Wolfenstein: Youngblood features not one, but two protagonists: the adolescent twin daughters of BJ Blazkowicz, the usual star of the series. And yesterday, the game hit PS4, Xbox One, PC, and Nintendo Switch, and made history for the series with its first ever female protagonists. And while having female protagonists may not seem important to some, it’s quite salient to others. For example, it’s very important to Shelby Young and Valerie Rose Loham, the voice actresses of Soph and Jess, respectively.
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According to Young, one of the great things about the duo is they aren’t pidgeonholed in, rather they make sense. They aren’t two complete strangers, they are Blazkowiczs, who, like their legendary father, are badasses.
“When I was younger I really only had like Lara Croft and the girls in Mortal Kombat, then eventually Metroid,” said Loham while speaking to Hollywood Reporter. “I didn’t really have a funny, interesting, young female lead in anything growing up,” says Lohman. “It’s a big deal to me to know that Shelby and I are going to be that for young girls that are into gaming.”
“I love that there are more and more games coming out with female protagonists that are just strong and amazing and flawed and beautiful because women in life are all of those things and more,” added Young. “To see more and more representations of women that I can find a piece of myself in or who I can aspire to be is amazing. I’m already in my twenties, so I can’t imagine what that must be like for little girls growing up now.”
According to Young, the game will be familiar in some ways, because it’s still Wolfenstein and players are still fighting Nazis, however, it’s also different because players are seeing the game’s world through two very different characters, both of which are way over their heads.
“Obviously, they are the children of two war veterans but, at the end of the day, they’re two 17-year-old girls in high school,” added Lohman. “Whereas B.J. is a total badass and he knows what he’s doing, these girls are good at what they do but they are in so over their heads.”
The pair mention that the writing on the project blew them away, especially the bits involving the series’ dark comedy, which it’s really been leaning into recently.
“It’s going to push boundaries,” said Lohman. Meanwhile, Young added: “Nazis are evil and should die, that’s kind of the trend. It’s not veering too far away from the past games.”
Wolfenstein: Youngblood is available for PS4, Xbox One, PC, and Nintendo Switch.
