With Netflix's The Witcher series available to the general population, interest in the video game franchise of the same name has increased. People are flocking back to The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt to experience the adventure and choices of the game. In addition to this phenomenon, the subject of Geralt and Yennefer's romance is a hot subject once again.
However, years of video game romances have shown gamers couples that equal or exceed Geralt and Yennefer's love. More than once, a video game couple has shown us all what it truly means to be romantic. Read on if you want to know what pairings in video games top Geralt and Yennefer in the love department.
10 Commander Shepard & Garrus Vakarian (Mass Effect)
This romance only takes place if the player chooses to pursue it, but if enacted, you witness one of the best video game romances ever. Commander Shepard and Garrus Vakarian are perfect buddies on the field of battle. There is no one that the other trusts more. This translates perfectly into a romantic relationship. The Mass Effect series is well-known for its handling of player-chosen romances, and it held nothing back in making Shepard and Garrus' relationship feel natural. Even though she is human and he is a turian, the trusting foundation makes the relationship work.
9 Nathan Drake & Elena Fisher (Uncharted)
The Uncharted series is all about adventure. No gamer can deny that. But beneath the layers of excitement and exploration, a very sweet romance persists between protagonist Nathan Drake and Elena Fisher. What started off as a kind of cat-and-mouse friendship transformed into a loving relationship. At the end of the series (or at what we assume is the end), Nathan and Elena are married and living happily with their daughter. While at times relations are stormy, Nathan and Elena are clear couple goals.
8 Chloe Price & Max Caulfield (Life Is Strange)
Strangely enough, Max and Chloe's romance only exists if players make certain choices. Otherwise, they just have a really nice friendship. However, their romantic relationship is worth pursuing if only for the ending.
At the end of Life Is Strange, players, as Max, are essentially faced with the choice of sacrificing Chloe to save an entire town or abandoning the town in favor of Chloe. From a moral standpoint, it's clear what needs to be done. However, if Chloe is chosen to be saved, it's indicative of the importance she holds for Max.
7 Cloud & Aerith (Final Fantasy VII)
Cloud and Aerith's love is legendary among gamers. Even people who have never played Final Fantasy VII may have heard of the drama of their love. Aerith's sweet nature balanced Cloud's grimness, and gamers' eyes refused to stay dry during her death. Their relationship was short and sweet, but incredibly poignant. Its impact is still felt. Geralt and Yennefer's love can not hold a candle to the torch that is Aerith and Cloud's romance.
6 Wander & Mono (Shadow Of The Colossus)
Players of Shadow of the Colossus do not spend a lot of time with Mono. The game starts with her very much dead. However, the rest of the game is comprised of Wander's struggle to bring her back. He goes through hell and back in order to rescue his love. Seriously, he fights giant behemoths for her, absorbs their dark energy for her, and basically destroys himself for her. Though their onscreen time together is terribly short, you experience Wander's love for Mono in every action you take to complete the game.
5 Corvo & Jessamine (Dishonored)
Gamers playing Dishonored probably don't bother too much with the events that set the story in motion. A royal bodyguard, Corvo, is disgraced and outcast when it is wrongly assumed he killed his Empress. Players can discover over the course of the story through in-game texts that Corvo and the Empress were romantically involved. That makes the game all about Corvo's manner of taking revenge for his fallen love. And no matter whether you play lethally or non-lethally, Corvo's actions embody this romance. If you choose to be forgiving to your enemies, you are honoring the Empress' memory. If you kill everyone on sight, the loss of the Empress has clearly driven Corvo mad.
4 John Marston & Abigail (Red Dead Redemption)
John and Abigail Marston's love is the kind of understated romance that should be recognized more often. Epic romantic gestures are not a common sight in the world of Red Dead Redemption. However, John's feelings for Abigail are never in doubt. Though they might grouse at each other frequently, they build a life together.
It's a difficult life on the frontier, but it is based on a committed relationship. And no player can forget John's dedication to his family, heart-wrenchingly embodied by his final stand.
3 Mario & Peach (Super Mario)
Clearly, Mario and Peach have some issues to work through. There are only so many times a princess can be captured and a plumber can rescue her before you start wondering when they'll take their relationship to the next level. But it's obvious that Mario and Peach are a couple that never loses faith in each other. Mario's persistence in rescuing Peach and Princess Peach's confidence in him are legendary. If you were to try and think of a great video game couple on the spot, odds are Mario and Peach would spring to mind first.
2 Johnny & River (To The Moon)
No pixelated romance has ever had us bawling in our gaming chairs harder than the one in To the Moon. Johnny and River's love starts off mysteriously, as players experience it backwards. The story takes players on a trip through Johnny's memories, from most recent to most distant. You experience their old age, their marriage, their teen years, and all the trials that accompanied their relationship from end to beginning. It's a tear-jerking journey that will stay with you years after you finished playing the game.
1 Link & Zelda (The Legend Of Zelda)
Geralt and Yennefer do share a great romance with each other. But let's face it, their relationship does not span across time and different dimensions. Link and Zelda's does. Through countless perils, numerous puzzles, and a boatload of Ganons, Link and Zelda's love has withstood the years. Their relationship has literally faced the test of time. And while their romance is at times more subtle than the hot-and-heavy nature of Geralt and Yennefer's romance, it is without a doubt ten times purer and stronger than that.