The best video game women of 2015 - Nina Freeman/Cibele
In a list of fictional women, it might seem strange to offer a spot to the very real Nina Freeman. But in her game Cibele, Freeman affords players the chance to explore their own experiences with teenage heartbreak through the Nina Freeman avatar.
Players control Nina from both the first-and-third-person, rifling through instant messages and selfies before taking direct control of the character's own in-game MMO counterpart, Cibele. It’s an interesting conceit, one that lets you see the character as both an action heroine and an average insecure teen. While the crux of Cibele hinges on the playable Nina Freeman avatar's first love, the sexuality inherent in the character is never objectifying. It's exhilarating to play as a female character who is not only a teenager, but one whose romantic exploits are at the forefront and portrayed in endearingly awkward and honest ways. Less talked about than the game and character's affecting autobiographical elements — something we and Freeman herself have written about on Polygon before — are the MMO aspects, and the Cibele character within them. The bulk of the conversations you have in the game are while playing as Cibele, not Nina Freeman. Cibele is an exceptionally capable fighter in the RPG, a magical girl-type who moves gracefully and fends off enemies with ease. She makes the understated combat sequences just as fun to watch as they are to listen to. Rare is the game that lets you play as a teenage girl; that Cibele's is vulnerable, honest and powerful is remarkable.
