Five Heartwarming Video Game Couples
First of all, Happy Valentine’s Day everyone! Certainly do love you all for the support you give me by keeping up with what I do.
The idea of love has always been a bit of a foreign concept to me. Luckily, I found out it has just as corny an explanation as you could possibly imagine - it only makes sense with the right person.
But, rather oddly to some, you can learn a lot about love from video games. The close relationships shared between you and companions, be they human, animal or something else, teach you the ways of being selfless and doing what you do for the betterment of your other half.
We explored some of the morally sketchy and emotionally gripping sides of in-game storytelling last week, leading to a rather bleak list. So let’s get wholesome this time.
Here are five in-game relationships that melt even the iciest of hearts.
1. The Prince and Farah - Prince of Persia: Sands of Time
Sounds like a standard romance story on paper. Boy destroys city as part of army, meets imprisoned girl, boy unleashes curse on the planet, travels back and forth in time to save the world and his love….
Yea, rather strange, but the beauty comes from the drawn out character development. Along the way, they fall in love, making Farah’s death much more impactful.
But of course, you can control time, so you head all the way back to the beginning to save her.
2. Gordon Freeman and Alyx Vance - Half-Life 2
The rare beauty of video games are their ability to create emotional connections when your character doesn’t speak at all. Enter Gordon Freeman - the mute scientist who always seems to have bad luck, when it comes to inter dimensional alien invaders and Orwellianistic oppressive forces.
However, he gets to fight them alongside someone in Half-Life 2 (released in 2004…god I feel old). Enter hacker Alyx Vance and a romance blossoms between the two of you, even though you never say a single word. Hell, even her dad asks you when he’s going to get grand children!
Check out my interview with the writer of Half-Life and Half-Life 2.
3. Wander and Mono - Shadow of The Colossus
Outside of this romance, the story of Shadow of The Colossus is a harrowing one. The death of each Colossus continues to stick with you throughout your life (fair warning to anyone who played the remaster).
But running throughout this, there is a tale of you (Wander) doing everything - even swearing to a mystical being - that he will do anything to bring the love of his live (Mono) back to life.
To do this, he’s asked to defeat colossi, who contain a power that slowly corrupts Wander’s body, as it heals Mono’s. The tearjerking end sees the last colossus fall and Mono awaken - trapped and alone in a strange castle.
4. Nathan and Elena - Uncharted
Don’t get me wrong, all the above couples do teach you the basics of love, but they are framed within fantasy worlds and a little too farfetched to really connect with. With that in mind, take a bow Nathan Drake and Elena Fisher! Now…
I’m not saying the story is 100% real, because of course its not - bringing some serious Indiana Jones vibes to gaming with some supernatural elements to boot. However, these moments of pure character development between Nate and Elena are acted to perfection and explore the vast spectrum of how a romance can blossom.
Not only that, but the married couple throughout Uncharted 4 is one of the most wholesome moments in video gaming history. Check out my list of the most wholesome moments in games.
5. Mario and Peach - Super Mario
Now, I’d be mental to not put these two on the list somewhere… The equivalent of royalty by now and the most famous couple in gaming, Mario has taken on three decades of obstacles to rescue his beloved Princess Peach from Bowser. That level of commitment is something couples can take note of…or is it?
The other lesson you can learn from this comes from Super Mario Odyssey, which demonstrates how being obsessed in someone doesn’t mean you deserve that someone, as is made clear by the end. It’s an interesting lesson in being a nice guy.
