Gaming's greatest love stories
In time for Valentine's Day, the Substack gaming community weighs in on their favourite romantic tales.
Humour me with a little thought experiment. Go ask someone, anyone, to name one love story in film, literature and music. They may stumble on one of the three, but I'd wager they wouldn't do too badly. Now ask them for a love story in a video game. If they don't game, I'd reckon they'd clutch at straws. Mario and Peach? Zelda and Link? Donkey Kong and bananas?
I may be living in hope here, but it's surely known by now that games are a complicated vehicle for storytelling. We've come a long way since the days of Pac-Man and Space Invaders, which, despite their rudimentary systems, still told stories in their own way.
But as love stories are often buried in denser, richer, longer games, they get less attention than many others. Yet some of the most fleshed-out tales of love I've encountered are in the gaming medium. They simply have more time to dig at the nuances of a relationship and tease out unique points of interaction compared to a song, film or, sometimes, even a book.
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So in time for Valentine's Day, I polled writers across Substack for their most memorable love story within a game. I expected one or two replies. I was well prepared to do most of the heavy lifting for this piece. But I was inundated with interest.
Moreover, there was very little crossover or double-ups among the suggestions I received. That's telling, as perhaps it indicates that love is more prolific in games than even I first thought. Here's what the Substack community had to say.
Geralt and Yennefer — The Witcher 3
By Alex Stasenko, Gamedev Relay
Romance is probably one of the core pillars of The Witcher 3. As a person who has been a fan of the books since I was a kid, it's been such a pleasure to relive the life of Geralt with a new twist and to experience all these emotions -- I know, Witchers don't feel emotions -- from everything that's going on, especially when it comes to Yennefer of Vengerberg.
The whole romance perfectly translates the tone that I remember from the books, with Yennefer always being kind of a... Well, let's say: not a nice person. And Geralt being whatever you want him to be. But the best moment is that you can resolve sort of a cliffhanger from the book "The Last Wish" and finally decide if Geralt and Yennefer are meant to be or if it was all just a sick joke from a djin. It all connects like a perfect set of Lego and doesn't let you go even after you played it a dozen times!
Real love in Stardew Valley
By Josh Vasquez, Attack, Item, Run
Stardew Valley co-op was all we had for a while. With over 2,000 miles between us, my then girlfriend, now wife, and I created Fifth Dimension Farm. It was a place beyond reality where we were together. We had a farm, animals, mutual friends, everything we might have if we were closer and, I guess, farmers. We established our first chores there. I tended the crops, she fought her way down to the depths of the mines. At the end of the day, we’d unwind together by fishing in the ocean.
Years later we would walk down the aisle to “Nocturne of Ice,” one of the Winter themes composed by developer ConcernedApe— a fitting ballad to begin the rest of our lives. It was a reminder that for a while, Stardew Valley co-op was all we had, but to us it was everything.
James and Mary (or maybe Maria?) — Silent Hill 2
By The Pneumanaut, The Pneumanaut
Love can be twisted, torturous, strange. You can love the idea of a person more than the person themselves. This is what struck me about Silent Hill 2's protagonist, James, and his attraction to Maria - an uncanny, uber-sexualised simulacrum of his deceased wife, Mary. James comes to the nightmarish town of Silent Hill to seek the love he lost - to find solace, redemption, or maybe just excuses - but instead he finds a shadow of the woman he once knew.
Or, is she exactly what he's been looking for all along? A version of his wife who yearns for him, who inflates his ego, who needs him to rescue her? Maria is not her own person - she harbors no anger against him for the terrible things he's done. In the end, perhaps the fantasy is better than the dark reality. It was for my James; I'm not sure it is for me.
The Rogue Trader and Heinrix van Calox — Warhammer 40K: Rogue Trade
By Inna, Catalystic Talks
I wasn’t expecting to experience such an intriguing romance in Warhammer 40K: Rogue Trader’s character Heinrix van Calox. He’s an Interrogator for the Inquisition and is assigned a role on your playable character, the Rogue Trader’s, ship. The rest of the party is wary, but the Rogue Trader can show kindness.
Heinrix can only be romanced by a female Rogue Trader, and she could either be an aggressive flirt or more subtle in their affections. I went the subtle route, while playing on an Iconoclast character, and the way Heinrix slowly lets his guard down is delightful. He becomes influenced by your character’s merciful behavior. That influence results in him struggling with his duty to the Inquisition and his desire to experience a genuine connection. This struggle between duty and love is compelling, resulting in a rich love story despite the violence of the Warhammer universe.
Jak and Ashelin — Jak 3
By The Video Game Storyteller, The Video Game Storyteller
People change and so do relationships.
I like to think this was the mindset of the Naughty Dog writers when they decided to make Ashelin the main love interest for Jak 3. It had absolutely nothing to do with Keira’s voice actor changing and her character’s role being dramatically reduced.
