There’s nothing quite like heartwarming moments that make you feel all fuzzy inside.
Some video games are all about violence. And don’t get me wrong, we love violence, but sometimes it’s fun to lay back, relax and enjoy some more romantic moments.
We’re talking about moments that enhance characterisation and give us oodles of backstory. Moments of L-O-V-E. This list includes some of our favourite romantic moments from games that make our hearts flutter.
Warning: some story spoilers follow.
Dinner with the Drakes (Uncharted 4)
Throughout the Uncharted series, Nate and Elena have been off and on as a couple until finally being married somewhere in between the events of Uncharted 3 and 4. In the fourth instalment, players get a little glimpse into the simple life of the Drakes now that they’ve come away from all of their old illegal activities and shenanigans.
In a lovely moment at home, the couple sit down to eat after a long day of work and play a video game to compete for who has to do the dishes. Of course, we love hustle and bustle, but moments like these are great ways to get connected with the characters and really get to know them inside and out.
Read our review of Uncharted 4
A Love Connection (Heavy Rain)
This romantic moment is probably a controversial one. I’m talking about Heavy Rain, when Ethan and Madison get together after Ethan experiences one of the Origami Killers’ traumatic tests. Throughout the game, Ethan keeps running into Madison and tries to keep as many details from her as possible as to what he’s doing in a dingy hotel looking worse and worse as the hours continue.
Following Ethan’s hardships, the loss of his first son, his wife leaving him and then his other son being kidnapped, you really feel for him as a character. So, when Madison and Ethan get to have a moment of closeness (if you choose that path!) it’s a great one. Ethan has no idea who to trust or who to confide in and, although it may not turn out the ideal way in the end, it’s a relief to see him have that connection with someone when it seems that the entire world is against him.
Until the End (The Last of Us: Left Behind)
Let’s face it, for the entirety of The Last of Us‘s DLC, Left Behind, we knew what was going to happen. That didn’t make it any less romantic. These two girls, Ellie and Riley, have been best friends for a long time and, considering the world around them is a zombie-infested terror zone, their experiences give them an unbreakable bond.
At the end of the DLC both of the girls are bitten. The audience already knows that Ellie survives (or there wouldn’t be The Last of Us), but at the time, Ellie has no idea that she’s immune. The girls contemplate suicide, but instead decide to live out the last few moments of their lives together. It’s an incredibly romantic sentiment that doesn’t turn out exactly how they planned but, in the moment, it’s the perfect way to go.
The Proposal (Days Gone)
Deacon and Sarah from Days Gone have a complicated relationship. Sure, it’s a relationship full of love, but love is hard to hold on to during the zombie apocalypse. As they play through the game, players will get to see quite a few flashbacks to Deacon’s past where he meets Sarah, begins romancing her and their relationship strengthens.
One of the more romantic moments in the game occurs when Deacon takes Sarah out for a walk and they end up at the site of a waterfall. There, despite Deacon showing reservations about the couple moving in together, he proposes to her using his Mongrel ring. It’s a lovely moment that lets players see how the couple came together and how their life was before the ‘freakers’ took over everything.
The Significance of the Hat (Professor Layton)
Professor Layton and his long-lost love Claire get their own bits of storyline in Professor Layton and the Unwound Future. Claire was an intelligent scientist who was killed in a time travel experience gone wrong ten years before the events of The Unwound Future. All that players know prior to the game is that Claire is the one who gave Professor Layton his signature top hat.
In The Unwound Future when Professor Layton runs into Claire, it is because she has time-travelled 10 years into the future. Layton originally believes that Claire is someone else until she reveals her identity only a few moments before she must go back to the past to be gone for good. This moment in the Professor Layton games is heart wrenching, but terribly romantic. Being able to hop forward in time to say goodbye to your beloved is about as beautiful as it gets.
Taking that Bullet (Resident Evil 2)
Everyone knows that Leon Kennedy and Ada Wong from Resident Evil aren’t the most “coupley” couple out there. They run into each other a lot, they flirt, but mostly it’s a one-sided romance between Leon and the gust of air that sits in the place of Ada when she runs away. That isn’t to say the two don’t have their moments.
When confronting Annette Birkin in Umbrella’s underground laboratory, Ada basically tells Annette that the jig is up. She’s going to find the G-Virus and stop what Umbrella has been doing. This upsets Annette who attempts to shoot her. Being the chivalrous gent that he is, Leon jumps in front of the bullet, taking one right in the shoulder. Romantic or stupid? You decide.
Read our review of Resident Evil 2
Anything for Her (The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker)
Despite being one of the more child-friendly Legend of Zelda games, The Wind Waker still manages to have some pretty serious moments where the characters are in peril. We all know about Zelda and Link’s relationship in all of the different Legend of Zelda games; there’s always a lot of “what if” scenarios with them. We never see them be physically romantic with one another, but we do get to see some of their romantic moments in their actions.
In The Wind Waker, Tetra (i.e. Zelda who has lost her memory) is kidnapped by Ganon. Link, despite being only a child himself, tries his hardest to protect her. At that point, Link hasn’t trained for very long and isn’t powerful enough to defeat Ganon. He knows this, but still tries. Throughout the entirety of the game, even when Tetra is rude to him, Link does everything he can to protect her. And, of course, when he finds out that she is really Zelda, he’s motivated even more to help defeat Ganon.
