Video games have given us some phenomenal love stories, and to celebrate Valentine's Day, now's a good time to ask: which is the very best?
Perhaps you're thinking of a great romance from an epic RPG, perhaps it's a relationship that unfurls through voice notes or datapads or only exists in the lore, or perhaps you're thinking of something quirky and unconventional. Whatever it is: if it's a powerful depiction of love, whether romantic or platonic, it's eligible.
Nominate your favourite and explain why it's the best in writing or video. The best submissions get $6 apiece!
You're welcome to illustrate your submission with screenshots, but - in case it needs saying - keep it clean! JAVG is an all-audiences space so think candlelit dinners and maybe a fully clothed embrace, not sex scenes or nudity, no matter how 'tasteful'. If in doubt, remind yourself of our code of conduct.
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Believe it or not, the most phenomenal love story I've experienced in a video game occurred in Quake 2, around 2004. My friends and I often had LAN parties at local internet cafes, playing classic games like Heroes 3, Counter-Strike, and Quake.
One night, while playing Quake 2, a few more players from the same cafe joined our server. I noticed every time I shot a player named Limal with a railgun, I could hear loud screams from somewhere in the cafe. Curiosity piqued, I roamed the floor searching for the source of these exclamations.
Famous map - the Edge. This is where everything happened.
That's when I found her – a beautiful young woman who was part of our Quake match. We struck up a conversation, and the rest, as they say, is history. We met again the following week, exchanged contacts, and began playing other games online together, like Lineage 2, World of Warcraft, and EVE Online.
This year, we are celebrating our 20th anniversary. She's the mother of my two children, and we still enjoy gaming together. It all started with a railgun from Quake 2 – the unlikely cupid in our love story.
I absolutely adore the game It Takes Two and the story of Cody and May! It perfectly portrays the struggles and ups and downs of a relationship. Cody and May are on the verge of divorce and it’s taking a toll on their daughter Rose. Through the game, there’s many obstacles and challenges that force Cody and May to work together which ultimately in the end they rediscover their passions and love for each other! This game is so beautiful with the story it tells. It’s SO much fun to play with the right person. I definitely recommend this game to anyone who hasn’t played it before
Other than Mario and Princess peach (who is always in another castle!), One of the most epic love stories gaming has ever seen has got to be Geralt and Yennefer from The Witcher 3! Now maybe youve seen the TV show or read the books but the game is really awesome and a must play never mind this love story for the ages!!
So, Youre Geralt of Rivia, this badass Witcher with silver hair and a heart of gold (well, kinda). He's on a mission to find Ciri, who's like his daughter, but not really, because Witcher lore is wild like that. Now, Ciri's got this knack for teleporting through time and space, making finding her a real pain in the ass.
Enter your future bae (if you choose wisely),Yennefer of Vengerberg, a sorceress so powerful she could probably turn you into dust if you looked at her the wrong way. She and Geralt? well, they've got history. And I'm not talking about just a couple of awkward dates - we're talking an off and on again romance, complicated enough to make Ross and Rachel from Friends look like a walk in the park! (WE WERE ON A BREAK!)
In The Witcher 3, you, the player (in more meanings than one) , get to direct Geralt's love life. You are the ultimate matchmaker, but with more monsters and less boxes of chocolates involved here. You can choose to go all-in with Yennefer or take a different route with Triss, another sorceress who's vying for Geralt's heart. But let me tell ya, Geralt and Yennefer? That's where the magic happens. Literally…
Their relationship isn't just about sparks flying and lovey dovey romance, It's about two flawed, complex characters who just happen to fit together like two pieces of a messed-up puzzle! They get each other in a way that nobody else does, and in a world where everything's falling apart, their love is like an anchor for eachtoher!
But remember, just like real romance, you've gotta make the right choices to make it happen! One wrong move, and you could end up heartbroken and kicked to the kerb faster than you can say "reload last save." SO there is my pick, Geralt and Yennefer, one of the ultimate power couples of gaming. It's a love story for the ages, filled with magic, monsters and romance! PS this is not one for the kids to play lol
My favourite love story in a videogame is Nate and Elena from the Uncharted series. Is it a perfect love story? No, it's quite flawed in fact... but it's a very realistic love story and its flaws are what make it all the more powerful. It highlights the complexities in any relationship, how two people's mindsets can affect those around them but ultimately their love for the other person is what makes it work in the first place.
