The Four Color Media Monitor

Some might've heard of an adventure comic from Tidal Wave Productions called The World of Aluna, starring the daughter of an Incan goddess, and set in the 16th century. Now, as reported by Al Dia, it's being adapted to a video game, making her the first Latina character to reach such a status:

Aluna is already a cult heroine that not only pierces her mythological enemies with her weapons, but also the graphic formats and the public's prejudices.

Digital Interactive published a video in which they offered scenes about the creation of the videogame Aluna: Sentinel of the Shards, which has already achieved certain renown with never seen scenes of the work of Paula Garcés and Antonio Hernández.

One problem with this article though, is that it makes use of a slang that's unpopular:

Aluna will appear in April as a multiplatform videogame (PC, Switch, PlayStation, Xbox One) after the character triumphed already last year in MOBA Heroes of Newerth played by Paula. The lack of referents and characters in the video game scene, in clear asymmetry with respect to latinxs, was what motivated them to extend Aluna's trajectory.

I'm wondering why a community paper like this is making use of a figure of speech that, as noted before, isn't popular with Latinos/Hispanics? That's the only problem with this article here, because using a slang few care about is hardly helpful.

"Her role means a lot to me and Aluna is more than a superheroine. She’s strong, and nurturing, and badass, and conflicted. It’s a really juicy role! And the fact that she’s playable means that we all get to share that role together!" said creator and actress Paula Garcés.

Antonio Hernández, founder of Digital Interactive, added that "Aluna is more than a game for us, she is more of a cultural icon". He refers to the fact that the videogame not only deals with a character like Aluna but also delves into Latin culture and its heritage, such as Inca mythology.

Well I think it's a very good idea, and the best part is that the creators didn't go out of their way to make her part of the superhero genre proper, because it's long become ridiculous how that genre's been overused and practically abused for many years, as though it were the only genre that mattered. Making an adventure fare without relying on the superhero genre is a far better way to set up a story premise, and this has the added benefit of being set in the 16th century, at the time when the Incan empire of Peru was around.

So congratulations to the publisher for getting this title adapted to computer gaming, and maybe it signals that video game publishers are willing to consider more than just superhero fare as the basis for adaptations to playscreens. And what'll really be admirable is if a merit-based production is the focus.

Labels: indie publishers, licensed products, technology