Gaming Romantic Options Nobody Ever Chooses

In a medium where many of the most popular entities involve shooting, looting, and plunder, it might be surprising to learn that romance options are incredibly popular, especially in RPGs. After all, why even bother going on an adventure if you can’t find a life partner along the way?

While some games only offer a single romance option, if any, there are plenty of RPGs that have several characters to choose from. Usually, there’s a quest that involves wooing the potential partner, but once it’s finished, the player has a companion that does more than just heal them in battle.

This isn’t to say that all romance options are created equal. Some characters are naturally spiky or unpleasant, making players less likely to pick them as partners.

There are also characters who are introduced far too late into the game, at a point when players have likely already settled on someone. Some romance options are also exclusive to specific runs or builds, meaning players might miss them entirely.

Love isn’t always in the air in video games, which is why these characters are often forced to be the bridesmaid forever, hoping beyond hope that an achievement hunter might give them a second look, all in the hopes of getting that 100%

10 Debora

Dragon Quest 5: Hand Of The Heavenly Bride

It’s almost unfair to add Debora to this list, as it almost feels as if the developers worked hard to ensure the player never picked her. The original version of Dragon Quest 5 had two romance options: Bianca and Nera, with the game heavily pushing Bianca, due to her being the childhood best friend who stood alongside the player throughout thick and thin.

Debora was added in the Nintendo DS remake, Dragon Quest 5: Hand of the Heavenly Bride, as a third option for people who had already completed the original version of the game. Debora is a spoiled, unpleasant lady who continually mocks the protagonist during their encounters and does little to thaw out over the course of the game.

While Debora does offer some new story content for people who have already finished Dragon Quest 5, players might be convinced to skip her regardless, due to how difficult it can be to stand her company.

9 Kaidan Alenko

Mass Effect

In a universe full of strange and wonderful beings, why would anyone want to romance Kaidan Alenko? The Mass Effect series has all manner of incredible lifeforms that will jump in the sack with Shepard, beings who have journeyed from beyond the stars to learn about this Earth thing called love.

And then there’s Kaidan, the Johnny-generic boring character. Kaidan suffers from existing alongside a crew of strange and fascinating characters, while he just kind of exists.

It doesn’t help that the original Mass Effect forces the player to choose between Kaidan and Ashley during the Virmire mission. There’s not much of a Sophie’s choice here, especially not when Ashley is more interesting in pretty much every way.

8 Haru Okumura

Persona 5

Haru Okumura suffers heavily from being one of the last party members recruited into the Phantom Thieves of Heart in Persona 5. She doesn’t join the group until many hours and quest lines have been completed, at which point, the player has likely already found their partner.

It doesn’t help that pretty much every other romance option is more interesting as a character than Haru, whose importance to the story dwindles after her dungeon is completed.

This isn’t to say that Haru is a bad romance choice, but when she’s competing for screen time with Ann, Futaba, Makoto, Tae, and Sadayo, then she may as well not even show up.

7 Sebastian Vael

Dragon Age 2

Even in the world of video games, there are people who will pay for love. This is true of Dragon Age 2, where one of the party members/romance options was locked behind DLC.

To unlock Sebastian Vael as a party member in Dragon Age 2, the player needs to own The Exiled Prince DLC. This adds an archer character with their own quests and content, as well as giving female Hawke a shot at love.

Nothing against Sebastian, but the fact that players had to pay extra to unlock him means that few would have bothered, especially being locked to a single gender. Dragon Age 2 has enough strikes against it without locking love behind microtransactions,

6 Queen Galfrey

Pathfinder: Wrath Of The Righteous

Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous is an incredible RPG, but it’s a long haul. It doesn’t help that the player’s decisions can easily lock them out of content, with a single conversation choice sometimes deciding the story’s route.

Queen Galfrey’s romance path in Wrath of the Righteous is one such difficult path to navigate. The player needs to be very careful about how they talk to her throughout the game, over the course of a very long main questline.

While falling for Queen Galfrey might provide an epic conclusion to the story of the Fifth Crusade, it’s such a pain to complete without a guide that many players won’t even bother.

5 Barret Wallace

Final Fantasy 7

Putting Barret on the list almost feels like a cheat, considering that most people didn’t even know it was possible to romance him, at least in the era before the Internet.

The original Final Fantasy 7 has affection mechanics, with the player getting points based on their actions and conversation choices. The game heavily tips the scales in Aerith’s favour, though Tifa can also be romanced with some smart dialogue choices.

It’s technically possible to romance Barret and Yuffie, but the player pretty much needs to follow a guide to do it. If they do, then they get to hang out with Barret on the Gold Saucer date ride, something that was maintained in Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth.

4 Gemma

Dragon Quest 11: Echoes of an Elusive Age: Definitive Edition

What’s funny about Gemma making this list is that she was the only romance option in the base version of Dragon Quest 11. If the player was willing to grind in the post-game, then they could marry Gemma.

Dragon Quest 11: Echoes of an Elusive Age: Definitive Edition adds multiple party members as possible companions, though only a few were romantic. These were all universally better choices than Gemma, who is barely in the game and doesn’t fight alongside the Luminary outside of the tutorial.

There’s nothing wrong with Gemma, but she’s just nowhere near as interesting as Serena and Jade, both of whom stand alongside the Luminary throughout his entire adventure.

3 Romero

Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines

The Kindred of Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines generally don’t partake in acts of physical intimacy. This is because their hunger for blood eclipses their desire to experience the flesh of others, regardless of emotional attachment.

It’s possible to romance a character in Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines called Romero, but only when playing a female Kindred. Usually, Romero is a quest giver that involves fighting zombies in a graveyard, but if the player sleeps with him, he’ll do the mission himself.

Sleeping with Romero isn’t optimal, as it not only skips a fun quest, but the player misses out on experience points and ammo.

2 Benny

Fallout: New Vegas

Most people aren’t even aware that Benny can be romanced in Fallout: New Vegas, mainly because he’s the first foe the player faces and is the reason for their predicament.

However, a female Courier with the Black Widow perk can not only seduce Benny, but they can kill him in his sleep, making for a straightforward revenge plot. This is a hilarious way of dealing with one of Fallout: New Vegas’ best-known villains.

It’s even funnier trying to seduce Benny with the knowledge that he was voiced by Matthew Perry of Friends fame. It’s one of those things that can’t be unheard, especially when trying to seduce him as part of a murder plot.

1 Minthara

Baldur’s Gate 3

Minthara’s lack of popularity is mainly due to how she’s presented as one of the bosses of Act I in Baldur’s Gate 3. Indeed, players with no knowledge of her role in the evil route will likely kill Minthara during their first encounter, as part of the mission to save the Druid Grove from the invading goblins.

The developers included a way to recruit Minthara in good routes, but it’s so obtuse that no one would discover it without a walkthrough or a pacifist run.

Minthara is actually a fascinating party member and has some great scenes in her romantic storyline. She’s held back due to how difficult it is to win her heart, especially when so many other party members are practically throwing themselves at Tav.