Summary
We all love a game with good romance options. But sometimes, you just want to get real weird with it. It’s ok, there’s no judgment here. If gamers can embrace a game about rolling up random objects into stars, they can be cool with whatever you’ve got in those hidden computer folders.
Now, you might think the weirdest you can get in terms of video game romances might be aliens or fantasy creatures. Oh, what fresh new discoveries await you now. Take a look at some of the most truly odd and downright baffling romance options that, in general, actually work way better than they should.
10Fane
Divinity: Original Sin 2
Fane is a skeleton, and there’s no real way to sugarcoat that, but he’s also technically of a race known as the Eternals, possessing a rich and important lore stretching back well before any of the current sapient species inDivinity: Original Sin 2first appeared in the world.
But enough about that, you’re here for the weird romance; Fane is as bewildered as you likely are when you realize the game allows you to be intimate with him. But the following sequence is surprisingly tender, with an intriguing magical element that may very well have influencedGale’s romance in Baldur’s Gate 3.
9Various Actual Monsters
Monster Prom
The Monster Prom games offer a truly varied pick of its eccentric cast of beastly characters. Your goal is to find a date to prom among your fellow monster classmates, and they range from the tame to the game’s actual narrator.
The game gives you a set of standard romance options to start with, but subsequent playthroughs unlock the real juicy stuff, and if you play your cards right, you can potentially ask out an Eldritch being who loves fanfic, a sapient computer, and a blob among many others. Just ensure they like you first; hey may be devils and demons, but everyone is allowed to have standards.
8Princess Ophelia
Divinity: Dragon Commander
Larian must have a thing for skeletons, and bless them for it. Divinity: Dragon Commander is astrategy RPG spinoff to the studio’s Divinity series, seeing you attempting to unite a shattered empire by way of cunning, army prowess, and finding a princess to marry.
Lacking the player choice of other Larian games, Dragon Commander gives you limited options in this regard, but even so, one of your potential paramours is the undead skeleton, Ophelia. You’ve got to respect the commitment to the bit, and it’s even possible to eventually help her turn human, but why would you wish to mess with bony perfection?
7Khem Val
Star Wars: The Old Republic
Apparently villains deserve love too. In the MMOStar Wars: The Old Republic, the Dashade servant Khem Val is your first companion if you play as a Sith Inquisitor. But you have to work to earn this Jedi eater’s heart because a face like that won’t just open for anyone.
During his character quest, Khem gets the spirit of the Sith Lord Zash trapped in his body. You have to support him against her to get on his good side, and when you’re on Ossus after the Knights of the Eternal Throne expansion, you’re able to finally kindle that spark between you two that’s sure to inspire a few chapters in Archive of Our Own’s less family-friendly sections.
6Wenduag
Pathfinder: Wrath Of The Righteous
Further pushing the idea that even real jerks are worthy of some loving, isometric RPGPathfinder: Wrath of the Righteousintroduces you to the Neutral Evil mongrelman huntress Wenduag early on. But you have to commit to the nasty lifestyle if you want her respect and admiration.
Her spider-like appearance matches her darker tendencies well enough, and if you follow her advice to keep a certain big reveal a secret for selfish reasons, she’ll stick by your side. Then you can work toward the romance. Arachnophobes may wish to keep their eyes closed while smooching.
5M.O.A.V.
Maglam Lord
Romance in the RPGMaglam Lordis a bit of a different affair compared to other games. While many see you as an adventurer lucky enough to find love, here you’re a demon lord who needs to breed to propagate their species, but there’s no reason you can’t still be classy about it.
Oneromance option in Maglam Lordis the sentient humanoid robot weapon M.O.A.V., your personal valet who just so happens to be powerful enough to destroy the entire world. verify you pick dialogue options that play to his kind and curious nature, and you’ll be exploring a new definition of computer dating in no time.
4Shapeshifting Weapons
Boyfriend Dungeon
Boyfriend Dungeonis a dungeon crawler where you date your weapons; as easily as it could have been a joke game based on that premise, it actually turns out as one of the more comfy and validating dating sims out there. How many other games offer trigger warnings while letting you date a geeky, nonbinary glaive?
They’re not just weapons, of course; they’re people who can turn into weapons, and you date their human forms while swinging their pointy versions around in the “dunj” combat areas. Classy estoc Isaac, suave bad boy Sunder, artistic dagger Valeria, and others await you, and the game is even cool with polyamory, which is a nice touch not often seen.
3Angelus
Drakengard
Angelus isn’t quite presented as an “option” in thetrippy Yoko Taro action RPG Drakengard. But the relationship she shares with the main character Caim is particularly unique enough that it warrants a mention.
Caim sacrificed his voice to forge a pact with the Red Dragon known as Angelus to avenge his parents and save his sister. Over time, that pact grows into something deeper, and despite never outright stating it, romantic feelings are heavily implied between the two, and between this and Shrek, there must be something about dragons.
2Bird Boys
Hatoful Boyfriend
What would you do if you suddenly got transferred to a school where all the other students were birds? Hato Moa’s PigeoNation Inc. decided to be the first to both ask and answer that question with Hatoful Boyfriend, a game where you date birds. It’s nice to have goals.
As a visual novel, the whole thing is told through largely static images of the characters. Again, birds. It’s treated like any other dating sim in terms of mechanics, with your choices determining which avian academic you end up with; in fact, you’re able to even play with human portraits for the characters, but at that point, are you even really playing the game?
1A Mindflayer
Baldur’s Gate 3
In a game where you can get together with a fierce githyanki warrior, a red-hot tiefling, or a half-demon swashbuckler, apparently, many players decided they wanted toromance the squishy mindflayerinBaldur’s Gate 3. Never change, you beautiful nerds.
At one point in the story, you meet your mysterious guardian in their true form, as a tentacle-mouthed mindflayer. A few encounters later, you have the option to see exactly what those things can do for one passionate night, and frankly, you’d think the aroma of garlic and vanilla would be enough to kill the mood.
