Mario & Luigi Mario
Where it all began, Mario and Luigi are probably what comes to mind first when you think of siblings in games. As a younger brother myself, I can relate to Luigi, which was fortunate as I was always relegated to playing as him.
Appearing on every single Nintendo platform, the Mario Bros. are endlessly versatile and grace virtually every genre imaginable. From platformers to puzzle games, racing sims to turn-based tactics, Nintendo’s dynamic duo is as relevant as ever, and have represented the bond that brothers share for almost four decades.
Dante & Vergil
While some twins can be identical, others couldn’t be more different. The twin sons of the demon knight Sparda, Dante & Vergil are as polar opposite as brothers can be: Dante is boisterous and brash, whereas Vergil is cold and calculated.
The ties of blood can cause even the most minor of disagreements into life long feuds, and there is no love lost between the brothers. While Dante is one of the series protagonists and poster boy, Vergil is a longtime antagonist but is playable in DMC 3 & 4 in certain special scenarios.
Nathan & Samuel Drake
The relationship between Nathan and Sam Drake is a classic one and one that I think a lot of younger brothers can relate too. Uncharted 4 explores what happens when Nate follows the brother he idealized as a child into one last ill-advised adventure as an adult.
The beauty of this brotherly exploration is the idea that sometimes the elder sibling isn’t the ideal role model, and actually, it’s the younger brother that has things figured out. It’s not often we see this dynamic, and it is expertly explored here.
Maya & Mia Fey
The Fey clan from the Phoenix Wright games have been the masters of the Kurain Channeling Technique method of communing with the spirit realm for generations. It is quite surprising, then, that Mia, the eldest daughter of the clan, chose to become a lawyer and leaving her younger sister Maya to carry on the family tradition.
Maya respected her older sisters decision and, after Mia’s untimely death, is able to commune with her through her medium powers. In this way, the Faye sisters are indispensable to Phoenix Wright and are often the reason he is able to crack seemingly unsolvable cases.
Edgar & Sabin Figaro
Edgar and Sabin were twins born into royalty and through their relationship, we get to see the sacrifices siblings can make for each other. When the Gestahlian Empire poisoned the old king of Figaro, and his last request was for his sons to protect the kingdom.
With everyone in the kingdom desperate to secure the succession, Sabin was upset at the lack of sorrow for his father. Edgar, wanting to honor his fathers dying wish, gave his brother his freedom in trade for his own. By tossing a coin that is later revealed to be double-sided, Edgar let his brother live the life he wanted and shouldered the burden on his own.
Chris & Claire Redfield
Chris and his younger sister Claire’s familial bond was further strengthened through the trying and desperate circumstances they have found themselves over the years, overcoming the undead, viral outbreaks, and the shadowy Umbrella Corporation to name just a few.
Trained in hand to hand combat and how to handle firearms by her older brother, Claire has come to the aid of her older brother on multiple occasions. Their bond shows that blood is thicker than water, and that family will always come through, no matter the odds.
Evie & Jacob Frye
Twins Jacob and Evie Frye show what can be accomplished by close siblings working in unison. Together, they founded the Rooks, a criminal syndicate operating in Victorian-era London, and the two Master Assassins were instrumental in Liberating the city from the tyrannical control of the Templar’s.
Using their unique skillsets to offset the other, the Frye twins used their complementary abilities to great effect. With Evie’s calculating mind and tactical acumen, and Jacob’s bravery and street-smarts, they are amongst the most capable members of the Assassin Brotherhood.
Liquid & Solid Snake
Solid and Liquid Snake are unorthodox in that they are brothers only in the medical sense, born of the same DNA, but not of the same parents. They were the genetic sons of Big Boss, with Solid supposedly receiving the dominant genes, and Liquid the recessive.
As clones, the two shared no familial bond and show that family is about more than just sharing the same blood. The two were fated to come to blows and spent the majority of their lives training for war, fighting each other to a standstill on multiple occasions.
If this feature has you looking to spend some quality time with your family, check out our list of the 10 Best Couch Co-Op Games.
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