In my opinion, Jak and Ashelin feel like a natural progression for Jak’s character arc. The innocent heroism that defined his personality in The Precursor Legacy was completely corrupted by dark eco in the second game, altering core aspects of him forever.
Ashelin’s headstrong and confident outlook on life—and her own difficult past—beautifully complement this new, more layered Jak. And in the trilogy’s finale, we really see them bring out the best in each other.
Subsequent games would return to the Jak/Keira pairing, but, for me, Ashelin always felt like the person Jak was heading towards.
Lulu and Wakka — Final Fantasy X
By Paul Shkreli, Boss Fights
I remember feeling sorry for Wakka and Lulu at the start of Final Fantasy X. Living on the tropical island of Besaid, Lulu grew up as an orphan with Wakka and his brother Chappu after their parents died during an attack from Sin, the mammoth whale-like beast haunting the world of Spira. Prior to the events of FFX, Lulu was romantically involved with Chappu, who died in service as a Crusader, fighting against Sin.
When we meet Lulu and Wakka, they are both still wracked with the grief of their shared loved one. At first blush, they seem like polar opposites: Wakka is affable, silly, and lighthearted; Lulu, on the other hand, is stoic and seems rather cold. Lulu initially seems more annoyed by Wakka, believing his quick friendship with Tidus - an amnesiac who reminds them both of Chappu - is merely a coping mechanism to having lost his brother. But during the course of their respective journeys, they both confront their feelings of loss, guilt, and grief. In time, we see Lulu's icy exterior and incredibly sharp wardrobe are armour to protect her fragile emotional state, while Wakka is able to confront his bigoted views against the Al Bhed people, language, and technology.
When we walk away from Lulu and Wakka at the end of Final Fantasy X, they are not expressly romantically linked. Instead, we watch as the bombastic Blitzball player from Besaid and the taciturn Black Mage are there for each other, providing emotional support or even an admonishment when needed. They may not be in love, but you can feel the love is there. That's why it is so heartwarming to see their return in Final Fantasy X-2 where they are married and expecting. It's not a grandiose love story, but it's one that feels real. Could anything be lovelier than that?
Alan and Alice — Alan Wake
By Jesse Bartel, Damage Per Second
Alan Wake yelled at his wife Alice. Abused her for getting him a typewriter and encouraging the famous author to write. He portrays as a person incapable of love. Unconcerned with the happiness of his partner.
A vacation to Bright Falls was their last chance. To save their marriage. But a stay at a mysterious lake house and a prank gone wrong put Alice in danger. It stirred an ancient evil entity hidden in the lake. It took Alice.
That loss triggered something in Alan. He attempted to rewrite the story. His words, he learned, could twist reality. He braved the nightmares conjured by the lake for his wife. Fighting, climbing his way back to where that Lake House should’ve been. To find the typewriter and change the outcome. Save Alice.
He ended up trading places. Deemed a far more interesting captive for the entity. Only his typed words remain as a reflection of his love.
Miko and Quill — Spirittea
By Katya Ryabova, Playing This Week
Passionate, main-character romance is all well and good, but I crave variety in games too, much like in real life. Nothing gives a narratively rich game flavour like a well-written healthy and stable NPC romance that has nothing to do with the protagonist. Take Miko and Quill from the cozy management game Spirittea. They’re a pair of old geezers married forever and ever—he a grumpy old man with a soft heart; she an avid gardener and a spiritual soul.
As you play, you encounter them spending time together often, clearly enjoying each other’s company. You also see both of them happily doing things apart, having different hobbies and friends. Befriending them and talking to other NPCs reveals bits and pieces of their life that are perfectly ordinary. Yet it’s apparent that they care for each other deeply. Their love has clearly evolved many, many times and endured for ages. Such a tug at my heartstrings. Hashtag relationship goals!
Dimitri and Byleth — Fire Emblem: Three Houses
By Laura Bibby, Baby Gamer
Oh, how a golden retriever can become an angsty edgelord in the space of five years and a brutal war. In the beginning, the Prince of Faerghus and leader of the Blue Lions is friendly, somewhat chivalrous and more than willing for you (playing as a female presenting Byleth) to join his team. You might engage in some light flirting and maybe drink tea together.
Then the time skip happens, launching you five years into the future.
I have to say that this is a great display of how war and grief can affect a young person with a kingdom on their shoulders. It hurt my (Byleth’s) heart to be pushed away by him when you’ve been through so much, but with more time and gentle persistence you eventually cut through his new, fiercer exterior to the broken boy beneath. It’s a slow burn, emotional love story and one of my favourites in the Fire Emblem series.
Squall and Rinoa — Final Fantasy VIII
By J. Kyle Turner, A Fictionalised Account
I'm a sucker for the enemies-to-lovers trope, and Squall and Rinoa in Final Fantasy VIII do it about as well as Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet. He's broody and taciturn; she's passionate but naïve. They argue every time they're in a room together.
