The Best Games About Love Against The Odds

In the stories told through gaming, there are many things on the line as the protagonists make their way through the world and face their next challenge. Sometimes it’s a race against time to save the neighborhood, while other times characters need to fight to prevent a cataclysmic event from wiping out the planet.

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Beneath some conflicts, there is a hidden battle to preserve not the world, but something far more personal; love. This can mean love as a parent, love for your romantic partner, or even the love that characters share as allies in battle. Not all the stories end happily, but others show that, through love, anything is possible when a relationship is put to the test.

10

It Takes Two

Rekindling Romantic Love

Sometimes love doesn’t sail as smoothly over time. That doesn’t always mean that it has to fade away. It Takes Two is a co-op platformer that transports a married couple, Cody and Ray, into the bodies of dolls where they must learn to save their marriage.

The game is played best with two players, since every platforming challenge requires teamwork and coordination in order to succeed. It’s a trip down memory lane through old belongings, gardens, and even bee hives as the two characters try to get back into their bodies.

9

Catherine: Full Body

Choosing Your Perfect Love Life

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Catherine: Full Body

Systems

Released

April 24, 2012

ESRB

M For Mature 17+ Due To Blood, Partial Nudity, Sexual Themes, Strong Language, Use of Alcohol, Violence

There is this melancholy that occurs as you get older. Life is changing, and you begin to settle down into the same old routine. For Vincent, this puts a strain on his relationship with his girlfriend Katherine as he is indecisive about where he wants to end up.

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When Vincent starts having nightmares of himself climbing a massive tower, he must find the answers as to what he wants in life and what kind of person he wants to end up with. Will he mend things with Katherine or is there someone else out there for him?

8

Life Is Strange

Choosing Between Loved Ones

Life is Strange gives Max the power to go back in time in this narrative adventure. This gives her time to reconnect with her childhood friend Chloe. Together they try to track down Chloe’s friend who has gone missing, with some timelines seeing Max and Chloe inch closer towards a relationship.

Ultimately, Max must decide if she wants to save Arcadia Bay from a storm she has been having premonitions about, or save Chloe. With the catch being that she can’t save both, even with time powers.

7

Dead Rising 2

Keeping Your Daughter Safe

Dead Rising 2 features a different kind of love. This is the bond between a father and his daughter. While you will be hacking and slashing zombies in creative ways across Fortune City, the main heart of the story is seeing the lengths that Chuck will go through to keep his daughter from turning.

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This means clearing his name after getting accused of starting the outbreak, taking down a corrupt show host, and uncovering the truth behind the very company that keeps his daughter alive.

6

Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice

Trying To Bring Back A Loved One

When Senua’s lover dies, she goes on a quest to get him back. This forces her to confront her inner demons as well as an affliction that cannot be properly diagnosed during her time period. In this case, she believes that her lover’s soul is being held by Hela of the underworld.

To reclaim his soul, she needs to face various trials which require her to solve puzzles or engage in sword battles against enemies. Her dedication to the man she loved motivates her to keep pushing forwards on her journey.

5

Fallout 4

A Parent’s Undying Love

Fallout games always have you trying to find someone. Fallout 4 ties you down to the role of concerned parent as you journey through the wasteland in search of your missing son. While there is plenty of action, mystery, and sci-fi strangeness in the wasteland, the main storyline is that of parental love.

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Even when you finally discover what happened during your time in stasis, you then get hit with other questions. Can love still persist even when your child grew up into the opposite of what you envisioned?

4

Halo 4

Can Super Soldiers Love?

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Halo 4

Systems

Released

November 6, 2012

Publisher(s)

Microsoft Game Studios

ESRB

M for Mature: Blood, Violence

Halo 4 is the start of a new chapter of Master Chief’s story. However, this time the stakes are a bit more personal. With Cortana glitching out and coming towards the end of her lifespan, Master Chief does what he can to save her.

Whether their relationship is romantic or platonic, the pain of losing such a close partner is real, showing that a bond as close or equivalent to love is present. The game gives players hope throughout the journey that this situation can be rectified up until the moment where Cortana and Master Chief part ways.

3

The Last Of Us: Part One

Love Makes You Stronger And Weaker

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The Last of Us Part I (2022)

Systems

Released

September 2, 2022

Publisher(s)

Sony Interactive Entertainment

ESRB

M For Mature 17+ // Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Sexual Themes, Strong Language, Use of Alcohol

The first entry in The Last of Us series follows Joel as he loses what makes him human, learns to find it again, and the choices he makes to avoid having to live through the same loss a second time.

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The Last of Us showcases many different kinds of love. One journey shows what one brother would do to find the other amidst the chaos of the apocalypse, while others show what a grieving father would give to keep his daughter figure alive. Would you trade the fate of the world for your own child?

2

Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD

Love In The World Of Final Fantasy

While Final Fantasy 7 has iconic ships such as Cloud and Tifa, or Cloud and Aerith, the game doesn’t revolve around their relationship the whole time. Final Fantasy X, on the other hand, puts the relationship between Tidus and Yuna on blast the whole time.

Will they end up together? Will they not? Is Tidus even real? Will Yuna die to set things right in the world? It’s a rocky road, but one that their journey likes to unfold for better or for worse. This relationship is so important that Final Fantasy X-2 gives players a continuation to the love story.

1

Kingdom Hearts

The Star Fruit Don’t Lie

There are many different things happening at once in the world of Kingdom Hearts. The Heartless are invading, worlds are collapsing, and the search for King Mickey continues. However, for Sora, he has one thing on his mind. He needs to find his friends, especially Kairi.

The game makes it clear that Sora is in love with Kairi and with each title, they only seem to drift further apart. Whether it be memory loss or no longer existing on the same plane, the universe tries to keep them apart.

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