Should you thought that avid gamers might be regular about two queers sharing a passionate kiss in 2023, then you definately can be very mistaken. Horizon Forbidden West’s new story DLC, Burning Shores, comprises a scene during which Aloy can select to kiss a girl named Seyka, and it appears some PlayStation followers weren’t completely happy. Certainly, some gamers had been so offended at being given this alternative that they mass review-bombed the DLC on Metacritic. Whereas the Metascore, which relies on critic’s opinions, presently sits at an 82, the person rating is at simply 3.2.
Burning Shores is a DLC that, for technical causes, is simply out there on PlayStation 5s. It brings vital high quality of life enhancements akin to simpler looting, although it’s apparently particulars just like the better-looking clouds that rendered it a PS5 unique. The replace additionally offers gamers with the chance to have Aloy pursue a romantic relationship with somebody good, which has been a fan request for years. And I’m completely happy for her. Seyka looks like a pleasant woman, and Aloy deserves to divulge heart’s contents to somebody after working round and saving the world for 2 consecutive video games. The principle people who find themselves mad proper now are the homophobes, who seemingly can’t stand the considered any homosexual content material within the Horizon collection in any respect—even when whether or not or not Aloy acts on her emotions is absolutely elective.
The bar is on the ground, y’all. Nevertheless it doesn’t cease bigots from working face-first into it. Latest gamers complained on Metacritic that “homosexuals” had been placing ahead a “soiled agenda” that “sabotaged” what may have been a good looking story. Practically all the opinions with a “0” rating complained that they shouldn’t be pressured to see homosexual ladies exist on the earth of Horizon. One participant referred to as the sport “woke propaganda” for permitting Aloy to fall in love with somebody she simply met—as if that isn’t how human romantic attraction so usually works. “[Guerilla Games] retconned the primary character for LGBTQ nonsense,” bemoaned one other so-called fan who appears to have utterly missed that there have been sparks between Aloy and Petra in Horizon Zero Daybreak. “Aloy by no means confirmed indicators of being a lesbian,” complained one participant who appears to have performed a totally totally different sport.
This isn’t the primary time {that a} PlayStation first-party franchise was attacked for that includes brazenly queer characters. This February, homophobes assessment bombed The Final of Us on HBO as a result of they had been pressured to endure the insufferable sight of queer tenderness on tv. Hopefully with sufficient repeated publicity, avid gamers will come to comprehend that queer online game characters are right here to remain. As a result of tradition is transferring on, both with or with out them.