This is something I’ve had a couple conversations with @Mewsly about, cause both of us really enjoy the romance aspect in these games but we both agree that we’d be alright playing a game without it as long as the game still had good character development that was accessible without romance. It seems like a lot of the time, a lot of a character’s development and backstory are sort of romance-locked, so you can’t really get to know them on a deep level, or sometimes even a moderate level, without romancing them.
For a non CS example of what I’m talking about–look at Jack, in Mass Effect 2 and 3. You can still get to know her, but the culmination of her ME2 character arc is behind a romance wall. You still meet her in the same place in ME3 regardless of that, so clearly she still found a way to help herself without Shepard, but it still kind of sucks that she’ll only really open up to a character who’s shown romantic interest. In CCH1, the MC only has the opportunity to find out what Dirty Girl’s secret is if they start dating–and you get a key insight into her character’s motivations during her romance content in CCH2 that’s missed completely if you’re platonic with her, unless I’m misremembering or missed it.
It isn’t that it doesn’t or can’t make sense–romantic partners are commonly kind of more intimate and close than platonic friends, or can be at least, but I still make friends and then open up to them. (And tbh I wouldn’t even call these that great of examples–I mean CCH still has a book left so maybe if you aren’t romancing her you’ll barely get to say hi to Dirty Girl in book 3, but in both of them you still get to know the character pretty well even if you aren’t romancing them. I’m really hesitant to name more egregious examples–I know of games I’ve played where I felt like the characters I didn’t romance just kind of disappeared from the story, or where I only got development with characters I romanced, but those were usually games I didn’t enjoy much so didn’t replay often if at all, so it’s completely possible that they had more or better content than I remember, or got a patch that fixed some of the issue, or something like that.)
So it isn’t that romance in and of itself is necessary for my enjoyment, but a way to get to know and appreciate the characters is, and oftentimes romances are written as the only way to do that
I would say that at least part of this is due to the fact that in CoG, we get to choose the romance. I don’t have to watch the idiot hero get with the girl who seems to hate him, but instead, I can stick him with his cute (male) best friend, who seems to have had a crush on him always.
haha I know the feeling! I’m on the opposite here , girls running after guys that don’t care for them . Yet…like years of ‘Go away!’ and the anime end up getting them married…I’m like Urrghhh seriously ??
well ‘romance’ is a big word , considering they are most of the time not the focus . I can understand it , if the ‘children’ or ‘next generation’ will play a role later on and become the focus . But (I,m not expert) as far as I can tell…they aren’t usually well written . I don’t see the point of having for exemple ‘Goten’ in DBZ if his role is to be a goofball . That add nothing to the story . And what’s the point of ‘romance’ as such , if they are in the back burner and only later ‘Here ! they end up together’ , yet the whole serie is about something else .
Shrug I don’t get it . Maybe they make them to make them feel ‘realistic’ or something . As if a warrior focused on killing vilains and never got married is some kind of a sin or something .
To me, romance isn’t essential but good writing is! Within CoG/HoG however, I’d like to see some sort of result for committing to a relationship, if there is an option.
Does this result end in the MC ‘changing’ the NPC? Not always.
Does this result end in the MC/NPC being affected by being in a relationship? Preferably.
I was satisfied with romance in Highlands, Deep Waters. Some people might want more, but I was pleased with my first MC’s brief relationship with Captain Olivia. who - let’s be honest - went above and beyond in trying to find out what happened to the MC. I don’t know how you could argue that giving up one’s stellar career and chasing after a ghost despite the increasing signs of things getting weirder and weirder and sticking through is NOT dedication.
For my expectations of that game, that small romance interaction at the very beginning and what happened at the end was enough for me. Did I expect a happy ending for that game? Absolutely not. And yet, the ‘ending’ for that relationship was bittersweet and, I thought, handled very well.
My only stipulation for romance is that there has to be something else going on for the game to be interesting. Wayhaven Chronicles Book One has my MC trying to solve a string of murder in-between flirting with the vampires.
What romance ultimately does, for me, is it adds - or should add - content to the game that isn’t available unless you go down that route. Choice of the Deathless and CotD: City’s Thirst are two prime examples of this.
I don’t mind romance. However I do not like it when they diminish the characters instead of enhancing them.
1: Characters which seem to be created solely to be the main characters love interest. They are player sexual and you can even choose their gender. Feels like I’m being betrothed or (at worst)dressing up a blow up doll.
2: A multiple ensemble of characters which are manufactured to be your love interests (looking at you wayhaven chronicles). It’s like I’m in a brothel and the madam has lined up all the escorts so that i can pick the one I like. Or i’m some sort of prince/princess being pressured into a marrying one of their suitors, but I want to rebel against the whole thing because its unnatural. It just devalues the characters, turns them into objects rather than people with lives of their own.
3: I’m in a dangerous situation (e.g. inside a haunted mansion where I could be killed at any moment) and the game is permadeath, I’m genuinely afraid for my characters life (which is a point in favor of the game) but I keep getting asked if I fancy the hostess, the servant girls or the butler. None of the other characters seem to care about the existential threat you are facing, only wondering if you are dtf.
All of these things make me want to rebel against the author (not romance anyone). It feels too arranged.
