1. Mia and Godot (Ace Attorney)
To kick this list off, we have two of the hottest defense attorneys to ever grace the history of video games. Let’s see, Godot falls into a coma after ingesting poison while working on a case with Mia. He then wakes up and returns to reality only to discover that she died while he was asleep.
That’s not all, though. Consumed by his affections for Mia, he takes on the role of a prosecutor and tries to destroy Phoenix Wright in the courtroom for his inability to protect Mia in his absence. Oh, and Godot also kills Mia’s mother in his attempt to protect her sister in the final case of Trials and Tribulations. Whether you hate them or love them, there’s no denying that the relationship between this attorney couple is pretty damn intense.
2. Chris and Jill (Resident Evil)
These two badasses made their debut appearances in Resident Evil 1 and have captured the hearts of every Resident Evil fan since. Alright, so maybe I exaggerated a little bit there but really, it’s hard to find another couple in Resident Evil who are more in-sync with each other than these two.
Chris and Jill have been partners since the events of the Spencer mansion in Resident Evil 1. They joined the B.S.A.A. together, and kicked more butt at more creepy mansions in that Resident Evil 5 Lost Nightmares DLC. Not to mention, Jill literally dies for him during their encounter with Wesker in Resident Evil 5. With all this in mind, it’s pretty hard to deny their status as a power couple in video games.
3. Protagonist and Marie (Persona 4 Golden)
Now this really surprised me. When Atlus announced the inclusion of Marie as a new character in Persona 4 Golden, I didn’t expect that I’d enjoy her social link as much as I did.
Marie’s tie to the main story in Persona 4 Golden, as well as the emotional development of her character arc, really got me invested in the relationship she shared with the protagonist. Marie is love. Marie is life. She’s in a state of perpetual conflict with her inner pathos as it screams to allow her poetic talent to be unleashed. Also, she’s tsundere as hell and that definitely qualifies her for, “ultimate waifu material,” as the folks over on Tumblr would say.
4. James and Mary (Silent Hill 2)
“In my restless dreams, I see that town. Silent Hill.”
Who says the path of romance is always all rainbows and sunshine? Silent Hill 2 is a game that takes the concept of love and twists it into something unrecognizable that goes beyond our imaginations.
Dealing with heavy issues like cancer, the acknowledgement of one’s horrific past and, oh I don’t know, killing your own wife, really takes love to a whole other level. For the entire duration of the game, we see James struggle as he comes to terms with the fact that he did indeed kill Mary. The guilt he faces then leads to him realizing that he had tricked himself into believing that she was still waiting for him in Silent Hill.
I personally find the ‘In Water’ ending to be the most poetic; after all, what better way is there for James to show his love other than drowning himself in the special town they both shared?
5. Shepard and Liara (Mass Effect)
Whether you’re playing as FemShep or male Shepard, if you don’t romance Liara you’re playing the game wrong. Now I understand that this might be a little bit of an unpopular opinion, especially over here at Twinfinite where most of the staff believes in romancing Miranda’s butt (no, not Miranda; Miranda’s butt), but hear me out.
Liara undergoes some pretty significant character development throughout the course of the Mass Effect trilogy. She is first introduced as the shy, awkward alien archaeologist who wants to run experiments on Shepard (oh my), and she evolves into a confident hardass who kicks butt and takes names by the time Mass Effect 3 rolls around.
She shares some of the best conversations with Shepard, and has the most emotional reaction to Shepard’s ‘death’ as clearly shown in Mass Effect 2’s Shadow Broker DLC. Liara is a blue exotic alien with tentacles, and you’d be a fool not to explore her romance arc at least once.
6. The Inquisitor and Dorian (Dragon Age: Inquisition)
As my young, dapper Inquisitor was busy making his moves on the stoic Cassandra, it happened. It happened so quickly I couldn’t even be sure what was going on. Dorian entered the fray and all of a sudden, he was all my Inquisitor could lay eyes on.
Charming, witty, and complete with a handsome twirly moustachio to boot, what’s not to love about the Tevinter mage? Not only is he charismatic and good-looking, Dorian himself is a pretty complex character as well. As the game progresses, we soon learn about his own struggles with his bloodline and problems that arise with his family due to his homosexuality.
Dorian is one of the most intriguing characters in Dragon Age: Inquisition, and my Inquisitor will not hesitate to throw down with anyone who dares disagree.
7. Zidane and Garnet (Final Fantasy IX)
Zidane’s a lowly thief, Garnet’s a high-born princess. She wants to escape the lavish prison of high castle walls and see what the world has to offer, and he just wants to show her a life outside of Alexandria. Oh and they fight Kuja, and save the world along the way.
It’s fairly typical for a romance plotline, but hey, it works and it’s cute as hell. The romance between Zidane and Garnet also happens to be one of the more believable relationships in Final Fantasy history, especially when you compare it to some of the other ones we’ve seen… I’m looking at you, Squall and Rinoa.
Also, “I want to be your canary.” Need I say more?
8. Big Boss and EVA (Metal Gear Solid 3)
“I only get off my bike when I fall in love… or fall dead.”
These two feel like they came straight out of a James Bond movie. He’s an American spy, she’s a spy for the Chinese. They’re both up against the same enemies, but they’re fighting for different goals. He knows he shouldn’t allow himself to harbor any feelings for her, but you know what? “Love can bloom even on a battlefield.”
Big Boss got his eye shot off while trying to protect EVA from getting her cover blown, and EVA’s affections for him ran so deep that she even agreed to be a surrogate mother for the Les Enfant Terribles project. This couple might not have a ‘happily ever after’ ending, but there’s no denying that their relationship was one of epic proportions.
9. Alicia and Welkin (Valkyria Chronicles)
How fitting is it that Alicia and Welkin should come up straight after an entry about love blooming on the battlefield? Valkyria Chronicles is one of the few games that really succeed in developing a romantic relationship between two characters in a realistic manner.
As the pair endures battle after battle with Squad 7, we get to witness how close they’ve gotten as comrades, as true friends, and as lovers. The journey of their romance in Valkyria Chronicles is a rather slow, but well-paced one, and it’s refreshing to play a game that doesn’t feel the need to pair two characters together in a hurry.
10. Ellie and Riley (The Last of Us)
Where do I even begin with these two? Ellie and Riley embody the idea of young love that you rarely see in video games. With these two we go through an emotional journey of how they began as friends who had a falling out, and had to keep their distance for a period of time before eventually making their way back to each other.
Not to mention, the pacing of the Left Behind DLC was executed so expertly that I had begun to expect the climactic kiss without even realizing it. With Ellie and Riley, we got to witness the ups and downs of teen relationships (not counting the infected, of course) and a nod must be given to Naughty Dog for a job well done in accurately capturing the essence of youth in two short hours.
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