Video game couples often focus on the “falling in love” aspect of romance stories. They tend to portray the meet-cutes, the heart-melting confessions, and the moments where two characters finally become “official.” More often than not, marriage is treated as the end goal, the cherry on top of a happy ending for a protagonist and their love interest.
Less common in video games are the “staying in love” stories, especially when it comes to married couples. But there are some games whose main characters have exchanged their vows and whose nuptials are treated as another part of their grand adventures. These power couples taking center stage are few and far between, but they deserve to be celebrated.
Like most modern RPGs with character customization,Fallout 4allows the player to choose between a male and female protagonist. But no matter which one the player picks, both the male and female characters exist in-universe. Instead of being two gendered versions of the same character, they’re husband and wife, the player choosing the better half of a whole.
The spouse who isn’t picked as the player character shares a brief vital part in the protagonist’s story. Their domestic bliss gets cut short by nuclear fallout, andtheir untimely deathsoon after (“soon” being a relative term) propels the player into a story of vengeance. From their brief time onscreen together, it’s clear that these two were a happy couple, giving the later in-game romances a bittersweet edge.Fallout 4’s vault survivor may eventually find love again, but they never forget their former spouse. That love persists in the child they created (for better or for worse).
Some bonds are never truly broken; they just change shape over time. So it is throughout the story ofAssassin’s Creed: Origins.Bayek and Ayawere childhood friends who fell in love. Their bond remained strong until the darkest day of their lives — the death of their son, Khemu. From there, the story pushes these two characters further and further apart, each responding to their grief and pursuing their own goals in their own way.
However, as playersprogress through the game, it’s clear that the love Bayek and Aya share persists. Even the act of renouncing their vows is more in service to the greater good, rather than a lack of feelings for each other. Even if they don’t end their lives married to one another, their sarcophagi are eventually laid to rest side-by-side. Their love persisted despite everything, just not the way they expected.
It’s a tale as old as time — a strong, capable woman who can’t help but fall in love with a sweet, lovable doofus. That’s the case between the two swashbuckling leads of theMonkey Islandseries, wannabe pirate Guybrush Threepwood and his independent governor love interest, Elaine Marley. Their love began toward the end of the originalMonkey Island, and by the time ofEscape From Monkey Island, they’re in their honeymoon phase, beginning their married life with yet anotherpirate adventure.
The fascinating thing about these two is that they weren’t originally intended to fall in love. Early on, the developers of the first game envisioned Elaine as a much more cutthroat character. However, she evolved into the current loving-but-fierce butt-kicker that gamers and Guybrush have come to love. The relationship between her and Guybrush’s may have hit some rough waters in the past, but as each game has shown, their love is strong enough to weather any storm.
Speaking of adventurers who were meant to be,Uncharted’s Nathan Drake and his co-lead Elena Fisher were another match made in adversity. These two hit it off when they first began working together inDrake’s Fortune, with each subsequent game introducing new developments to their on-off again romance. Elena is Nathan’s equal in every way — fearless, adventurous, and heroic. But she’s also not afraid to try and steer him into a more stable life. As it turns out, balancing a lust for adventure with married life is no small feat.
By the time ofA Thief’s End, Elena and Nathan’s relationship is in the best place it’s ever been. But when Nathan’s long-lost brother appears, his deceptive return to his past ways puts a strain on his marriage yet again. Fortunately, the life of an adventurer brings Nathan and Elena together more than it pulls them apart. By the end of the game, the two have finally figured out the balance between their work and their personal lives, with a kid and a dog tying it all together.
As shown throughout this article, video game protagonists often have a hard time keeping up a successful relationship. Most of them either make it work, call it quits, or get stuck in a perpetual state of on-again, off-again.Divorce often happenswhen the stress of adventuring or past trauma pushes a couple past the breaking point, with the sequels sometimes seeing them finding their way back together.
It Takes Twohas the rare distinction of starting a game at that breaking point. Husband and wife Cody and May have just finished explaining to their daughter Rose that Mommy and Daddy won’t be together anymore. The game itself focuses on mending that frayed bond. When the couple are magically transformed into dolls straight out ofLittle Big Planet, they’re forced to work together to get Rose’s attention so that she can help them return to their bodies. Throughout their colorful adventure, the two rekindle their love, remembering what brought them together in the first place. Thisfun co-op platformeris a story about healing, a family coming back together stronger than before, with a fun art style and a healthy serving of humor sprinkled in.
