Horizon Forbidden West Gameplay Trailer Sparks Discourse Over Aloyâs New âChubbyâ Appearance
The first gameplay trailer for Horizon Forbidden West has seemingly revealed that series protagonist Aloy, the Nora tribeswoman raised to hunt and survive amongst the harsh post-apocalyptic environment she was born into, will sport a more âchubbyâ appearance in the upcoming second installment of Guerilla Gamesâ newest franchise.
Source: Horizon Forbidden West (TBD), Guerilla Games
First released on May 27th as part of Sonyâs latest State of Play video game showcase, the debut gameplay trailer for Horizon Forbidden West provided players with their first look at what the highly-anticipated sequel would have to offer them, from gorgeous underwater environments to a battle on the shore against a towering and terrifying machine.
In addition to the gameplay changes and the new graphics engine, the trailer also disclosed an apparent change made to Aloy herself, showing within the first few seconds of its opening cutscene what appeared to be a âchubbierâ depiction of the red-headed protagonist than the one seen during the events of Horizon Zero Dawn.
Source: Horizon Forbidden West Gameplay Trailer (2021), Guerilla Games
Following the trailerâs premiere, Aloyâs appearance sparked a storm of discourse across social media.
To critics, Aloyâs new look was not only an all around âdowngradeâ to her character, but also a disservice to her real-world face model, Hannah Hoekstra.
Illustrator @belet-seri asked, âWhat the hell did they do to Aloy’s face? This isnât close to Hannah Hoekstraâs.â
Archive Link Source: Belet-Seri Twitter
Similarly, @AscendedZen questioned, âWhy does Aloy look like Buzz from Home Alone now?â
Archive Link Source: Ascended Zen Twitter
âI do agree that Aloyâs face looks a little chubby in horizon 2 images,â wrote YouTuber @MightyKeef. âThatâs odd because I would imagine she would lose a lot of body fat and water weight pretty consistently, given her environment. I do not agree she is supposed to look glammed up. That would be dumb.â
Archive Link Source: Mightykeef Twitter
Conversely, supporters of Aloyâs âupdatedâ appearance argued that her chubby face was a realistic progression for someone of her age and environment.
âAloy was like what…. 19? In the first game?â, said @GwenLovesMovies. âOfc her face is going to change as she gets older. Fâ-ing incels, man.â
Archive Link Source: Gwendolyn Jae Stone Twitter
PlayStation YouTuber @xMBGx asserted, âPeople talking about Aloy’s face/cheeks, some saying she looks fat/ugly or whatever. What the hell is wrong with people lolâ.
âShe’s looks good, actually looks like a normal human being,â they added. âShe doesn’t look like some kind of perfect unrealistic super model & I appreciate thatâ.
Archive Link Source: MBG Twitter
âAloy’s face has always been pretty round. She looks older but I think that’s due to the extra detail on the model, not because they deliberately aged her,â held @RexSterlingD2K. âWho expects this bâ-h to have Kardashian skin living the way she does???â
Archive Link Source: Rex Sterling Twitter
A third camp, agnostic in their belief as to whether Guerilla Games had actually changed Aloyâs model, contended that her unflattering appearance in the game play reveal trailer was the result of camera angles and lighting.
âWith face fully lit and more straight on & downward, faces look more rounded,â explained @J4ck0fAll_Game5. âWith more shadows, upward camera & from an angle it completely changes it.â
Archive Link Source: Jack Of All Games Twitter
As of writing, it remains unconfirmed whether or not Aloyâs appearance has been intentionally and negatively altered for Horizon Forbidden West.
A widely-circulated screen cap from a GameFaqs thread (seen below) asserts that Horizon Zero Dawn director Mathijs de Jonge once stated in an interview that the feminine look of [Hoekstra] didnât portray the “strength” they wanted.
However, there appears to be little truth to this claim, as Bounding Into Comics could not find an interview where de Jonge makes those claims published by any of the outlets mentioned in the screen capped post.
Source: GameFaqs
What do you make of Aloyâs supposed âchubbyâ appearance in Horizon Forbidden West? Let us know your thoughts on social media or in the comments down below!