The romances which I have liked in the past were the “we make a good team” type romances. I tend to be fond of characters when we depend on each other for survival and the romantic interest is clever, rational and helpful (e,g, Control from Silverworld). I’ll also admit that I have a thing for strangeness, eldritchness or otherworldliness.
All the other aspects of COGs I can get from other games/books/movies/stories/IFs. but this seems to be the only place where I can get those.
Since I’m in real life have basically zero prospects (being ace, bi and genderfluid) I am not ashamed that this are the games where I can just put all those issues away and just be when I play.
I don’t even need very deep romances when playing, (though, I am not sad when I get them), just the fact that they are there and a relatively uncomplicated for to get to while I engage with the rest of the plot is enough.
So, yeah, the romances are important for me, being able to play as non-binary is important for me. They are what I am here for, and I am done being ashamed of it.
I could go into a long thing about why I love romances in CoGs and all the aspects about CoG romances I love but that would be a long, way too personal, and probably incoherent post.
So instead I’ll say SHOWER ME IN ROMANCES I WILL NEVER HAVE ENOUGH.
I really enjoy romance in CS games—in fact, I can’t recall an instance when I knowingly read a CS game without romance options—but I’m very picky about what I consider to be “romance done well” and often feel most unsatisfied with the romance aspect of a game. The biggest offenders are 1) when there isn’t enough time given to the relationship, often resulting in a shoehorned kiss scene and a sense of “poof! You got your romance!” or 2) when the characters only exist to be romanced, and their removal from the game wouldn’t actually change the story itself. (Edit: I should note that I’ll only play CS games with strong stories that feature romance, but do not play games that are solely romance, if that makes sense. Any ROs or romancing have to be integrated in a larger story for me to be interested.)
I agree with some others who’ve said it feels a little unnatural to choose an RO’s gender, name, or sexuality: it feels a little bit like I’m romancing an empty shell or an android I built for myself or something, which I think takes the fun out of the whole thing!
Real life wise, I’m not particularly good looking or all too bright, but that doesn’t mean I’d just take anybody just because they’re available(Though it’s a lie to say that I’m all that picky.)
So if I have distaste, it’s mainly directed to games that seemed to just assume I hold interest in a character and basically ignore anything to the contrary.
Following that with COGs. Some had excellent romantic plotlines like SLAMMED!. A game that despite the first impression it might give is actually a pretty in depth emotional game. Some are just kind of…whatever. For latest reference, the demo I played of I, Cyborg is this. There’s just not much that happens to make me feel really connected to any of the characters.
The point is, I don’t think it’s really enough to have just “This is a character of whatever your interested in. They’re good looking.” And have that all there is to be about them. To just have someone exist so they can be for lack of a better word, seduced? It feels really weird.
romance for me depends on the situation and I’m going to give you some examples of how I play. Pull up a seat
The Nomancers:
Doomsday on Demand 2:
My character was tortured and forced to become a child soldier/ bandit. Then once they got out through death or Lizzie. They got brought back to be tortured some more. My character literally tried to commit suicide and was stopped. They were dead inside and no Romance could save them
Wayhaven: A group of assholes show up in my detectives life. Much like when the FBI in TV shows pulls rank on Local police , my character absolutely could not stand them they’re a bunch of self righteous assholes. And then the author literally peeks their head in “Pretty Please Romance someone I wrote this to be a romance after all”. Like no . I’m not romancing an asshole because it makes you happy. And I’m not befriending this group of assholes. I’ll show them respect of having rank over me but at the end of the day I’m going home while they go out for group bonding.
Fallen Hero: I’m a supervillain whose been broken and driven down a dark road. Half the time I’m not even in my own body why Love or feel happiness when you’re going down a road you don’t intend to survive?
Hero Project and Open Season: My character only cared about protecting her sister even if she had to destroy the world. Best case scenario she didn’t have any room in her heart left to feel for other people. Worst case scenario the Westermarck Effect.
Romancers:
T
Heart of the house: Loren the Nonbinary Maid is kind of a comic relief character. And as such they’ve got more personality than the conflicted mistress of the house or the kinky witch. There’s a real emotional connection with Loren.
Samurai of Hyuga:
Ok ignoring that Masami gives off stranger things cast age vibes. The Ronin is emotionally broken . They feel worthless they feel like they are nothing. But Masami despite her tsundere methods shows them they are and can be more than they think. Masami has faith in them and that faith is powerful.
Heroes Rise: Prodigal is absolutely insane and kind of a freak but that is a turn on.
Community college hero: Dirty Girl is basically Prodigal.
The superlatives had an emotionally damaged physically scarred Villain who …ok I just like tragic characters. I want to hug them especially if they are sweet.
Empyrean : Tarzan Girl is the most interesting character in the game.
And I’m probably missing others but I can’t remember. But generally speaking the more broken my character is the less likely I romance someone.
I am a sucker for romance…As long as it’s well done. Fleshed out. Built. Not just a fanservice. Otherwise it feels too forced and it just breaks the immersion, you know. And the romance should tally with the setting of the story. If the story is well written and the plot doesn’t have room for romance, I’m cool with it… usually.
