Game Characters You've Developed A Strong Emotional Attachment To

[ExDeath730]

As someone already pointed out, Lyn from Fire Emblem is someone you create an emotional connection, she speaks directly to you, and you start and end the game with her, and she is really good and dependable on the battlefield as well, so you create that trust in a fictional character. What seals this, is how you miss her when Eliwood's campaign starts, not to mention that he is bland and just worse than her in the battlefield.

Naked Snake/Big Boss in Metal Gear Solid 3. I guess is the mix of survival, how the game plays out and all the things that the character goes through and you're right there with him. I still remember parts of that game because of this attachment.

Bigby and Snow from the Wolf Among Us, both great characters and thrust into a really complicated situation, you're usually only with Bigby, but Snow always have an impact on the game when she is around, and i bet that a lot of players try to do right at the end because of her.

 

[kissthebottle]

I feel dopey posting about Dragon Age again, but I started another play thru of DA 2 and I'm realizing just how much Hawke is my favorite main out of all the DAs and one of my favorite protagonists ever. I always just feel the compulsion to make Hawke the best they can be. I see/relate/invest so much of myself into Hawke (cause I play as the sassy/sarcastic/purple one always). And

Spoiler: ugggh I'm getting real sad thinking about it...Inquisition spoiler content

having to make the choice to either sacrifice Hawke or Alistair (I love this precious bb too) in the Fade during Inquisition gutted me SO FUCKING HARD. I curled up on my couch and couldn't believe what was happening. It was traumatic. So much that it basically kickstarted my million play thrus of all the DA games to set things right.

 

[Jak2364]

Sera from Inquisition, and Fetch from Infamous Second Son/First Light. Fetch feels like an interesting character trapped in a somewhat uninteresting world. I really want a game with a character like her in it with a better story and stuff. And then I've already talked about how much I like Sera on other threads, she's just such an awesome character and I feel like I'd totally be friends with her if she were real.

 

[SmallHatLogan]

Agro from Shadow of the Colossus. Although I didn't realise how much of an emotional attachment I had formed until a certain event (anyone who's played the game will know what I'm talking about).

Clementine from Telltales' The Walking Dead Season 1. Five minutes after meeting her, I had made up my mind that anyone or anything that threatened her was DEAD. The rest of the cast were on their own; every decision I made was based on what I thought was best for Clem at that moment in time. Sadly, actually playing as her in Season 2 didn't have the same emotional impact for me.

Same here, although it didn't happen immediately for me. For the first episode or two I was trying to stay neutral and make everyone happy, but I eventually got into a mindset where every choice I had to make had me thinking "How will this affect Clementine?". I also agree with how it felt in season two. Since you're no longer her protector, not to mention the fact that she's much more capable and self reliant, the connection isn't quite the same. I still love her in season two though.

 

[Maximum Bert]

Emotional attachment past they are my favourite character hmmm? probably none to be honest same in Books, Film and TV well any medium really. I suppose the character I have the strongest attachment to in games is Tifa from FFVII in so far that I pretty much buy any game that features her but I have always been pretty detached. This is probably why horror games dont scare me as well.

Thats not to say I sont really like characters in the context of the game or even outside the game but theres no attachment except I just really like them im not gonna cry if they get hurt for instance or feel their emotional suffering. There is always a massive barrier between the character and me and that is strengthened if its a character I have created because then they just become my avatar rather than a character.

 

[Barbas]

Leliana, Leliana, Leliana. She's got a positive but not annoyingly chipper attitude, which is detailed by her sad but not depressingly tragic background story. She does not automatically defer to the teachings of the Chantry but weighs them against the more pragmatic or utilitarian approaches that she was taught in her less-than-salubrious past. She often worries whether she's taking too soft or hard an approach as an advisor and spymaster. She's interesting, relatable and conflicted.

Spoiler: ...And I've got a bit of a thing for fiery redheads. So nyeeerrr.

 

[Rabbitboy]

"Snarky" Hawke from Dargon Age 2. No matter the situation his sarcastic remarks always made me smile.

 

[Draken Steel]

Liara. Adorable in the first game, goes through hell to bring you back; but feels guilty about not being able to ask you for permission and is terrified you will hate her for going through Cerberus to do so. Also her ending up as the fething Shadow Broker was cool. Thoguth she had some interesting development, and still like her a lot better then Tali (don't dislike Tali, jsut don't like nearly as much). DO still wish she could have palled around more in 2 tho.

 

[renegade7]

I just started playing Final Fantasy 7 and I already really like this Aerith character. I can't wait to see the ending where she and Cloud live happily ever after.

Spoiler

WHY? WHYYYYY???

