What's the best love story in videogames?

So I'm back into the Witcher 3 (been playing the same save ever so slowly for literally 6 years at this point), and just got to an important plot point in Geralt and Yen's relationship.

Spoiler:

When Yen tames a djinn to remove the curse that binds her and Geralt together to see if their love is real or just a djinn's trick

I found it surprisingly touching and charming, and it had me reflecting on what a good job that game does with an (albeit weird) adult, mature relationship, without the whole thing devolving into a ludo-narrative dissonant mess of "which person do I have to give enough items to before they'll bone-down", a la Mass Effect.

So it had me wondering, where else are the good love stories in videogaming? I confess to 100% genre-blindness of the dating-sim genre - there could be any number of perfect love stories sitting there and I'd never know about it.

In Baldur's Gate 2, I was always particular to the romance between the Bhaalspawn and Viconia. He's an outcast with emerging demigod powers, she's a drow trying to make her way in the surface world. If you played a good guy, Viconia

Spoiler:

fights you and mocks you and resists every chance to show weakness. At the end, not only does she eventually admit her love for your character, in the expansion her alignment may actually change from neutral evil to neutral.

It's actually a bit of a heartwarming moment. At the end of the saga, if you decide to remain mortal, the epilogue for Viconia is

Spoiler:

tragic but powerful. She has your child but is later poisoned to death, and the city of Baldur's gate recognizes her ultimately as a hero.

As much as I love Jaheira as a character, her romantic arc is too forced. Her lifelong partner dies, and then a bit later she's slowly turning to your character for support. Just seems like a rebound at best or at worst too fast and artificial.

The Aerie romance arc was basically a straightforward fairytale. Cute but nothing truly memorable.

BTW, yes the Geralt/Yenn romance in The Witcher 3 is a great story. A great representation of an older couple where both individuals have been through some crazy stuff together and separately. It's an interesting story of second chances and making real choices.

To The Moon.

The one that hit me hardest so far was A Summer's End - Hong Kong 1986, though that's a visual novel (LGBTQIA+) with a small amount of adult content.
Admittedly, I don't have much experience in the genre, so there are probably many more examples that are equally as good or better.

merphle wrote:

To The Moon.

Great one.

I’ve heard good things about Haven’s portrayal of an established romantic relationship.

I remember enjoying the love story in Lunar 2. Mind you I was 13 or 14. So.

I can't remember any other that rings a bell.

Leisure suit Larry?

Budo wrote:
merphle wrote:

To The Moon.

Great one.

Yeah, I was having trouble trying to describe it in a way that's not spoilery. Even naming it as a love story kinda gives it away. Very worth the ~4 hours to play through.

Jonman wrote:

So I'm back into the Witcher 3 (been playing the same save ever so slowly for literally 6 years at this point), and just got to an important plot point in Geralt and Yen's relationship.

Spoiler:

When Yen tames a djinn to remove the curse that binds her and Geralt together to see if their love is real or just a djinn's trick

I found it surprisingly touching and charming, and it had me reflecting on what a good job that game does with an (albeit weird) adult, mature relationship, without the whole thing devolving into a ludo-narrative dissonant mess of "which person do I have to give enough items to before they'll bone-down", a la Mass Effect.

While I agree they did a good job keeping the relationships from feeling transactional I still really feel like they dropped the ball by making the "I wuv you" ❤️ phrase sort of a magic binding spell in itself. As a result in spite of the maturity of the people involved the romances felt very high school in their culmination. Like if I told Triss such, you'd lock in a life changing path change. No "I love you, and you need to go live your life because it's unhealthy for both of us and you've got serious business to take care of". Just I love you, let's be together forever, or nah I'm just not that into you. Just some simple dialogue options that acknowledged nuance between those binaries would have made the closure more thoughtful.

merphle wrote:
Budo wrote:
merphle wrote:

To The Moon.

Great one.

Yeah, I was having trouble trying to describe it in a way that's not spoilery. Even naming it as a love story kinda gives it away. Very worth the ~4 hours to play through.

Agree, such a fantastic few hours of a game/story. One of my all time favorites.

The tragedy of the Blue Rose of Illium in Mass Effect 2 and 3, because I like to make myself sad for entertainment and it meshes my deep love of poetry and video games. There was something real, both light and heavy, as well as complicated, beautiful and sad about the depth of their story that I still regularly think about it.

Oh Blue Rose of Illium
let your roots dig deep
into the hot soil of Tuchanka.

Let our scorching sun
and sheeting rain
turn your supple beauty into strength.

For if our love is to survive
it must grow thorns
to pierce the hand of any that would uproot it.

Blue Rose of Illium
you have blossomed
in a tower of glass and plastic.

But beauty under glass
is untested
and weak.

Where are your honored dead
to fertilize the ground
that you might grow strong?

On the rocky plains of Tuchanka,
I will build you a garden
from the bones of my ancestors.

Blue Rose of Illium
leave eternity unembraced
and grapple in the glorious struggle
that is us, here and now!

