The best romances in video games to tug at your heart

Video games aren’t all action, there are touching moments too

Valentine’s Day is almost here, and whether you’re paired up, or going solo, it’s sometimes nice to indulge yourself in a love story. Love stories are found in all forms of media, and games have some of the best. Playing through the tales you get the feeling of being there yourself, warming up your cockles. If you want to feel the love this Valentine’s Day, then we have 10 games to tickle your fancy.

Professor Layton and The Unwound Future

Professor Layton is best known for solving puzzles, but back in his early years it turns out he was something of a catch. However, ten years ago he lost his girlfriend Claire in a tragic accident, and has since thrown himself into his work. While he has since accepted Claire’s death, there are many other suitors who hadn’t.

What ensues is a thrilling adventure of time travel and deception, where Layton has to decide whether to foil the mastermind’s plans, or allow a time machine to be built. The latter would allow him to go back in time and save Claire. We won’t spoil it for you, but the ending should make your eyes at least a little wet.

Final Fantasy 7

Unlike Unwound Future, Final Fantasy 7 is a game most people have played and loved. This means that if I give away romantic plot points, they shouldn’t really be a surprise for you. While the community consistently argues over whether Tifa or Aeris is best girl, despite what we might want to believe the answer is canonically the latter.

There are a number of touching scenes between Cloud and Aeris, including their date at Gold Saucer. Cloud’s memories are of course mixed up with those of Aeris’ ex-boyfriend meaning the couple are close despite only just meeting. When Aeris comes to Cloud in his dream and explains how she’s the only one who can stop Sephiroth, it’s all the more heartbreaking knowing what will happen next. Tifa is certainly the bigger asset in battle, but Aeris is the one who will bring you to tears.

Persona 2: Innocent Sin & Eternal Punishment

The original Persona 2, Innocent Sin, allows the protagonist Tatsuya to choose between three love interests. Each of these have their own touching stories, but the romance between Tatsuya and Maya is expanded even further in Eternal Punishment, meaning this is likely the canonical romance.

Persona’s story is strange, to say the least, but essentially the group meeting each other has only led to horrible, traumatic experiences. Maya is almost burnt to death in a fire, Tatsuya pulls out his own eye, and somehow the Nazis get involved. At the end of it all they decide to go back and never meet, escaping the madness. Tatsuya is the only one who hasn’t forgotten and aims to protect Maya and the others throughout Eternal Punishment. A dark romance, but one that is gripping throughout.

Catherine Full Body

In the original Catherine, neither Catherine nor Katherine are the ‘right’ choice. While one is a hard-working career woman, and the other is a succubus from hell the game has a good ending either way you play. However, Catherine Full Body introduces Qatherine, whose kind heart and gentle nature makes him feel like the right choice for Vincent all along.

Vincent doesn’t handle the realization that Qatherine is a man in the most delicate way, but after some much-needed introspection comes to understand that love is love. His relationship with Qatherine makes him a better man, and leads him away from the destructive path he was heading down. Vincent in turn accepts Qatherine for who he truly is, despite having a troubled past. You still get a good ending no matter who you choose, but Qatherine’s story warmed our cockles the most.

Firewatch

Firewatch isn’t strictly a romance story, as the people involved never actually meet. However, this makes it all the more gripping, as you only communicate with Delilah over walkie-talkie. You make the choices in the dialogue that dictate your relationship with her, whether you keep it professional or go flirty.

As you get deeper into the game you encounter a mystery in the park you are protecting. You and Delilah have to then discuss the best way to go about it. After some girls go missing, Delilah fakes reports to cover your tracks, which leads to the pair of you being blackmailed. Nothing like a conspiracy to bring a couple closer together.

Ico

What is so touching about the romance in Ico is that it’s told through the gameplay more than the story. On your first playthrough, you can’t understand what the horned boy and Yorda say to each other, but through their actions you can feel their affection. They need each other, and this aspect is woven into every part of the game.

Each has their own abilities, and they will clear a path for each other in order to move on. Letting go of Yorda’s hand fills you with panic, and losing sight of her isn’t an option. You need both of them in order to save, and as the pair sit on the save bench together for a rare moment of respite, you can feel the deep connection.

Bayonetta 2

In the first Bayonetta, Bayo, and Jeanne are mortal enemies, and the majority of the time they meet is in combat. However, as they realize their history together, the pair become inseparable, which is what makes the events of Bayonetta 2 hit all the harder. When Jeanne gets dragged down in Inferno as the game starts, Bayo goes to the end of the Earth, literally, in order to save her.

Bayo never announces that Jeanne is her partner, but she doesn’t have to. It’s in the way they interact, in their knowing looks, in Bayo’s anguish at losing her, and her determination to bring her back. All through Bayonetta 3, we see how no matter what world Bayo inhabits, Jeanne is there by her side. We just don’t talk about the ending.

The House in Fata Morgana

I’m going to start out with the elephant in the room. The House of Fata Morgana is a visual novel, and yes that means there’s no platforming, fighting, and puzzle-solving. However, if you are willing to overlook that, there is a deeply beautiful story at the heart of it, that slowly unfolds the more you play.

You play as the master of a mansion with your loyal maid at your side helping you remember the mansion’s history. As you learn more, you remember more about yourself, and the fact that at one point the two of you were deeply in love despite your troubled history. The House in Fata Morgana is dark, and grim, people get maimed, horrible traumas occur, but this is what makes the love story at the heart of it all the more beautiful.

Shovel Knight

Sometimes the best stories are the simplest. Shovel Knight isn’t rich in dialogue, but it has a surprisingly deep story told through the characters and locations. At its heart, it’s the story of a love triangle between Shovel Knight, Black Knight, and Shield Knight, with the former two doing everything they can to help protect the latter.

One of the best ways Shovel Knight tells this love story is in the final fight, where Shield and Shovel must work alongside each other to take down the final boss. The two of you work in harmony, and without the other the feat would be impossible. While Shield Knight has chosen her beau, Black Knight is still there to make sure the lovers stay safe. Don’t let the fact that Shovel Knight canonically has a fish head distract you from the romance.

Xenoblade Chronicles 3

The best romances are ones that defy any boundary, and Xenoblade Chronicles 3’s love story does just that. It starts out as a Romeo and Juliet-style tale with two people, Noah and Mio, on opposite sides of warring factions. Once they are forced to fight alongside each other they soon discover their feelings. But that doesn’t mean that everything is smooth sailing.

You see in Xenoblade there is reincarnation, and when Noah accesses his past memories he sees lifetimes that he has spent with Mio. He experiences their joys, as well as their hardships and sadness, and watches as they find each other again and again. Now they have to find a way to be together once more.