Okay, so I missed the deadline for the Valentine Day’s special blog but in my defense, I had issues to deal with. So as I type this as fast as I can to make up for lost time, allow me to skip the pleasantries and the pseudo-intellectual rabble that I saddle you with, usually.
Love is a difficult subject…oh hell, forget it. I’m just going to list the best romance stories that I (in my humble opinion, worthless as it may be) felt gave the subject of Love the gravity it deserves. Bear in mind, I made my own list of parameters for what constitutes as good romance in a game:
1)There has to be a well-established romance between the two characters (no ‘crushes’ allowed)
2) The romance must be integral part of the plot
3)A sort of ‘payoff’ has to come out of said romance
This unfortunately means I’m going to have discard some notable mentions like Wander and Momo etc
On with the show-
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COUPLE: Stahn//Rutee
GAME(S): Tales of Destiny/Tales of Destiny II
ROMANTIC JOURNEY: Stahn is a swordsman on a quest to become the best there is and Rutee is the Lens-obsessed thief that tags along with him. Both are possessors of mystical talking swords. Rutee’s world weary, cynical mannerism rubs off on Stahn and helps him mature where in contrast, Stahn’s optimisim and heroic helps soften her up. If you ever come across the Naïve Hero/Thief with a Heart of Gold, you’ll know to thank Tales of Destiny for popularizing it.
PAYOFF: Got married, have a child in Tales of Destiny II
DESCRIBE THIS IN ONE QUOTE:
“You killed all those monsters and you didn’t even take the Lens!”
COUPLE: The Prince//Farrah
GAME(S): The Sands of Time quintology
ROMANTIC JOURNEY: The Prince and Farrah are enemies who are forced into an uneasy alliance when the fate of both Kingdoms is at stake. Being responsible for invading her country and ostensibly setting the world on the path of destruction, Farrah has no reason to trust the Prince…yet through hardship and misery, the two inevitably become close and fall in love.
PAYOFF: Whilst they do end up together in the third game, the TRUE payoff is seeing the Prince’s change through his attraction and eventually genuine love for Farrah. Listening to the Prince’s inner monologue and watching how his view of her radically changes remains one of the best examples of character development in gaming.
DESCRIBE THIS IN ONE QUOTE:
“Just call me…Kakalokia.”
COUPLE: Darth Revan//Bastilla Shan
GAME: Knights of the Old Republic
ROMANTIC JOURNEY: Bioware’s known for their hokey romance yet if there is ONE and only ONE game where I believe they got it right, it would be Knights of the Old Republic. Unlike the rest of Bioware’s romantic prospects, Bastilla is not immediately beholden to your character as soon as you meet her…in fact, she downright hates you and for good reason.
PAYOFF: Bypassing an entire boss fight through dialogue choice.
DESCRIBE THIS IN ONE QUOTE:
“Good luck, my love, and may The Force be with you.”
COUPLE: Librom//Sortiara
GAME: Soul Sacrifice
ROMANTIC JOURNEY: Librom and Sortiara are fellow Sorcerers from a Society that’s bent on destroying monsters. In a world where humanity is ostensibly screwed and everyone has the potential to become a monster, Sorcerers are not immune to the corruption and, inevitably, partnered Sorcerers will have to sacrifice their comrade-in-arms. At first, Sortiara is dismissive of Librom even downright cruel at times but her attitude changes and her words soften until the inevitable tragedy and he has to sacrifice her. Watching Librom descend into madness and depression over his guilt for murdering Sortiara is downright cruel, even for the player. As a certain review website said…this game is in desperate need of a hug.
PAYOFF: Sortiara’s memories inhabit Librom’s arm and in the final segment, it is revealed she wanted to live her life with him had the world not been so cruel. This gives Librom the final push he needed to say no to sacrificing his latest comrade, Magusar. Unfortunately, this decision leads to the destruction of the world……I’m gonna go overdose on antidepressants now.
DESCRIBE THIS IN ONE QUOTE:
"In my final moments, I only wished for one thing. That the one I loved would not crumble and lose his heart."
COUPLE: Fei Fong Wong//Elly Van Houten
GAME: Xenogears
ROMANTIC JOURNEY: Fei Fong Wong is a ‘Lamb’, a sub-class of humanity that remains ignorant they are the mercy of their Satellite inhabiting overlords. Enter Elly, a soldier from the upper class whose Gear (read: Giant robot) crash lands in a forest and crosses paths with Fei. What initially seems like the set-up for an 'Enemies-turned-Lovers' ; tale, the twist is so much more mind-blowing. Fei and Elly are re-incarnations of the first people who settled on this planet, the Engineer and the Captain’s Daughter who were in a vessel carrying the corpse of God. Throughout a plot that’s too complicated for me to explain, it is revealed that Fei and Elly are star-crossed lovers, always destined to meet and always meant to part when Elly sacrifices herself.
PAYOFF: Fei unlocks his memories, transforms Weltall into the ungodly Xenogears (yay! Cue title!) and breaks the cycle that made Elly sacrifice herself. BEST. GAME. EVER!
DESCRIBE THIS IN ONE QUOTE:
“I loved one woman... no matter the day, no matter the era... That did not change... Nor did her name...“
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**BONUS ROUND**
COUPLE: Motonobu Toriyama//Lightning
GAME: The Lightning Saga, FFXIV, Dissidia…every single Final Fantasy from here on…
ROMANTIC JOURNEY: Toriyama is your classic Waifu-obsessed individual with a disturbing obsession towards his creation. When he’s not eschewing his love for her or serenading poems (I’m not joking here…) about his love for her at conventions, Toriyama uses his position to bully other members of Square-Enix to include her in their game.
PAYOFF: Lightning is the leader of heroes in Dissidia, become a Goddess and killed God in FFXIII, inspired the entire world of FFXIV, will appear in FFXV and quite possibly turned more people off the franchise than all of Square Enix’s blunders combined (All The Bravest, FFXIV V 1.0)
DESCRIBE THIS IN ONE QUOTE:
“I hung picture of Lightning in the office so that the programmers remember that she is watching over them.”
Seek help, Toriyama. I’m not joking…
Amid rumors it was looking to sell Eve Online developer CCP Games, Pearl Abyss has given a statement to Insider Gaming.
"A God sandbox, meets micromanagement simulator? Sign me up! Think Black & White meets Theme Hospital, and when you add in the cartoonish humour of Worms you might just find yourself in a gaming Utopia Sintopia." Thumb Culture
The First Descendant 1.2.20 Update is finally live.
I should fail this for failing to mention my avatar+Alistair(DA) or my avatar+Fenris(DA2). ;)
I like that this focused on romantic love, and could see a sequel for non-romantic love a la Ico and Yorda...or seriously abusive relationships like GLaDOS and Chell. :P