What keeps us up until the morning, and it's not the release of PlayStation or PC exclusives? Love! Eternal and pure feeling. It's great that fiction dramaturgy regularly turns to love themes. Monsters, assassins, stealing cars and saving planets — it's all great. But where would we be without l'amour in games?
Today we will remember what passions have been in full swing over the past couple of years at the behest of game writers. In this collection we'll talk about more or less new projects, because absolutely everyone has already heard the story of Max Payne and Mona Sax.
There's a true love story hidden in the hit immersive sim Weird West, although many players haven't noticed it. Bounty hunter Jane literally buried her past — a revolver affectionately nicknamed Bruise is buried in the backyard behind the shed. Family life brought peace and joy, and everything was fine until a gang of thugs came to the ranch. The bandits killed Jane's son and, to their misfortune, kidnapped her husband Alonso.
Jane did not hesitate to return to her previous lifestyle, risky and bloody. And all for the sake of the beloved man. But the candy-bouquet period has long passed for them; the couple have been married for many years. Some might say it's a habit. We will object: love.
There is so much content in this RPG that it would be enough for three smaller games. It is not surprising that in the script Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous there was a place for the controversial demands of our time. When the main character's team fought with cultists for the capital city, in one of the dungeons we met not quite ordinary lovers. A human guardian woman was reunited on the battlefield with her half, a half-orc woman. The couple turns out to be legally married; Yes, the laws of the fairy-tale kingdom are somewhat different from the laws of the Russian Federation. The scriptwriters fired political correctness at the player from all guns at once, here you have same-sex love and interspecies love.
But remember: love is an unpredictable feeling, and Cupid hits with his arrows wherever he hits. Because of this, love does not cease to be love. The main thing is that the couple from the game are good people. And half-orcs are good too.
What do you get when you combine a dating simulator and an action role-playing game? The result is Boyfriend Dungeon, a lively indie on an immortal theme. We play as a young man who arrives in an (almost) paradise resort town and arranges his personal life in a somewhat unusual way. Our hero fights local monsters with bladed weapons in his hands. And after the fight, all these daggers, stilettos and sabers turn into completely alive and warm people. So we have affairs with them, actively inviting them on dates.
The topic of living weapons is not at all new; back in 1990, science fiction writer Henry Lion Oldie spoke in detail about this topic in his novel «The Way of the Sword.» But to look at the piercing and cutting arsenal through the flair of love — this has never been offered to us in games.
Now let us turn to the ancient «Iliad» (Ἰλιάς) by Homer, as a story of all-consuming love. You can join it if you launch the global strategy Total War Saga: Troy.
How do you feel about romance in games?
Take the pollMoreover, the love story of Prince Paris and the fugitive Helen does not just go in the background of the war. We can fit into the sandals of Paris and prove our worth to Father Priam.
While old Menelaus bites his elbows after wasting his wife, Helen the Beautiful is actively participating in the defense of Troy. She inspires the townspeople and strengthens the warriors. Lovers must always be kept together, then Paris and Elena bring bonuses to the entire faction. Well, if her enemies capture Elena, then she will have to be rescued without delay. Otherwise, Tsarevich Paris will become sad and give up on the war.
The addition to the eleventh numbered part of the legendary fighting game has finally become entangled in the plot lines. Keeping track of all these alliances, clones and evil versions of good heroes is physically difficult. One thing remains constant in the world of Mortal Kombat: everyone lies, as Dr. House used to say, and everyone betrays everyone.
All the brighter against this background is the married couple of inveterate scoundrels, Sindel and Shao Kahn. No matter how many dirty tricks the sorceress does to the emperor of the Outer World, they remain true to their love. So, when it is necessary to save Shao Kahn from prison at great risk, Sindel does not hesitate for a second. Such are the strong feelings in the world of cruelty and endless bloody tournament Mortal Kombat 11 Aftermath.
Just recently, the Traveler's Tales team reminded us of one of the most tragic romances in science fiction cinema. In LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga we were shown (and even allowed to participate) in the love passions that engulfed Anakin and Princess Padmé. The ardent romance did not last long, Anakin switched to the dark side of the force to soon become a husky maniac in a mask. But from this connection Luke and Leia were born.
Which means it was worth it.
Many fans of A Galaxy Far Away are still arguing whether Anakin's love for the princess pushed him to the point of death. Or, on the contrary, it delayed the appearance of Darth Vader. Be that as it may, the young Jedi and the princess managed to catch their moment of happiness. And don't be confused by the fact that the lovers are played by plastic figures; they do it better than many weekday soap actors.
Unlike the famous series about stalkers, Chernobylite has a love eyeliner. The main character, physicist Igor Khiminyuk, lost his beloved 30 years ago. The reason for this was the disaster at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant. It would seem that it's time to forget Tatyana and move on. But time turned out to be powerless against feelings.
When Tatyana began to appear to Igor in his dreams, the scientist quickly realized that it was time to go to the closed Zone to the mutants and anomalies — to look for his beloved. And Tatyana's voice in my head is not a glitch at all. This is a powerful motivator.
