Sometimes, in video games, you have to have a tagalong. They will either help you fight or be a complete nuisance. I love Resident Evil 4 for many reasons. It has a great story, creepy settings, and Leon. The one thing I absolutely hated about the game was trying to deal with Ashley trailing along. I know the whole point of the game was to save her but… honestly I couldn’t stand her. Her presence made me hate games where I had to protect someone for a long time.
Who?
Ashley Graham is the main damsel in distress in Resident Evil 4. She is the president’s daughter who is kidnapped by crazy cultists. It is up to the wonderful Leon S. Kennedy to save her. She is the typical all American girl. I mean, just look at the way she was created to look.
Why So Cringeworthy?
“Leon, HELP!”
I think the first thing that annoyed me was the choice of voice. She sounded so nasally and whiny. Anytime she opened her mouth I wanted to stop up my ears. It was just terrible. She also acted like a spoiled teenager throughout the whole thing. I am surprised she didn’t ask Leon to piggyback her everywhere. I know the angle was to show a young girl being held captive and most sane people would not react well to the circumstances. It’s just that Ashley never tried to help herself. She just figured Leon would take care of everything. She may have unlocked a few gates but that was it.
I really hated how you could not control her when a battle was taking place. Unless there was a dumpster to hide in, you were screwed. She would be right in the way of your gun. If she got killed, game over. I know that was how the game was set up but it was nonetheless annoying. Her shrill cries for help were repeated too often during the game. I guess the game creators wanted a believable female victim. They succeeded in making one of the most annoying video game characters I have ever encountered. She wasn’t a Jill or Claire but the game could have given her a scenario where Leon teaches her a few basic moves to kill zombies.
Leon did the right thing when he turned her down for some “overtime”. I can’t imagine she would be great in a relationship. She would whine and accuse Leon of being a pervert all the time. She would demand all his attention. She would call him during the middle of a zombie infestation. Some people ship Leon and Ashley. Sorry, I am an Ada fan all the way. It took Elizabeth from BioShock Infinite to help me get over the partner character hate.
