Lost Ark has been criticized for its poor portrayal of female characters, many of the classes are gender-linked, and the design is overly sexualized.
The Lost Ark has been criticized for the presentation and design of the female and non-male characters, as most of them are forced to wear similarly revealing clothing coupled with ridiculous walking animations. Regardless of the game's popularity ( Lost Ark was the fourth-biggest game on Steam a day after launch in the US and Europe), the limited variety of female character designs and portrayal of women, in general, is disappointing.
For the most part, players are drawn to Lost Ark's gripping story, adorable pets, and solid combat mechanics. In the Lost Ark, players choose from a variety of five archetypal fantasy classes, in which there are 15 subclasses. Each class offers a distinct way to play with different attacks and abilities to suit all preferred playstyles. For example, Mages can attack from afar with area-of-effect spells that deal massive elemental damage. At the same time, Warriors stand in front of the enemy with melee attacks and huge two-handed weapons.
While the inclusion of 15 subclasses in each Lost Ark class is helpful and allows new players to have various character options, the same cannot be said for the game's depiction of women specifically. Not only are classes currently gender-locked, but the limited choice of female character design in terms of cosmetics and animation feels extremely two-dimensional and a bit fan-service. The silly animations and high heels feel outdated and demonstrate how far the game has to go to better represent non-males.
The gendered class in Lost Ark seems extremely outdated
The main problem with Lost Ark, The design of the female characters, comes from the restrictions caused by the gendering of the classes. Unfortunately, the game seems to take a rather outdated view of female and male stereotypes: only females can be delicate Mages, while only males can wield two-handed swords as the Lost Ark berserk class. While some classes offer different genders, such as the female marksman subclass, this inclusion seems somewhat undermined by the overtly sexy starter outfit, consisting of shorts, high-heeled boots, a corset, and a shirt.
Not only does this gender blocking feel restrictive and archaic, but it also gives the impression that Lost Ark is oblivious to the last decade's debate over the portrayal of female characters in video games. Smilegate RPG has stated that it has heard complaints about Lost Ark's gender-locking, " loud and clear," and plans to release more counterparts for classes that are still gender-locked, although there is no indication of when this might happen. In addition, the West's dislike of gender-based activities was confirmed in a blog post published on the official website of Lost Ark last year.
The female characters of Lost Ark are forced to wear high heels
After choosing a Lost Ark class, Lost Ark players can change the hairstyle and facial features of the character to the smallest detail. At this point, four typical outfits are offered to showcase the type of clothing players can get. For example, mages, especially Sorceress-class Lost Ark, have intricate, detailed, extravagant outfits that add flourish and excitement to players looking to immerse themselves in the game. However, once players load into the game, a startling difference emerges: the fantastic outfits of the female characters are replaced with short shorts, miniskirts, and sheer tops, not to mention impractical high heels for every female subclass.
On a positive note, in Smilegate RPG, three of the four Martial Master subclasses were female, with Striker being the only option for males. This class is based around agility and strength, with combat-based gameplay that includes kicks, stomps, and flips. It's somewhat understandable that these characters need to move freely in their armor to perform these moves. Still, the revealing nature of the early female martial artist outfits compared to Lost Ark, the Striker subclass seems a bit cheap and not impressive. Also, all three subclasses of martial artists being forced to wear high heels seem incredibly impractical and unnecessary.
Of course, as the game progresses, the number of cosmetics and clothing also increases. However, the clothing for the female characters largely follows the same theme, leaving these brave adventurers scantily clad in skimpy and impractical outfits, especially early in the game. While the sexuality of female characters is not inherently a bad thing, the lack of choice and diversity hinders the representation of gender in Lost Ark and non-male character design.
Lack of diversity in female design in Lost Ark draws criticism
Despite Steam records, Lost Ark's lack of female character design options has left many in the community conflicted. Design issues persist because the Mage's running animation consists of extremely exaggerated hip movement, which is laughable and gets a lot of criticism from players. In general, the animation of the female characters looks rather fan-service and out of place in a modern game.
Sure, female characters can still be portrayed as strong and badass despite suggestive outfits and silly animations. Still, the lack of variety and opportunity hinders Lost Ark's character design, as players don't like that sexual aspect or feel uncomfortable because their choice is limited. These outdated gender images also work both ways: those who want to play a male character are forced to use the typical "strong" imagery with a bit of variety.
Despite the range of subclasses players can choose from to find their best fit, Lost Ark class selection is severely limited due to the restrictive gender design. The choice of gender design in Smilegate RPG raises questions about why a woman is not allowed to wield a two-handed sword in a fantasy game or why a man cannot use elemental magic. Hopefully, future updates to the game will fix this weird and outdated gender-locking system, but some in the Lost Ark community wonder why the game was released this way when these issues have been resolved—confirmed at the end of last year.
While Lost Ark may have additional options to modernize their gender portrayal, the female characters' current state and designs seem limited and dated. It's good that Smilegate is looking to add more men and women to the classes, but at the very least, Lost Ark should get a greater variety of cosmetics and clothing regardless of gender restrictions.