I'm also extremely fond of my team of legendary-level weapon and armor smiths in Dwarf Fortress.

 

[Terminal Blue]

I'm also extremely fond of my team of legendary-level weapon and armor smiths in Dwarf Fortress.

I once set out to make an elite vampire squad in Dwarf fortress. I managed to get 5 confirmed vampires, isolate them from the rest of the fortress so they wouldn't constantly eat everyone and equipped them with the best armour and weapons I had. Together, they killed several forgotten beasts, scores of goblins and countless pesky underworld critters.. until they engaged a forgotten beast on the edge of a huge underground chasm.. during the fight 3 of them dodged straight off the edge.

Nowadays, I use traps.

 

[Evonisia]

Not my favourite character in games (thanks for that clarification), but one of the very few characters I'd say I actually really cared for in games is Cortana from the Halo series. Leaving aside that I'm fond of her sarcastic, but caring personality, I love how they balance her power with her vulnerability. It does make me actually care about her.
Halo 3 kinda pushed it a bit too far, but I will go on record as saying that I don't hate the level named after her, mostly because of her efforts to stop the Gravemind's mind fuckery.

And one thing to say to 343 Industries that I don't think I will ever say on any other subject: Thank you for not fucking it up. Cortana's rampancy arc wherein she's very quickly deteriorating is far and beyond the best part of Halo 4. It uses the three games of build up as a jumping off point for a ticking clock aspect to the plot, and John and Cortana discuss how they could possibly make to Halsey (her creator) and extend her life but by the end it becomes quite clear that such an option's becoming less and less likely.

The only bad part of Cortana's story in Halo 4 is the structure of the ending, and even then it's less in part to Cortana herself and more to the laziness of the writers (fuck Deus Ex Machinas!). It's an incredibly sweet scene and I've been brought the closest to reaching for that tissue by her actions in the last scenes of the game. Fuck Halo 4, one of the worst levels in the game is ended by the second best scene in the entire game.

I was so pissed at Halo: Reach for reducing her to just a plot device with no dialogue IIRC, because she's worth more than that damnit!

 

[NeutralDrow]

Leaving visual novels out of this, as them's cheatin'...Colette from Tales of Symphonia. Something draws me to extremely friendly characters with streaks of selflessness that are outright pathological (she felt like a superpowered Tohru Honda), and if there was anyone in that game I wanted to succeed, it was her. At least, that was the impression I got when something very bad happens to her 1/3 of the way through the game, and I got halfway through the resulting boss fight before suddenly realizing I'd spent the past five minutes literally screaming death threats at the television.

Actually, I also got really attached to Zelos in that game, too. Which made a certain other incident 3/4 of the way through the game hurt like hell.

 

[Padwolf]

Alistair from Dragon Age Origins. I love him to pieces, I will pick him every time. He shall always be the king of my heart <3 I love his development, I love his story, I love what he becomes depending on the choices made in the game.

I'm also incredibly attached to Cassandra from Inquisition. I just love her. I love her personality and I think she's just an overall very strong badass woman.

Varric from DA2. I love Varric. I always keep him in my party everywhere because I just love him. I don't want anything to happen to my buddy, I just wish he was a romance option, but I understand why he isn't.

Sora from Kingdom Hearts. I just love his chipper attitude. He always tries for a smile no matter what and is so loyal to his friends.

 

[Neurotic Void Melody]

Just finished first time The last of us remastered today actually, it certainly got me invested and caring after the various events and I do feel a lot more for them than I'd expected to. Certainly, stealth went out the window near the end due to sone particular emotional pressure. That never happens to me! Shant ramble though, it's still quite fresh.

Clementine. Not shocking, I know. But damn. She made me say squee out loud. Only kittens falling over can bring out the squee.

Alistair and Morrigan from DArigins. The conversations we'd have are the most memorable parts of the game I believe.

Oh, those are probably too obvious for choices, maybe I should dig deeper...The doll in bloodborne seems to be leading towards a sad reveal that I sense will affect me fairly, hence am avoiding any spoilers that may or may not be above, in this thread.

 

[WhiteFangofWhoa]

Naked Snake. It's heartbreaking how he starts out much more cheery and warm than his most famous son but the recent games have been following his gradual transformation into full-on villain, likely ending with Phantom Pain.

Keisuke Takagi from Devil Survivor: Overclocked. A bully hunter in school who earned a lot of appreciation from another party member nearly to the point of idolization. He's probably the least Anime-looking character in your party (T-shirt, bushy brown hair like mine), and also the most level headed until a certain THING happens that pushes him from bully hunter into Knight Templar territory. After that happens he probably swears more than even his opposite number Nikaido over the course of the game. More than anyone else, his madness really shows how the demon's power is corrupting everyone who uses it, even for seemingly good things.

