Open-world games can almost feel like real life, or at least offer a more tangible experience than the classic level-by-level formula. They can replicate what it’s like to drive from one city to another, experience what life in different historical or fantasy settings is like, and what its people have to offer.
It’s not quite the same as going to these places. Not until VR can replicate smells, tastes, etc. But they’ve gotten close. Some games have even tried working in romance, giving the player characters to win over. So,which open-world games have the best romance systems?These entries come to mind.
Okay, so romance isn’t really a ‘system’ inSaints Row 4. After taking the series in a strange, sci-fi direction, Volition thoughtthey’d parodyMass Effect’s romance systemwith a blunter version of it. Instead of building up to the softcore smooching, opting to romance the first available partner, Kinzie, gets straight to the point (“Hey Kinzie, wanna fu-“, “Let’s go!”).
Romancing Matt Miller, Asha, and CID get similar, no-frills, all-thrills gag scenes. Though surprisingly, the Boss’ encounters with his old crew build upon their established characters. Pierce’s scene comes off as experimenting with a new direction, while Johnny Gat’s scene is a proper romantic encounter. Sadly, Keith David is immune to the Boss’ charms. He didn’t want to make things awkward.
That said,Saints Row’s rivals had trouble with romance too. Fans feltGrand Theft Auto’s romances to be dry and tacked on, withGTA4offering the best story-wise. TheYakuza/Like A Dragonseries' hostesses were more of a money/time sink across its different games. Its spin-off series,Judgment, did things better by giving the girlfriends more to do. However, half of them were college-age, making them an awkward pairing with the nearly 40-year-old protagonist.
Sleeping Dogsis a step up in that it keeps things simple. Outside of investigating the Sun On Yee Triad in Hong Kong, Detective Wei Shan can do side missions where he can date up to 5 women. They’re one-offs, but they can provide bonuses like collectible locations and extra races. There are even two extra side-missions that’ll result in two ofthem breaking upwith Shan. Love isn’t always a smooth ride.
InKingdom Come: Deliverance, it’s harder for its lead, Henry, to keep his chastity than to break it. Avoiding the bathhouses, saying no to Father Godwin, dodging the Witches in the ‘Playing with the Devil’ side quest, and keeping things platonic with Lady Stephanie, Theresa, and Adela will give the player an achievement for their troubles.
But that isn’t as fun as seeing what they can offer. They’re more like ‘getting lucky’ options than romantic ones, but they can be sweet. Lady Stephanie is more straightforward but has a pleasant side as she offers Henry a genuine gift for completing a quest for her. While courting Theresa is a nice meet-cute, where aiding the bartender after a stroll by the river can lead to something more.
TheMass Effectseries didn’t invent romance systems, as BioWare had tested its waters inStar Wars: Knights of the Old RepublicandJade Empire. But it certainly popularized them, as players would try to pair their custom Shepard character with their crew members. Some, like Garrus and Tali, arguably caught on that bit more in the fandom thanks to the possibility of wooing them.
Mass Effect 2is generally considered to be the best in the series when it comes to love. The player can pair their Shepard with nearly anyone in the crew, though some characters are exclusive to one gender or another as their ‘Serious’ Romances. Tali can only be charmed by ManShep, and Garrus is only into FemShep. But both can have Kelly, Liara, Kaidan, and Samara. Or Morinth ifthey have a death wish.
The Witcher 3: Wild Huntpunishes those who try to cheat, and not in the Konami Code way. Geralt of Rivera can choose between charmingthe witch Yenneferor the sorceress Triss. By completing the right objectives, and choosing the right dialogue options, they’ll go all the way with one or the other and live happily ever after in the epilogue.
Trying to have both at once will see Geralt get punished for his audacity and end any hopes of charming either of them. However, they are selective in their upset, as they don’t mind if he goes after secondary characters like Keira, Sasha, Jutta the Iron Maiden, or Shani and Sylvia in the DLC. Perhaps they know he’s less serious with them or the brothels than he is with them? It’s a curious arrangement either way.
Sleeping Dogsis an underrated game, though its romantic options are limited compared to the ones inAssassin’s Creed Odyssey. The Greek sneak ‘em up takes a break from tracking down the Cult of Kosmos to letting its leads, Alexios and Kassandra, find love. No matter which one the player chooses, they can charm male and female characters across Greece.
They vary in their goals too. Some require completing some main missions or side missions. Others require additional dialogue choices, like convincing Lykaon to avoid violence or opting to flirt with Kosta and Alkibiades while following their activities. However, they can’t quite collect them all into a harem, as the game will make players choose between wooing Theletas or Kyra, as they can’t have both.
Mass Effect’s mix of heterosexual and bisexual pairings was also adopted forDragon Age: Origins. Morrigan is strictly into male Wardens, and Alistair prefers female ones. But Zevran and Leliana can swing both ways. Not that any of them are easy to charm. The player must initiate the romances with the right dialogue options, and then advance them by gaining their approval during quests.
They each require different approaches too. Alistair likes jokes, politeness,and plenty of affection. Morrigan is set in her own ways and finds favor with like-minded partners. While Zevran is open-minded all around. Players can have multiple romances going on at once, but their party members will notice, and it’ll eventually get messy and cause a breakup. It’s a neat system that, while it offers fewer options, treats each one like a real person with feelings that must be handled with care.