The remake of the jRPG classic showed the twisted relationship of the iconic pair of characters. Iris and Cloud met on the dark streets of the metropolis and soon fought together against the system.
No, in Final Fantasy 7 Remake there is no such open romance as Tidus and Yuna in Final Fantasy 10. The relationship between Iris and Cloud is a cautious, drawn-out flirtation. But sparks between the heroes shoot in all directions with terrible force. In the remake, there is a little more frankness between the warrior and the sorceress, whereas in the original everything came down to touching dialogues. Although strawberry lovers still have nothing to do here.
The beginning of such a relationship was especially interesting: Cloud agreed to become Iris's bodyguard in exchange for one date.
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Take the pollIn Tales of Arise we are told a story about invaders from the planet Rena who enslaved the inhabitants of the planet Dana. The aggressors behave boorishly, rot the natives in the mines and from time to time pump out their vital energy.
According to all the laws of the genre, they were simply obliged to meet. She is from the invader race, the beautiful Shion. He is one of the vanquished, the young man Alfen. They are young, passionate and fighting for justice in their own personal way. An energy core sparkles in the girl's chest, capable of turning into a striking sword. The weapon is so cool that it burns anyone who picks it up. But Alfen is unique, he can hold that same sword painlessly. It all starts with taking advantage of the acquaintance. But soon a powerful love chemistry arises and there is no hiding from it.
In the world of To the Moon, a means of altering memory was invented. According to the law, such a remedy is applied only to dying people (out of harm's way, so as not to cause a mental breakdown).
Two scientists, Eve and Neil, explore the memories of the dying Johnny in order to fulfill his deepest dream — a flight to the moon. The player sees the patient's life path and his long, happy romance until the last moment. Johnny and his beloved River go on their first date, get married, and live happily ever after until River is struck down by a serious illness. And the apogee of this time-tested love is River's refusal of expensive treatment. The woman wants her beloved Johnny to use this money to complete the house near the lighthouse and become closer to his dream.
Sometimes even with the strongest married couples such a thing as divorce happens. The heroes of the otherwise successful cooperative game It Takes Two were also on the verge of divorce.
But then Rose, the couple's little daughter, gets down to business. A magic book helps Rose cast a spell on her parents; Now they are dolls, and they must join forces to break the spell. Radical method, Rose!
Be that as it may, Cody and May, instead of going to court for a divorce, are forced to endure dozens of rather dangerous adventures. For example, they will meet killer bees and serious-minded moles. And now forgotten love comes to life with renewed vigor.
In an apocalypse, all senses are heightened. Including love. Biker Deacon from Days Gone is separated from his beloved wife Sarah, giving her his seat on a helicopter during an evacuation. Later, bitter news comes: the camp where Sarah was located was completely destroyed by ghouls. Sarah is declared dead. But not for Deacon. The troubled biker continues his search for his beloved in the ruins of America. And he finds it in the end!
This is how the game conveys a truth that is obvious to all lovers: sometimes you should believe feelings rather than facts. Having reunited, the couple takes on an important task with renewed vigor: developing a vaccine against zombie madness.
The Assassin's Creed series has always been known for its adult content. So Assassin's Creed Valhalla deals with completely non-childish topics. Love and sex are presented in the game scrupulously and with a pretense of realism.
So, here you need to clearly distinguish which of the characters is ready for a serious relationship, and who is simply not averse to «having a stormy night» without obligations. And flirting (sometimes this option appears in dialogues with a choice of lines) does not yet mean a night of love or legal marriage in the future.
Keep in mind that for particularly chaste gamers, it is possible to disable all available nudity in the main menu. Surely you have already done this first...
The witch Vasilisa is from Russia — and very worthy! — the role-playing game Black Book loses her fiancé one bad day. A young man suddenly commits suicide. It is this event that pushes Vasilisa towards the path of the Veksha-witch. A girl turns to magic to bring her loved one back to life.
A witch in love is an unstoppable force. Vasilisa will have to descend into the depths of Hell itself to ask Satan for her cherished desire to be fulfilled. This is such a simple and effective plan. Suitable only for a truly loving person.
And let us also remind you that we called Black Book the game that did more for Russian culture and history than any ministries.
Many lovers dream of escaping to a place where no one will find them. Kay and Yu hijack a starship and leave their home totalitarian world forever. After all, the system has already determined their fate by prohibiting them from being together. But no system of true love is a hindrance.
In the script, and in the gameplay of Haven, the emphasis is placed specifically on the relationships of young people. The fugitives find themselves on an uninhabited planet and are now left only to themselves. Such a Robinsonade allowed the scriptwriters to show in every detail the unity of two lovers. And this unity in the game is presented very reliably and sincerely. Haven is a unique project in many ways. Love has never been shown so truthfully and convincingly in video games. I believe, we say following Stanislavsky.
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The spring months are a great time to take a break from your usual routine. Go outside, breathe deeply and be sure to fall in love. The time has come for this.