As the game progresses, each character realises how wrong they were about one another. His cold exterior is his way of processing the sudden responsibility of commanding half his childhood friends in battle against the other half. Her sunny optimism is really just determination to make the world a better place - even if she isn't quite sure where to start. By the end of the game, they're so important to one another that their love literally transcends time and space.
I won't say Final Fantasy VIII is a perfect game, but you can get it pretty cheap nowadays, and no one's going to call the cops if you throw on cheat codes to breeze through it and enjoy the story.
Kotone and Akihiko — Persona 3
By Oyito, Oyito’s Game Hub
I first played Persona 3 Portable when I was around 18, so I was about the same age as the cast of the game. Akihiko quickly became one of my favorite characters, and the romance between him and the Female Protagonist (aka Kotone) became one of my favorites because of how well they complete each other. I’ve always been a fan of the ‘oblivious but earnest guy’ with ‘mischievous and cheerful girl’ dynamic and they encapsulate it perfectly.
Their Social Link which is about overcoming grief is truly special and personal to me. As heartwarming as their story is in the game, it’s also heartbreaking to think about after the end, where Kotone dies and Akihiko is left behind once again, as had just come to terms with the passing of his sister and his best friend. Thinking about these dynamics and the potential it brings with the story made it one of my favorite romances that I hold near and dear to my heart.
Dominic and Maria — Gears of War 2
By Exploring The Games, Exploring The Games
In my years of gaming, I’ve seen plenty of memorable relationships, scenes, and levels. But nothing has been as memorable or painful as what Maria and Dominic Santiago went through. A focal point of Dom’s story is that he’s searching for his missing wife, Maria. Wherever he went, he always asked for her in the hopes he would find her, and he carried a picture where she wrote, “You always have me with you… I love you, Dominic, Always, Maria.” Their story comes to a tragic end, when Dom frees Maria from captivity, only to reveal that she has become a husk of her former self, forcing him to put her out of her misery. That scene got me so hard that I still feel bad about it. A tragic love story in a tragic and grim world.
Tidus and Yuna -- Final Fantasy X
By Harrison Polites, Infinite Lives
Final Fantasy X is perhaps one of my favourite games of all time, and the first love story I encountered in a game. It revolves around the two protagonists Tidus and Yuna, who with a party in tow set off to defeat the big bad of their world, Sin.
The game gives the impression of its love at first sight, but the relationship actually blooms over the course of the game. Both are hilariously oblivious to it at first and it’s arguable the party plays a significant role egging on the romance.
It ultimately takes a failed arranged marriage — between Yuna and a gross antagonist — and a bleak revelation — Yuna is destined to meet her end defeating Sin — for them to recognise their feelings and get together. Tidus struggles, but eventually finds a way to stop this, the cost being his own life. It’s a tear-jerkingly bittersweet ending to a star-crossed lovers story. But let’s all omit that one scene of Tidus and Yuna fake laughing on the stairwell at Luca. What a mess.
Do you have a favourite relationship of the ones mentioned here? Or are there any burning ones that we missed? Let us know in the comments.
Thanks for reading this week’s edition of Infinite Lives!
But wait, where’s the review? I wrote one up for Red Alert 3, a blast from the past that I recently revisited on Steam Deck. However, due to the (file) size of this article, held over and mailed out next Tuesday.
I made an editorial call that readers needed to see each relationship mentioned, and adding in so many pictures made it impossible to run this piece and the review.
So… catch you next Tuesday.
Yes!!! Thank you so much for this. Love that Jak and Ashelin made the part.
How did you completely miss the Xeno- series? Particularly with Xenogears and Xenoblade, the entire set can be summarized as the title of chapter 10 of Xenoblade 2: "And thus, boy meets girl."
When I saw the first few items, I thought to myself, "Xenoblade 3 had better be on here." The main characters are eight people who form four pairs, each half from completely different worlds. While the two people at the center of it all, Noah and Mio, form an iconic "love at first sight" pair, it's two of the other couples that really stand out to me.
Lanz and Senna are the pair that immediately hit it off, both being very enthusiastic about exercise though for very different reasons. Lanz is just focusing on what he's good at, as his job is being a tank and he does it very well. Senna, meanwhile, swings a hammer that weighs more than she does, boosted as she is by her core crystal. But her enthusiasm for exercise comes from her own insecurities that come to light over the course of the story.
Eunie and Taion, meanwhile, want nothing to do with the whole adventure, but are forced on it because of their circumstances. Eunie harbors half-forgotten memories of betrayal by her entire society; Taion remembers his hero who died for lack of intel, and so focuses everything on optimal strategy. While we never really get any "I love you" from either of them, we do get probably the most important dialogue during a cutscene towards the end of the game.
"I never thought you would open up," Taion remarks to Eunie during an evening around the campfire.
Eunie is startled by the comment, but after hesitation, replies, "Maybe I found someone I could depend on."