Nate and Elena's story has a continuity that progresses throughout the series and matures as the characters do, it becomes more complex as the games go on and the roller coaster of emotions that they, as characters, and we, as players, go through makes it feel all the more impactful. Naughty Dog has a way of making their characters feel so relatably human in their games from the in-depth writing, to the emotive mocap and voiceacting and the movie-like cinematography and set pieces; all of these aspects create very compelling character dynamics and engaging stories with visuals and soundtracks that compliment the tone masterfully.
So, Nate and Elena's story begins in the first Uncharted game where Elena is simply reporting on Nate's finding of Sir Francis Drake's coffin. Being the budding adventurer that he is, Nate goes on a quest for treasure with his mentor Sully, angering the local pirate mob in the process and, of course, Elena wanting to get the scoop, follows them. She proves herself to be quite resourceful and it both frustrates yet impresses Nate on several occasions, which results in some pretty stellar team-up moments like rescuing Nate from the pirate gang or Elena on the back of a speedboat with a hand cannon to clear the path for Nate to steer it. However, later in the story she ends up in a spot of trouble after they are split up, Nate then saves her and thwarts the evil plans of the game's villain (I'm keeping this as generic and spoiler-free as possible!) and at the end of the game in a very stereotypical action movie fashion, they share a romantic moment at sunset on a boat that steers away from the island. The two characters had grown to like each other throughout the game with a couple of hints and expressions of generic interest being sprinkled in to the dialogue but it was nothing too overt and it never felt forced so the game's conclusion being as romantic as it is feels rather natural- a typical "happy ever after" for an action adventure narrative. It's a very open-ended conclusion to their dynamic which can allude to more down the line, while also wrapping up the main adventure nicely. The narrative of Uncharted Drake's Fortune both sets up perfectly for a sequel while simultaneously concluding the adventure in a satisfying way to make it a standalone story.
Uncharted 2 then comes along and we see Nate wrapped up in another treasure hunting, globe trotting adventure with some new friends this time- Harry Flynn and Chloe Frazer, with the latter being his more prominent companion throughout the beginning of the game. But, much to Nate's surprise, Elena once again finds herself in the middle of the action trying to get coverage of this game's main villain- who has much more significant notoriety to the point that it borderlines infamy. The villain even comments on Elena being "his shadow" suggesting that he is aware of the media's interest in him. So now with Nate, Chloe and Elena all teaming up to stop yet another world-threatening psychopath, we see that there were some off-screen complexities within Nate and Elena's relationship suggesting that there was indeed more... but the two went in vastly different directions. Elena even remarks to Chloe that she is "last year's model" finding a dry humour in the situation. Nate had expressed interests in Chloe's advances at the start of the game but as soon as Elena entered the picture, it is made very clear that he still has feelings for her too. There are some tensions both about Nate's relationship with Chloe and about him once again going after some treasure that a psychotic criminal also wants, however Elena does offer her help where possible. Chloe sees how much Nate and Elena care for one another deep down and by the end of the game, she gently nudges the two of them to mend their relationship. It's a very touching yet entertaining exchange of dialogue between all of the characters involved after they had escaped a collapsing ruined city, all battered and bruised. It was life or death but the two still somehow find humour in it.
Uncharted 3, probably the most movie-like game to release at the time in 2011 (and my personal favourite in the series) takes a much different stance on storytelling and has a complete tonal shift to more psychological and personal narrative beats than the typical action romps of the previous two titles. It shows the growth of both the characters and the franchise as a whole, relying less on intense gunplay and moreso on striking setpieces and dramatic story beats. This game focuses a lot more on the dynamics between the characters and the stakes of Uncharted 3 are much more personal with even the villain (who is also my personal favourite in the franchise) having a deep history with Nate and Sully. It's more of a reflective look at Nate's life and whether doing what he does is all "worth it" in the end with characters like Chloe, Sully and Elena all telling him that he's getting too caught up in the treasure hunting. Much like with Uncharted 2, Elena doesn't appear until about 1/3 into the story where she helps Nate and Sully follow a lead on the villain's next move. She realises what's going on and she shows deep concern for Nate... it is even revealed that at some point between games that they got married, but it seemed to not be the happiest of marriages. Despite this, we still get some incredible team-up moments between the two as they reunite to rescue Sully- the almost father-like figure to Nate and it feels very remniscient of the old days. Elena may not join them in the finale this time around but she meets the boys in the conclusion of the game and Sully then says one of the best quotes I've ever heard in a videogame when referring to fixing Nate and Elena's relationship "We don't get to choose how we start in this life. Real Greatness is what you do with the hand you're dealt."