I am speechless
not with blood rage
but with love.

and I stand here
humble and mute
to offer you a home.

Come to me
Blue Rose of Illium
Let our three hearts beat as two.

jbavon wrote:

Leisure suit Larry?

That would a lust story

Solaire and the Sun in Dark Souls.

Budo wrote:

As much as I love Jaheira as a character, her romantic arc is too forced. Her lifelong partner dies, and then a bit later she's slowly turning to your character for support. Just seems like a rebound at best or at worst too fast and artificial.

Yeah, but.... Jaheira.

I'd love to nominate Judy from Cyberpunk, but it is also a bit fast (I mean, understandable, the game isn't taking place over the course of an entire year) and it suffers from the same problem so many RPG romances suffer from: "You slept together! Congratulations! You have obtained Relationship! Here's your Achievement!" and then nothing else.

So... the best? Hm.... I can't choose one, so I'm just gonna guess and say Max and Chloe from Life Is Strange.

Spoiler:

Even if I think the clearly intended ending is the one where Chloe dies.

Thanatos and Zagreus in Hades.

In all seriousness, I loved romancing Liara in Mass Effect and Leliana in Dragon Age. I think I’m super partial to Leliana since she’s a lot like my wife.

TIL: jdzappa's missus is a bard.

Or a really scary spymaster/head of a religion. Could probably wok fine, just dont ever close your eyes while sleeping.

To The Moon is a good mention in this topic for sure.

I'd pick Florence (mobile game) as the best game about romance.

Playing through Witcher 3 a second time and I'd love to try the Triss romance instead of Yen but I dont think I can do it.

Doki Doki Literature Club!

Bfgp wrote:

Doki Doki Literature Club!

Most terrifying love story maybe...

It's been a long while since I've played it, but I think I remember Gone Home having a pretty touching love story. Or am I misremembering?

Teen me would have said FFVII (geez, do I have to spoiler this??) or FFX.

University undergrad me would have said the tragic love story of Fenthick Moss and Aribeth de Tylmarande in Neverwinter Nights 1.

Current me? I can't recall playing a game with what I would call a decent romance since then. Sorry, KOTOR and Mass Effect.

beanman101283 wrote:

I’ve heard good things about Haven’s portrayal of an established romantic relationship.

I've played a lot of the games mentioned here, and I'd also go with Haven as the best portrayal of a realistic, established relationship I've seen. Not perfect, and the folks are still young, but they manage to make it central to the game without it being a visual novel. (Note: is cross-platform if you prefer a console to PC)

My love for the Total War Warhammer games, Hunt Showdown and Company of Heroes series. Burning love for them all.

Ba dum dump

whispa wrote:

My love for the Total War Warhammer games, Hunt Showdown and Company of Heroes series. Burning love for them all.

Ba dum dump :)

IMAGE(https://media.tenor.com/R89bWK82PhEAAAAd/falcon-out.gif)

I feel we need another top 10 list thread so that somebody can derail it with a Final Fantasy top 10 rant.

This is a pretty deep cut and there's no way it's the "best," but the tragic love story arc from Tribes: Vengeance really stuck with me.

merphle wrote:

It's been a long while since I've played it, but I think I remember Gone Home having a pretty touching love story. Or am I misremembering?

It's touching, but I think the way the game is structured... it's hard to talk about without spoilers, but I don't think you get quite enough to call it the best love story.

Budo wrote:

In Baldur's Gate 2, I was always particular to the romance between the Bhaalspawn and Viconia. He's an outcast with emerging demigod powers, she's a drow trying to make her way in the surface world. If you played a good guy, Viconia

Spoiler:

fights you and mocks you and resists every chance to show weakness. At the end, not only does she eventually admit her love for your character, in the expansion her alignment may actually change from neutral evil to neutral.

It's actually a bit of a heartwarming moment. At the end of the saga, if you decide to remain mortal, the epilogue for Viconia is

Spoiler:

tragic but powerful. She has your child but is later poisoned to death, and the city of Baldur's gate recognizes her ultimately as a hero.

As much as I love Jaheira as a character, her romantic arc is too forced. Her lifelong partner dies, and then a bit later she's slowly turning to your character for support. Just seems like a rebound at best or at worst too fast and artificial.

The Aerie romance arc was basically a straightforward fairytale. Cute but nothing truly memorable.

BTW, yes the Geralt/Yenn romance in The Witcher 3 is a great story. A great representation of an older couple where both individuals have been through some crazy stuff together and separately. It's an interesting story of second chances and making real choices.

You forgot Minsc and Boo.

I could have sworn there were more options for romance in the BG games, but I went back and looked and it was a smaller list than I remembered.

beeporama wrote:
merphle wrote:

It's been a long while since I've played it, but I think I remember Gone Home having a pretty touching love story. Or am I misremembering?

It's touching, but I think the way the game is structured... it's hard to talk about without spoilers, but I don't think you get quite enough to call it the best love story.

That's fair. I remembered it as being a love story, but I couldn't remember how deep it went.