Aloy

Aloy ( AY-loy) is a fictional character and the protagonist of the Horizon video game franchise, developed by Guerrilla Games. She first appears in Horizon Zero Dawn (2017) and returns in its sequel, Horizon Forbidden West (2022). The narrative of the games takes place in a post-apocalyptic 31st-century United States. Aloy is a skilled huntress who uses tactical intelligence and tribal weaponry to survive in a world that has been reclaimed by nature and overrun by hostile machines. She is raised as an outcast and embarks on a journey to discover her origins; she learns she is a genetic clone of 21st-century scientist Dr. Elisabet Sobeck, created by a benevolent artificial intelligence to restore Earth's failing terraforming systems and prevent a second mass extinction. Throughout the series, she grows from an isolated outcast, pressured to live up to Sobeck's legacy, into a leader who embraces a found family, including her clone sister Beta. Guerrilla conceived Aloy as a strong, capable female lead to intentionally avoid what the studio viewed as oversexualised tropes common in the video game industry. Dutch actress Hannah Hoekstra provided the physical model for her visual design, while she is voiced by American actress Ashly Burch. Focusing the narrative on a female lead marked a departure from the masculine tone of the studio's previous Killzone franchise. Aloy has also appeared in virtual reality and Lego spin-offs, Horizon Call of the Mountain and Lego Horizon Adventures, respectively. She has been featured in crossover events for titles including Fortnite (2017) and Genshin Impact (2020). Reviewers have praised Aloy's emotional drive and evolution from an isolated outcast into an independent leader. Critics also said that Burch's vocal performance made this transition feel authentic. Criticism of Aloy has been directed at her occasional abrasive demeanour and a tendency for her in-game...