ways.
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Post by wyrdwad on Nov 30, 2015 6:01:15 GMT -5
"Fire Hawk: Thexder the Second Contact" is 100% reverse damsel-in-distress, and was actually really ahead of its time with it, dating back to 1989. Your main character is a woman (named Joshua, but we'll chalk that up to the Japanese developers at Game Arts not actually knowing how English names work -- incidentally, the MS-DOS version changed this name to Joanna) who dons a kickass robot suit with the ability to transform into a jet, and sets out into a hostile alien asteroid in order to save her fiance, Arthur (and save the earth along with him), who was the protagonist of the original Thexder and was evidently captured during its final battle (though this was never seen in Thexder, only actually occuring during the intro cutscene to Fire Hawk).
And unlike virtually every other game with a female protagonist from the era, your main character is never once shown in a super-revealing outfit: she's either in full-body robot gear (which makes her gender impossible to discern) or, during cutscenes, in a full-on military uniform.
She's also a commander, and receives messages from other military commanders of both genders throughout the game.
Definitely a super-progressive title for the '80s (and an awesome game, too!).
-Tom
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Post by Deleted on Nov 30, 2015 6:02:44 GMT -5
Samus' stealth escape from space-prison in Metroid Zero Mission.
You're not rescuing a dude, but you ARE getting her power suit back.
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Post by Maciej Miszczyk on Nov 30, 2015 6:20:26 GMT -5
here's an obscure one: in Doomdark's Revenge for ZX Spectrum, one of the main goals is to save a one of the heroes from the previous game (Lord of Midnight) who's now under a mind control spell. one of the playable characters is the girl he was supposed to marry. she's also the only one who can actually save him.
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Post by vetus on Nov 30, 2015 6:23:22 GMT -5
A small addition to my first post for Marina: And unlike virtually every other game with a female protagonist from the era, your main character is never once shown in a super-revealing outfit: she's either in full-body robot gear (which makes her gender impossible to discern) or, during cutscenes, in a full-on military uniform. Interesting. Note that one year later, Metroid was released and followed a similar idea: a female character wearing a full-body robot gear, Power Suit, and you would only learn about her gender at the ending where she takes off the Power Suit. Not Reverse "damsel in distress" video game but at the same year with Fire Hawk: Thexder the Second Contact, Namco released Baraduke/Alien Sector where the main heroine wears a full body bio-suits and you wouldn't know about her gender until the ending. |
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Post by X-pert74 on Nov 30, 2015 6:49:54 GMT -5
Ooh, another one came to mind! Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest kinda sorta fits, as while Diddy's the main character, Dixie is his partner, who in some ways is even more useful than him during gameplay, and they work together to rescue Donkey Kong, who was the hero of the first game. After DKC2, then comes DKC3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble, where she's tasked with rescuing both Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong. By the end of the Super NES trilogy, Donkey Kong has been needed to be rescued twice and Diddy Kong once, while Dixie Kong never ends up being a damsel in distress.
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Post by vetus on Nov 30, 2015 7:16:14 GMT -5
Damn! How did I forgot about DKC3? It even has her name at the title.
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Post by JDarkside on Nov 30, 2015 7:29:09 GMT -5
Noitu Love 2: Devolution. The first game played this straight, but the second gender shifts the lead roles, so the descendant of the hero is a woman and the descendant of the damsel is male.
But you can also unlock a mode where you play "as" the damsel guy, except you have to manually drag him around the level with your cursor, while also using your cursor to attack. It's an interesting twist on the escort mission.
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Post by Joseph Joestar on Nov 30, 2015 7:33:05 GMT -5
Wing of Madoola by Sunsoft - you're a princess rescuing a prince.
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Post by kingmike on Nov 30, 2015 8:55:51 GMT -5
I don't recall Super Princess Peach being criticized for being sexist (I'd guess you'd say that because her special powers are based on her mood swings), but for the rather low difficulty level.
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Post by vetus on Nov 30, 2015 9:44:15 GMT -5
Yeah, there were also complains about being too easy which is a valid complain. Fortunately, just like in Kirby games, the awesome gameplay and variety made up for the low difficulty. I also love its beautiful, lively sprites and animation and its cozy feeling it gives you. It deserves a spiritual sequel featuring Daisy and Rosalina as well.
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Post by alphex on Nov 30, 2015 10:15:06 GMT -5
This is kind of cheating, but I'm gonna have a go at it anyway: The fact that whoever translated the German manual of Mega Man X obviously thought that long hair = women entailed that when I was a kid, Zero was always a girl to me. If you played the first level of the game, you know why this leads to pretty progressivist implications (too bad the "proper" women of the X-series were relegated to navigator-status (and whatever Iris is)).
Holy shit, what if that game is actually the root of my appreciation for girls who are better at something than I am?
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Post by Deleted on Nov 30, 2015 10:21:56 GMT -5
alphex: They thought Zero was a woman because of the long hair and not because of the booblights? That's a first in my book. 
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Post by Kid Fenris on Nov 30, 2015 10:49:57 GMT -5
Wurm: Journey to the Center of the Earth has the heroine, Moby, trying to rescue her boyfriend, Ziggy, and the rest of his ship's crew. I say "trying" because...well, Ziggy never wins.
Trouble Shooter sees Madison and Crystal saving a prince and delivering feminist bon mots like "The best man for the job is a woman!" They also stomp on the Super Famicom.
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