Have you ever played Koudelka? It's a jrpg game about a Welsh Romani character, I think it's the first and only one videogame with a female Romani protagonist
I haven't! I don't have any experience with the Shadow Hearts franchise. I also didn't have any of those consoles growing up. I probably would enjoy the supernatural horror vibes, though.
Anyways, having read a summary of Koudelka and some of the development history... I gotta say, I don't think this would make the list in terms of good or worthwhile representation. The titular protagonist is described as an "exiled gypsy" who was born with psychic powers that caused her to be shunned by her community. Her mother tried to kill her, and she was eventually banished by the "gypsy elders". To me, this kinda places Koudelka in the same category as Meggan Puceanu and Amanda Sefton-- characters for whom their Romani upbringing is synonymous with trauma and abuse, who ultimately leave or become cut off from their heritage. These narratives are extremely unflattering of the Romani community, and reinforce pervasive, harmful narratives about abuse, superstition, and ignorance. I'd probably have to play the game to get a sense of how Koudelka herself feels about her Romani identity as an adult, but I don't feel very confident about it.
Apparently, the character was named after photographer Josef Koudelka. The director "liked its mysterious sound and lack of any specific ethnic origin," so that's not exactly an authentic choice, and it feels somewhat objectifying. Interestingly, though, Koudelka the photographer was known for photographing Romani subjects in Europe. No idea if that was intentional connection or not, but if it was, I don't like that they are pinning the character's Romani ethnicity onto a gadjo, rather than choosing an actual Roma name.
