We’ve all cringed and growled towards sappy romantic moments in video games, but when a romantic moment hits you, it really hits you. We all want to believe in love for ourselves or others, and there’s no other feeling in the world when we see the perfect romantic scene play out in front of us. Romanticism isn’t for everyone, but not even the coldest of hearts can deny these five romantic moments in video games. These moments are laced with so much heart and passion that even Gordon Freeman will have difficulty not getting a little bit of watery eye.
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5. Choosing Chloe – Life is Strange
Life is Strange is an LGBT-inclusive narrative game focused on the relationship between Max Caulfield and her childhood best friend, Chloe. The original title in the series was released episodic, with one of the later chapters giving players the choice to have Max kiss Chloe. From then on, the game focuses on the two women’s relationship, cultivating the final major decision where Max saves Chloe or saves her town. Either way, the title ends on a bittersweet note.
4. Tidus and Yuna at the Lake – Final Fantasy X
The Final Fantasy series is filled with plenty of romantic moments, dating back to the romance between Cecil and Rosa in Final Fantasy IV. Zidane’s and Garnet’s reunion at the end of Final Fantasy IX, Squall and Rinoa’s embrace in Final Fantasy VIII, and Cloud’s relationships with Tifa and Aerith are all worthy of honorable mentions for the best romantic moments.
But for our money, the crowning achievement of romance in Final Fantasy is the lake scene in Final Fantasy X. The game has been slowly building up Tidus and Yuna’s relationship throughout the runtime, climaxing with the pair kissing at the Macalania Spring and swimming in the lake. Playing in the background is “Suteki Da Ne (Isn’t It Wonderful?),” the perfect song that encapsulates the moment.
3. Kairi finishes the drawing – Kingdom Hearts
Kingdom Hearts may have a convoluted storyline that is almost impossible to comprehend unless you play every title in the series, but underneath it, all is a sincere story about bonds and friendships. Throughout the first Kingdom Hearts game, Sora sacrifices a lot to help save his friend Kairi, ending with Sora and Kairi being forced to be split apart again. Kairi is left stranded on Destiny Island and spots the drawing Sora did at the beginning of the game. Kairi adds to the picture to symbolize their destinies are now interlocked.
Related: How to play the Kingdom Hearts games in chronological order
2. The real ending of Ico
Ico is about the titular horned boy traveling through a mysterious castle with a girl named Yorda. The game centers on developing an atmosphere and the bond between the two main characters. The game seemingly ends with Yorda sacrificing herself for Ico, who ends up on the beach. The studio’s other major title, Shadow of the Colossus, featured a similar tragic love story. However, Ico ends on a more hopeful note as the titular character finds Yorda on the beach, and she looks up at him with a smile.
1. To The Moon
Freebird Games’ To the Moon is filled with deep philosophical themes and tragic overtones. To the Moon is about two scientists trying to fulfill a dying man’s last wish to go to the Moon by manipulating his memories. As the scientists discover more about the man’s life, they realize the tragic circumstances that led to him wanting to go to the moon, including his troubled marriage and forgotten memories.
The main theme of the game is how our emotions influence our memories and how important it is to have good memories. Though the dying man’s married life was full of strife when they were both alive, the scientists gave the man a more cheerful family life, culminating with the man making it to the moon with his wife, just like he promised her when they were children. It’s a bittersweet end to the title that will undoubtedly leave many gamers with tears in their eyes.
