Highlights
- Mother-daughter relationships in video games are not as prominent as father-son relationships, but there are titles that explore this bond, sometimes in complicated and volatile ways.
- Games like Life Is Strange , Shadwen , Returnal , and The Witcher showcase the complexities and challenges in mother-daughter relationships, with themes of guilt, neglect, jealousy, and eventual bonding.
- The game It Takes Two portrays a torrid moment in a mother-daughter relationship, highlighting the selfishness of both parents, but ultimately emphasizes the importance of reconciliation and growth.
Gaming has evolved by leaps and bounds, with the days of Pong feeling like a lifetime ago... perhaps because it is! Nowadays, players demand the world from their games, either in the form of great stories, scintillating gameplay, amazing level design, or a combination of all three. A formula that has worked really well in video games is the exploration of a relationship between a parent and child.
While the patented father-son duo has been seen multiple times, the same can't be said for mother-daughter relationships. It's a shame that the latter isn't all that prominent in video games, but there are some titles that put this relationship front and center. However, not all the bonds between a mother and daughter need to be simple and heartwarming; sometimes, they can be quite complicated and a little bit volatile.
6 Joyce & Chloe (Life Is Strange)
Chloe is a pretty complicated character in Life is Strange, making her such a fascinating personality to interact with. Max starts out by manipulating time itself to save her before striking up a great friendship with her that has the potential to bloom into something more if the player wishes.
As players get to know Chloe in Life is Strange, they find out that her father died in a car accident when her mother, Joyce, asked him to get some groceries. Suffice it to say, this event weighs heavily on the family, with Joyce mired in self-guilt while Chloe has mixed feelings about her mother, unconsciously blaming her for his premature demise.
5 Shadwen & Lily (Shadwen)
Players who love stealth games will have a great time with Shadwen, even if the gameplay may not be as polished as most people expect. The eponymous main character is an assassin who's been betrayed by the new king and her ex-lover, forcing her to go into hiding with her daughter.
What makes the relationship between Shadwen and Lily so interesting is that the quality of their bond is totally dependent on the player. If Shadwen kills too many people in front of her daughter, it can lead to a permanent rift forming between the two. This compels the player to either avoid enemies or take them out without letting Lily see the depraved act.
4 Theia & Selene (Returnal)
Returnal is one of the best roguelike games that fans can check out, with amazing action gameplay and pulse-pounding battles as players get into the rhythm of a run while recognizing enemy patterns and dodging projectiles with ease. The game can seem unfairly hard at times, but it doesn't take too long for players to come to grips with how Returnal plays.
There's a great story running in the background revolving around Selene and her backstory. Her mother, Theia, was an astronaut who ignored Selene until an accident that rendered her unable to pursue her dream. This grief caused Theia to lash out at Selene, and it's unfortunate to see that this trauma was carried in the family when Selene ended up being a neglectful mother to her son, Helios, leading to his demise.
3 Yennefer & Ciri (The Witcher)
While most people may assume that Yennefer and Ciri have a perfect relationship if they go by The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt alone, the truth is that this bond took a while to form. In the books, Geralt asked Yennefer to look after Ciri and help her develop her magical abilities, with the Lion Cub of Cintra not really being a huge fan of Yennefer when they met for the first time.
Ciri was jealous of the sorceress' looks and loathed the fact that Yennefer was trying to forcefully enroll her in Aretuza to hone her magical skills. Over time, it was clear that both characters formed a tight bond with each other, making it easy to see why they had such a beautiful reunion in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt.
2 Toriel & Frisk (Undertale)
While Toriel is obviously not Frisk's biological mother, the relationship they foster definitely elicits the same. Since most players will play Undertale by following the usual RPG rules, it's easy to see why players have no idea that fighting and beating Toriel when she prevents the protagonist from leaving is a path that can be avoided, especially with how emotional Toriel gets right before her demise.
Even if players reload Undertale to negotiate with Toriel instead, Flowey will remind the player about their past misdeeds. Things become even worse if players opt for the Genocide Route, with Toriel's death being ever more heartbreaking... unless players are sadistic, that is.
1 May & Rose (It Takes Two)
The co-op gameplay of It Takes Two made the game an instant hit, with the title cycling through several gameplay loops when Cody and May end up being transformed into dolls after a wish from their child became a bit too real for their own liking. In a bid to try and regain their human bodies, the duo ends up doing something really disturbing and rips the head off of Rose's favorite doll, forcing her to cry.
It makes for a torrid moment and shows how selfish both parents are. While this mother-daughter relationship may be quite volatile in its own right, Cody also deserves the blame for ignoring his daughter during this petty fight. Thankfully, by the end of It Takes Two, they manage to reconcile their differences and try to be better parents for Rose.