Fast forward a few years into Uncharted 4 now and all of the characters have a fresh coat of aged paint on them, showing off the stunning visual capabilities of the PS4 as well as showing some significant time has passed since the events of Uncharted 3. After some flashback sequences to set the tone of the game, we see Nate and Elena just living a normal domesticated life together, which is oddly wholesome and a very nice change of pace to see these characters just doing everyday things instead of the usual chaos that they get up to... if only it stayed that way. Uncharted 4 introduces a new core character to the series as well as a new villain who also has a past with Nate. Uncharted 4 builds upon more of the personal aspects of Uncharted 3 such as "who is Nate" and exploring more about why he does what he does. The new character, Sam, ropes Nate and Sully into one last big adventure which leads to a lot of personal moments between Nate and Sam, why they grew distant and how they've changed in that time apart. Nate neglected to inform Elena of any of this which led to lies upon lies and, once again, created tension in their relationship when she eventually does the digging around to find out the truth. She regrettably helps Nate and co in their quest and these moments with Nate and Elena alone together really highlight just how much the two have grown as characters but how they still work so well together even after the amount of difficulties their relationship has gone through over the years. There's one moment in particular that stands out to me where Nate and Elena are driving to this game's mythical lost city (a recurring theme for the climax of each game) and the scenery change alongside the accompanying whimsical music... it felt very much like a date instead of tracking down the villain in the upcoming ruins. It was very wholesome and a nice moment of reflection before the final act. In the last section of the game, you get some really sentimental moments between Nate, Elena, Sully and Sam which truly compliment their dynamic as a team and emphasises everything that they have been through up until this point, with a very fitting epilogue after the villain has been defeated. No spoilers for it here but it wraps up Nate and Elena's story in the best possible way and if that truly is our final farewell to the duo (which, given the 8 years since the game's release, seems likely) then it and how their relationship has developed perfectly depicts the motto of Sir Francis Drake himself "Sic parvis magna- Greatness from small beginnings."
If you dig deep into the lore of FFXIV you can find some love stories, mostly platonic ones or relationships open to the player's interpretations. This is one of them, and characters I didn't expect would make me cry.
Nanamo Ul Namo is the Sultana of the City-State Ul'dah and Raubahn Aldyn is the General of The Immortal Flames, Ul'dah's Grand Company (army) and member of the Syndicate (the ruling council). Nanamo became a ruler at a very young age after the death of her parents, and Raubahn arrived to Ul'dah from the nation of Ala Mhigo, which has been occupied by the Garlean Empire. He was forced to fight in Ul'dah's national gladiator tournaments as a slave, this is how he caught the young Sultana's attention. He managed to win enough fights to earn his freedom and make enough money to buy a seat in the Syndicate. After his last match he swore his sword to the Sultana and been appointed as General of The Immortal Flames.
Throughout the game we get scenes where it becomes clear how much they both care for each other, but this scene at the end of the Stormblood expansion, where Raubahn has to make a choice to stay true his oath and stay by the Sultana's side or return home to his liberated homeland it becomes clear there are a lot more emotions in the background. Circumstances make it a platonic relationship, but sometimes I wonder what would have been the fate of these two if they met in a different world.
I chose this story because the Sultana's reasoning why she's letting her trusted companion go, and how she puts his happiness in front of her own very much describes to me what true love means.
While not a traditional love story in the sense of man boy saves girl/girl saves boy, The Last of Us would be my standout love story.
The game itself is a modern day masterpiece in terms of character building, game design and story, and it's the story's development and growing bond of the two main protagonists that makes it stand out. The journey from smuggler (Joel) and 'cargo' (Ellie) who initially barely tolerate each other to eventually developing a bond of inseparable father/daughter who are each other's only family and support through their journey.