Hm, both good characters who gradually become evil. At least Keisuke can be saved and redeemed if you try.

 

[Basement Cat]

Aribeth from Neverwinter Nights. For years that was the only game I could run on my outdated, crappy computer so I literally played it all the way through more than a hundred times. Funnily my version had bugs so I couldn't keep her ring until I got a patch years down the road.

Spoiler: It was the twist that really did it for me.

I was so busy enjoying the game that I didn't read the signs of her falling from grace and becoming a Blackguard.

The first time I played it through I was like: "No, Aribeth! You can't fall to the Dark Side!!! NOOOOOOO!!!!"

 

[Unspoken_Request]

Nothing I would qualify as "strong emotional attachment", but here are some I like(d) a lot:

- Zora Fair-Child from the Interesting NPCs mod for Skyrim (love the voice; funny and charming).
- Locke and Celes in FF6
- Frog in Chrono Trigger

In Dragon Age:
- Alistair
- Morrigan

In BG2:
- Minsc
- Jaheira
- Aerie (I liked her at the time, but going back to it, I agree with those who say she is a bit too whiny).

 

[BlackBark]

I have a strange habit of not being able to finish games when I really like the characters. For some reason, I get so invested in the story and characters that I just don't want to see it end...and so I just stop playing.

This has happened for Persona 4 (I ended up liking almost all of the characters in the end, despite the fact they were all walking cliches), Suikoden 2, Suikoden 5 and Breath of Fire 4.

This is why rpgs will always be my favourite genre. It contains the only examples of games that I enjoyed so much that I didn't want to face the fact that they were over. That probably sounds a bit weird.

 

[Ryallen]

Ooh. Good question.

First and foremost, Krieg the Psycho from Borderlands 2

Spoiler: This master of meat, this king of carnage, this proud conductor of the poop-train

This crazy son of a ***** is my favorite character in the entire game. Firstly, because I find him funny and entertaining as hell. I love the poetry found within the mad ramblings that he frequently subjugates us to. But secondly, and most importantly, I find his history with the other members of Sanctuary to be quite tragic. He's a mentally unstable person. That cannot be denied. But when he gets to Sanctuary, he finds some friends in Moxxi, Maya, and Tina. This insane psycho makes friends. How unbelievable is that? He falls in love with Maya, Moxxi wants to sleep with him, and Tina... well, that's not really elaborated on. But then, later on, Maya reveals that she's asexual and rebuffs him (Which is the stupidest reason to have her reject his advances. I mean seriously, Burch. You can do better than that.) Moxxi apparently forgets about him and rejects him as well, and Tina... well, that's not really elaborated on either. But, basically, by the end of it, he's forsaken relationships with other people to stew in his madness by himself, and that makes me sad.

My sources are on the various bits of backstory found on the Facebook page for Borderlands.

Secondly we have the Chosen Undead from Dark Souls.

Spoiler: Hear me out on this one

This guy/girl starts out alone. All alone, in the Undead Asylum. Stuck there, destined to wait out until the end of the world. He/She is just kinda sitting there, not really able to do anything. Until he/she gets a gift from above. He/she looks up to see a knight standing over a hole in the roof who then walks away. He/she takes the key and managed to escape after seeing the knight die in front of him/her, giving him/her the direction he/she needs to go. He/she makes his way over to the Firelink Shrine and meets a few people. No biggie. Just some fellow travelers staying there as well. So, on some advice from one of the guys staying there. he/she sets out. Slowly, one by one, he/she starts to meet a few people. Knight Lautrec, Reah and her friends, Solare, Big Hat Logan, Launrentius, and so on. He/she starts to build a little home for all of these people. A refuge for the outcasts of this forsaken land of dead gods and monstrous nightmares. But then he/she starts to lose them. Big Hat Logan goes mad and attacks him/her. Reah loses her compatriots to Petrus's treachery and herself is kidnapped by Seath The Scaleless to descend into madness as well. Laurentius is Hollowed in Blighttown. Even Solaire, the strongest and most steadfast of his/her allies and friends, goes mad and attacks him/her after accomplishing his goal. One by one, The Chosen Undead loses all of his/her friends to the Undead Curse until only he/she is left. All alone once again. So when the Chosen Undead finally arrives at the Kiln of the First Flame, he/she perfectly mirrors Gywn, Lord of Cinder. Both lost everything to the inevitable decay of time, both are incredibly powerful, and both are about to die alone.

Not my best description, but you get the point.

 

[IOwnTheSpire]

I gotta go with Leliana from DA.