Decisions, decisions.As great as it is to have choices, sometimes you’d rather not have to restrict yourself to just one. This can apply equally to video game love interests and curly fries. Usually, both can be involved in a quality night off.
While many games include characters you can choose to initiate a romantic relationship with, only a small percentage of those games allow for more than one in a single playthrough. Whether out of indecisiveness or a genuine attempt to portray polyamory in a positive light, it’s nice to have a little more choice wiggle room.
Ultra cozy farming and life-sim MMO Palia sees you playing as a human just trying to make a life for yourself in a world where the helpfully humanoid Majiri is presumably the dominant species. Don’t think too hard about the premise. You’re here to farm, fish, mine, and maybe smooch.
Many of the villagers you find yourself interacting with and helping are also romance options, and you’re able to flirt with any of them. While you’re allowed to pursue multiple love interests, though, don’t expect all of them to be thrilled at the idea. But aside from a little sassy dialogue, there’s no penalty.
Even back in the original Persona 3, players were allowed to go ham on how many characters they romanced. The only caveat was that you had to max outeach one’s social linkbefore trying to initiate with someone else. Otherwise, someone would get jealous and you’d lose your progress in their link.
Persona 3 Reload removed that limit, now allowing you to efficiently woo each of the romanceable girls in and out of your party at once without consequence. Now, you’re only held back by your own discretion, and maybe your conscience.
Unlike other games that let you romance multiple characters, Baldur’s Gate 3 adds some nuance to the equation. The incredibly written cast of this game can get pretty complex with their motives and emotions, and that extends to their romance arcs, which are numerous and varied.
You can be polyamorous, but only if it involves the druid Halsin (yes, the bear guy). While the majority of characters aren’t open to it like the heroic Wyll, some like Shadowheart are receptive, provided you keep the lines of communication open and honest. This sensitive portrayal of having multiple partners is rare but certainly appreciated.
If you want to fall in love with all of your adventuring partners, then Fallout 4 has your back. Exploring the Commonwealth wastes can be much more pleasant if you have a companion along for the ride. More than one if you like mods.
But whether you have one or several at a time, you’ll see no penalties or restrictions on pursuing a romance with all of them from the sly reporter Piper to the hardened mercenary MacCready. Romance isn’t required to get all theFallout 4 companion perks, but hey, it’s a nice bonus.
6Boyfriend Dungeon
Giving New Meaning To “Slash Fic”
For some people, the only thing more fun than hitting dudes is kissing dudes. But why stop there? Kiss a dude, then use the dude as a weapon to hit another dude. Now that’s efficiency. Say hello toBoyfriend Dungeon. (They’re not all boys.)
In this game, you wieldseveral shapeshifting humanswho can turn into various weapons. When you’re not using them to carve your way through a dungeon (with their consent, of course), you’re able to hang out and get to know them better. There’s no limit on which ones you can romance, and you even get an achievement for maxing them all out.
Farming sim Stardew Valley is all about the chill vibe. As you’re maintaining your crops and home, you might get lonely, so the townsfolk are around to keep you company. If you’re feeling particularly full of beans, plenty of them are available as potential romantic partners.
There’s also (mostly) no restriction on how many people you can get together with while increasing your relationship levels. But if you happen to romance all available men or women, an event occurs where they all discover what you’ve done and dump you. So, not exactly polyamory friendly, but great for those with choice paralysis.
“Romance” might be a strong word for the more randy interactions you can have with people inGreek mythology playgroundAssassin’s Creed: Odyssey. Your playable character, Kassandra or Alexios, finds many attractive people in need who are only too willing to thank you for your help in biblical ways.
You never really see anything much deeper happen than a night of passion (aside from a certain DLC that shall remain nameless). But nothing is stopping you from getting sweaty with all of them and imagining more tender moments just off-screen. It’s even easier to headcanon if you recruit as many of your paramours to your ship’s crew as you can.
Hades is a game that knows how to do a heck of a lot with very little. Its gameplay involves traveling through the same regions over and over as you build your strength and skills, and its romance options are few but remarkably satisfying.
As Zagreus, you’re able to spark things up with the brutal Fury Megaera and Death himself, Thanatos. You can choose, or go for both, which will result in a scene in Zag’s bedroom where the three of you consent to enter into a polyamorous relationship. It’s surprisingly sweet and thoughtful for a game set in the actual literal underworld.
In Mass Effect: Andromeda, you’re the human Pathfinder. Your job is to blaze a trail and find homes for your people and the other races who came with you to this unfamiliar galaxy. So, naturally, you’re able to flirt with beings from a newly encountered alien race within literal minutes of first contact.
These new aliens, the Angara, feature one full romance and one casual one, the latter of which is historian Avela Kjar. She and Asari filmmaker Keri T’Vessa are the only characters you can have a fling with while also pursuing a more complete relationship with one of your crew likethe other romanceable angara, Jaal. It’s never really addressed, so chalk one up for the “probably not polyamory” side.
Pathfinder: Kingmaker is often spoken of as one ofthe best CRPGs out there, and its incredibly detailed and well-written polyamorous relationship is just one excellent indicator of the effort put in. Two party members, Octavia and Regongar, share a tragic codependency that the player can optionally become involved with.
The two are trauma-bonded after going through hellish things together, and they’re both open to you joining in a throuple. Some of it isn’t exactly healthy, but consent is a huge part of this romance path, and feelings are discussed constantly to make sure everyone is on the same page. It’s not that youcanromance them both, it’s that youhave to, as picking just one of them will end in tragedy for everyone.