It is this perilous, epic journey to reach their objective, only to then for Joel to rescue Ellie due to the nature of the sacrifice that would need to be made, regardless of the cost to the rest of humanity, that illustrates the unconditional love they share.
I'm going to go off-piste with this one and select a story of platonic love and revenge.
WARNING - spoilers!
They Always Run is an indie game from 2021 which centers around Aiden, a 3 armed bounty hunter who gets betrayed and must clear his name by chasing down bounties and untangle an unseemly conspiracy plot.
Nothing unusual here, I hear you say, and you're right. A simple plot where someone is forced to clear their name by any means necessary. Only, we're not clearing our name.
Throughout the story we've played the role of Aiden, we've become him, seen flashbacks, lived his pain and pieced together a plot, met the person responsible for our downfall only to find out in that moment, Aiden died long before we ever reach this point.
So who are we? We're Dan; who we discover early on is a "lowly pickpocket" (though he describes himself as one of the best) when Aiden bumps into him after what Dan says has been 5 years since they've seen each other. Bit by bit we learn about their relationship, but what wasn't clear until the end is that Aiden never got to learn who was responsible for his downfall, having been executed by the very people framing him, we find out that Dan had been hiding behind the bar and witnessed his friend's untimely demise. Reaching for his space helmet, Dan decides in that moment to become Aiden. A heartbreaking Rocky-esque montage follows of Dan getting fitter, having a robotic third arm built to replicate his 3 armed mutant friend and lamenting that the law enforcement will do nothing and it's all down to him.
The thing that really hits this whole relationship and plot reveal home though is the song that accompanies it. Listening to the song now while I write this I'm filled with the same awe and emotion as when I played it on stream and fought to hold the tears back.
So it may not be a love story for the ages, a Disney ending it is not and whilst the main plot may not have been that deep, the twist at the end to show the lengths a friend will go to for someone he loves was truly special.
I have ONLY ever seen one FF game being played and that was by my team member, thegreatestbanana aka Adam (yes I asked if I could reveal his name) he is my best friend of 10 years and I love the games but I simply don't have time to play them all.
So with Final Fantasy X, he actually played the game and uploaded videos of him playing it so I could watch it when I had time.
Tidus & Yuna, Final Fantasy XIMO, this story was known to "annoy people" but, I feel that for one of the greatest love stories, these two, it was emotional, awe-inspiring, and just, amazing, and really touched me how it was all put together. The cut scenes were amazing and very well done. So yeh, this is my submission :)
Hands down the cutest and hottest lesbian couple ever!
Those two girls are two characters from Guild Wars 2. They appear as companions to the Commander (the player's character) through Living Seasons and expansions.
However, what makes them stand apart is that their are a lesbian couple. As the story progress, from their encounter at Southsun Cove during Living World Season 1, through hard moments and happy moments, their relathionships develops, kind of organically, going from "partners in crime", to lovers, to long standing couple.
They don't start outright into one another, but you see them grow closer as time passes. They have their moments where they move aparts and the moments when one is there to stand up for the other, just like in a real relationship. And yet, they always get through.
I shed a tear of happiness at that last scene, when they invite you to the Dead End bar, together with all the Dragon's Watch, for a special event. (No spoilers~ 😉 )
Me and romance don't go well together at all. As such I usually don't like many love stories and don't really seek them out. I find them awkward, hard to relate to, depressing, and boring.
However, there is one I generally like, that being in the Witcher series. I see a lot of myself in someone like Geralt, jaded, cynical, down-to-earth, and extremely determined, navigating life complexities until the question of what true love is comes along. Like with most love stories I can't really relate to it or say how realistic it is, given how I have no experience at all in that area, however something about it clicks for me given the characters involved. I guess it also being a Polish series of games with more Polish social sensibilities helps out I guess. What's more, Wolven Storm, at least the original Polish version of it, remains one of my favourite songs ever, and it manages perfectly to be romantic, and yet depressing. And if I need to tolerate romance in my games or songs, I'd rather have it be depressing. Call me weird but I love more depressing themes in games, songs, etc. and where that meets romance, is where some truly great stuff can be made that hits just the right chords for me. And the ballad is a perfect encapsulation of that.
