Actually, I totally get where you're coming from, OP. But I think it's awesome that you feel kind of weird, and I hope you run with that feeling. Seriously, I love getting weirded out, and as fun as it is to challenge myself with tough gameplay, I think it's even more fun to challenge my
_feelings_.
That said, I think the main themes of Aquaria are pretty universally human, despite the fact that it has a very strong female voice.
The reason why Metroid and Tomb Raider don't really give off that "girly" vibe is because, IMO, they are offering up a certain type of woman that is idealized by dudes, and not really identifiable with dudes - Samus and Lara Croft are beautiful, tough, mature, and independent (aka the hot babes that kick your ass). On the other hand, Naija is rather young, and, even though she's going through the same types of experiences that a young man in her place would go through, it feels a lot more personal, I think (at least, ideally, that's what I would like people to get from it). So I can see that it can feel a little awkward in that regard. And it's not just like watching a movie - you are actually
playing as her.
But anyway, what I'm trying to say is that, if you feel weird and girly playing Aquaria, I think that's great... and I kind of feel like, well, if you don't get that feeling from Metroid or Tomb Raider or whatever, the reason is that you are still playing as a guy and not really connecting with the character on a more personal level. Not that that's a bad thing necessarily, since I really love both those games. And they probably work better without that kind of connection.
And I have to admit, when I use to play TR, I would try to get the camera to move around Lara Croft so that I could look at her pixelized boobs. Definitely not connecting...
So that was a little bit of a downer; it went from pure-atmospheric exploration game, to a kind of Metroidvania shoot'em-up (see: energy form, Gradius "Option"-like pets). But on the upside there's built-in level creator, so I can still put together pure-atmospheric exploration levels if I want (and hope others do the same).
But again, I think the initial "girl game" sentiment comes from the avatar combined with the narrative, rather than the gameplay elements.
I feel that, too. We often struggled with the balance between exploration and action in this game. Part of me feels like the game might have been more "pure" without so much of the shootiness... because I think we were a little afraid that no one would want to play the game if there were no action involved. But in general, I think we made the right decision. The game is more exciting, and more tense, with it.
And yes, I'd love to see people make some exploration-focused mods. I want to play them, too.
