Stefanie Joosten: The Star Behind Katia in Last Labyrinth
Featured in the lead role as the voice of Katia, polymathic artist and fan-favorite shinnichi Stefanie Joosten is one of the reasons for the popularity of Last Labyrinth. Let us introduce you to how she became the star that she is, eventually landing a role in the modern horror VR classic that is Last Labyrinth, and for the already aware: a short homage to true talent.
Growing up in the Netherlands as a – in her own words - game nerd, Stefanie always took a special interest in all things Japanese. Via language studies and an exchange program at a Dutch university, she first got to visit Japan back in 2009 and this trip eventually turned into a plan of moving there for model work. The story of her landing the acting role that propelled her to instant fame is probably pretty well known by now, but here’s a quick recap.
While doing work as a model, her model agency was approached and asked if she would like to audition for a video game. Drawing inspiration from her knowledge of weapon handling in video games, the other girls not knowing how to act with the weapon props on set, she supposedly blew the competition out of the water during the audition. Thus, Hideo Kojima himself picked her to play the role of Quiet in the now legendary Metal Gear Solid V.
The game being the success that it was, mo-cap magic delivered by Stefanie that was felt through the screen, we never actually got to experience much of her voice acting due to Quiet not being of the talkative kind. Although we did get to hear some voice acting in the game, Joosten certainly melted quite a few hearts when players got to experience her singing in “Quiet's Theme”, a song that you’ll also find Joosten’s character Quiet humming along to in one of many memorable cut-scenes.
A character that’s far more vocal is Katia, the mysterious girl encountered in Last Labyrinth, also masterfully portrayed and voiced by Joosten. The dev team really wanted her on the project, and luckily for us they succeeded in having her join very early on during development. The devs were, in their own words, blown away by Stefanie's portrayal of Katia. Here’s what Stefanie had to say when asked about the game and her involvement.
It’s a huge honor to be part of Last Labyrinth. I immediately felt completely sucked into its mysterious world. It lets you experience VR in a way I have never seen before. I think it will be a completely new experience to players worldwide.
Stefanie goes on letting us know that it was quite challenging to voice a character in a fictional language. I hope it’s a character that you feel you wanna protect and I hope that I get to bring that feeling to you as a voice actor, she says, smirking in that special Joosten-way that Metal Gear fans worldwide have grown to love.
Katia is your only way to escape from the horror of the intensive and inventive escape room puzzles encountered throughout the story, and you are probably just as much there to save her as she is to save you. Interacting with the Stefanie Joosten-infused girl will make you keep playing from start to finish… and most probably have you return to experience it all over again. Last Labyrinth is a must-play – and must-own - for fans of one of the video games world’s greatest actors. Stefanie Joosten enthusiasts will be more than happy to experience her voice acting in-game and listening to her mesmerizing vocals on the title track, accompanied by a quartet of strings and the soothing sound of piano.
