Who is the model for Aloy?
As an iconic gaming protagonist adored by fans for her bold character design, Horizon series heroine Aloy has a striking real-world parallel in Dutch actress Hannah Hoekstra. Hoekstra‘s fierce visage provides the basis for Aloy‘s uniquely rugged appearance across both Horizon Zero Dawn and Horizon Forbidden West.
An Unconventional Heroine Brought to Life
Guerrilla Games made a daring statement rejecting conventional femininity in gaming by rendering Aloy as a muscular, dirt-smudged and visually complex heroine. Rather than fall back on tropes like waspish waists and improbable bust-to-body ratios, her physical form echoes the harsh life she‘s endured. Every lean sinew and faded freckle pulls directly from reference shots of Hannah Hoekstra.
As Guerrilla senior character artist Bastien Ramisse explained: "We wanted someone athletic, sturdy, rugged and durable […] Not a supermodel. We wanted to portray a character a player can relate to." Hoekstra embodied those qualities perfectly.
By The Numbers: Praising Aloy‘s Characterization
| Global critical acclaim for Aloy‘s design | 90% average review score for Horizon Zero Dawn |
| Multiple outlets praising her as an inspirational female protagonist | Over 10 million sales to date for Horizon franchise |
Aloy has clearly resonated at an unprecedented level relative to gaming‘s long uneven history in depicting women. As an outlier standing brazenly apart from thinly-written tropes like the damsel-in-distress, Aloy‘s depth and substance retains long-lasting appeal.
Hoekstra‘s Modeling Gives Life to a Feminist Icon
Hannah Hoekstra‘s intensely green eyes radiate sharp intelligence while her crow‘s feet and weathered complexion convey maturity beyond Aloy‘s year. As interviews with Guerrilla make clear, every facet of Hoekstra‘s modeling was chosen expressly to communicate integral aspects of Aloy‘s background and personality.
Where female leads have traditionally catered visual designs to the fetishizing male gaze, Aloy‘s priorities remain perfectly attuned to her role and environment. She maintains an athletic hunter‘s build to take down mechanical beasts, dresses in sensible protective outfits rather than plunging necklines, and wears very little makeup in her rugged post-apocalyptic world. Aloy remains focused on uncovering mysteries of her past and future, not on satiating imaginary onlookers craving titillation.
This subversively feminist presentation and the fact that she resonates so powerfully with female gamers proves Hoekstra‘s brilliance as Guerrilla‘s model of choice. Where typical damsels require rescue by grizzled male power fantasies, Aloy charges valiantly on her own towards new horizons, saving the planet itself thanks to Hannah Hoekstra‘s memorable face enshrining her defiance.
