Games are capable of eliciting many emotions in the player – from fear and anxiety to accomplishment and satisfaction. But can a game really make you feel love, most complex and elusive of human feelings? We think so, and here are five games that tackle the subject of romance in unique and fascinating ways.

Ico

Fumito Ueda’s 2001 PlayStation 2 game is widely regarded as one of the most emotionally powerful experiences many gamers have ever experienced. The game tells the story of Ico, a young boy born with a pair of horns on his head, and his exile in a mysterious castle where he frees Yorda, a mute girl clad all in white and attempts to lead her to freedom. Much of the game is spent leading Yorda by the hand from room to room, making sure she is safe as Ico solves the castle’s puzzles. But Ico cannot proceed without Yorda – the game’s many locked doors will remain closed until she steps near to them. And Yorda cannot proceed without Ico – she will be drawn into the shadows and lost forever. So the beauty of the game is the feeling of interdependence between the characters – their relationship, communicated purely through gameplay, is one of the crowning achievements of videogames.

Parappa The Rapper

Many video games set the player on a world-shattering quest against impossible odds, with the fate of the entire megaverse hanging in the balance. In contrast, Masaya Matsuura and Rodney Alan Greenblat’s pioneering music title Parappa The Rapper is about a cartoon dog trying to work up the confidence to ask out a cartoon flower. How does he get his confidence up? By rapping, of course! With charming visuals, bouncy, infectious music and simple gameplay, Parappa is one of the classics of the 32-bit era. And, of course, at the end the dog gets the flower and they live happily ever after – how could they not?

Donkey Kong

Beleaguered construction worker Mario Mario is a man with a single-minded love for his woman. Whether it be traipsing through eight worlds of turtle hell trying to rescue Princess Peach or facing off against a great ape in his first appearance, Nintendo’s arcade classic Donkey Kong. Prior to Kong’s release, most games had been occupied with nothing else but the continual accrual of points towards a high score. Donkey Kong added a narrative impetus to drive the player forward – a damsel in distress, aching to be reunited with her man. Sadly, their reconciliation is never to be, as the monkey always snatches her away before Mario can achieve his final victory, but the burning in his heart keeps him climbing ever upward.

Bully

Rockstar Games must have known they were going to court controversy by setting their adventure game Bully in the hushed halls of a small-town private school. All of the cultural conservatives aghast at the violence and amorality of Grand Theft Auto slavered at the chance to trash the developers for daring to depict… gasp… children! But when the game came out, Rockstar had the last laugh – Bully was decidedly moral, not very violent, and unexpectedly sweet. But the real progressive element of the game was lead character Jimmy Hopkins’ ability to not only romance girls, but also boys. With enough work, certain male students would fall for Jimmy’s charms and reward him with health bonuses just like certain female students would. Cue the uproar. This non-exploitative take on teen sexuality was funny and surprising and most of all, truthful and human.

Passage

Jason Rohrer’s experimental game kicked up a lot of buzz when it was released last year, and for good reason – it’s a unique and beautiful exploration of life, love and loss. In a pixilated landscape, the player controls a small man who walks from left to right. As he travels, he encounters obstacles and treasure. Early on, the man can encounter a woman. If he touches her, the two are bonded together and navigate the obstacles side-by-side, making some more difficult. As the game continues, the man and woman grow visibly older at a barely perceptible rate. After a few minutes, the woman dies, with the man following soon after. There’s no way to extend the game beyond five minutes of play, no high scores, no boss fights. It’s just about choosing someone to spend your life with, no matter what that may mean. And it’s lovely.

Discuss this article in the Forums.