An RPG is only as important as the party players can put together. There are certainly great RPGs that are solo adventures like Elden Ring, or most Soulslikes in general. A good party goes beyond making a game easier because it’s the small moments on the journey that can make that experience more memorable.
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In some of the best RPGs, there have been moments with companions and party members that will strike at the very core of someone’s soul and challenge their beliefs. Sometimes players will be tested with a rescue, romance, or a sacrifice. Either way, fans may argue over the following characters and moments from these RPGs for years, as they can be divisive.
Baldur’s Gate 3
Is Astarion Truly The Best?
Baldur’s Gate 3 players have their pick for who they want to be with romantically in the game, and perhaps in real life. There is no denying the fan love online, as evident in Reddit posts, videos, and fan art, and it can get quite spicy. At the top of the list is Astarion, arguably one of the best companions in an RPG in recent decades, boasting great dialogue, a complex history, and a strong presence in battle.
Whether Astarion is the greatest can be debated for all of time, but it’s the secret companions that some fans will really go to bat for, like Minthara. To get her requires knocking her out in the goblin camp, followed by freeing her from prison in the Moonrise Towers, or at least that’s one way to do it. As a Drow Paladin, Minthara’s history is equally as complex as the others, and the fact that it takes a while to get her makes Minthara’s friendship all the more rewarding.
Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth
The Best Gold Saucer Date
Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth and the original Final Fantasy 7 had a big debate over two of the party members, Tifa and Aerith. Cloud, the main character, grew up with Tifa, and there was a resurgence of affection between the two as the campaign went on, but it also felt like Cloud could have been trying to fulfill an old promise rather than create a romance.
Then there was Aerith, a new girl in his life who was infatuated with him, and even though Cloud was cold, it was clear there was something there as well. Players got a chance to go on a date with one of them at an amusement park, Gold Saucer, depending on numerous factors in Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth and the original version. Some fans always thought Tifa was the one, while others loved Aerith. As a side note, Cloud could go on a date with other party members too, but these scenarios were more numerous and less romantic than the one with Barret.
Hogwarts Legacy
Is Sebastian Just Or Evil?
In Hogwarts Legacy, players can get sorted into one of the four school houses, and no matter what, they can befriend companions from other houses in the game and follow their quests. One of the most controversial characters is Sebastian, a Slytherin student who is struggling with his uncle over his sister’s sickness.
Sebastian will do whatever it takes to cure her, leading to players having to make some very tough decisions with him. They can put another Slytherin student, Ominis, in a tough situation too because he knows dark arts needed to get the cure Sebastian seeks. The finality of this quest can go several ways, including learning dark arts to use in combat, and overall, Sebastian’s arc is probably the deepest in this Harry Potter game.
Kingdom Hearts
Donald And Goofy’s Best Transformations
Throughout most Kingdom Hearts games, Sora is the main character who is assisted by Donald and Goofy. In some of the Disney worlds, players could swap one of them out for other Disney characters, like Ariel from The Little Mermaid. Also, in some worlds, Sora and the others had to disguise themselves to fit in better.
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In the same underwater world, Donald became an octopus duck abomination while Goofy turned into an equally horrific-looking dog turtle. When it comes to these two, fans could argue who is a better AI teammate, with most blaming Donald as useless, or at least in the first game. They may also debate over their various forms, with many wins going to their zombified costumes in The Nightmare Before Christmas’ world.
Mass Effect
Who To Save?
The Mass Effect series is full of great companions, and while fans may debate over who the best romance is between the original trilogy, like Liara versus Garrus, there’s an even bigger debate not long into the first game. Two of the first companions players will get are fellow human officers, Ashley and Kaiden.
In the campaign, players will be forced to decide who to save and who to let die, and it can be an emotional decision. On one hand, Kaiden will always be on Shepard’s side and be grateful, but lacks a strong personality. Ashley, on the other hand, has a bigger personality and is more of a character, but she can often ignore Shepard throughout the trilogy.
Fallout 3
The Big Sacrifice
Fallout 3 has a few companions that players can gather, but it’s a loose system that will get better as the Bethesda games go on. At the end of the game, players will have to make a choice about a reactor. There are several choices to make, both good and dark, like players can send someone else to the party to shut things down, or they can sacrifice themselves, but whoever does it dies.
That is, unless players get Fawkes, a Super Mutant, who can be tricky to acquire. If players befriend him, they can send Fawkes into the radiation chamber, and it won’t kill him because he’s already mutated. That said, morally, it’s still messed up to ask someone to do that, or at least that can be what the debate is about.
The World Ends With You
The Best Partner
The World Ends With You takes place in the afterlife, wherein the hero, Neku, has to make his way through a full week, battling others to become the game’s champion. Doing so will get the winner a wish, and in each of the three weeks, Neku gets a new partner. Shiki is perhaps the obvious fan favorite as the only female in the game, who clearly forms a somewhat romantic bond with Neku in their time together. She lacks confidence and is not as strong as the second week’s candidate, Joshua, who is easily the strongest partner in the game.
However, after players find out he is the orchestrator of the game, this may sour fan love for Joshua from a battle perspective. Finally, there is Beat, a hardheaded rival to Neku throughout most of the game until the final week when they are forced to join up. He has a good balance of power, and it’s funny to see Neku and Beat butt heads, although he can also be annoying. They all have their strengths and weaknesses, which makes it hard to decide.
Star Wars: Knights Of The Old Republic
The Pros And Cons Of HK-47
When it comes to Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, everyone is going to have their favorite party member or party build. It can be about their looks, their skills, or overall strength, like Carth, who is a strong Han Solo-type. One of the best characters in the game is HK-47, a droid hellbent on carnage, which players have to make a decision about.
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Do they keep this sassy droid, who arguably has the best dialogue in the game, in the party, or do they bench it? The reasons to keep it around are obvious, but so are the cons, as HK-47 has very few skills and cannot specialize in weapons, making it a weak party member in combat.
Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door
Is Yoshi Broken?
Paper Mario fans rank Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door high as the finest game in the series. Like most entries, Mario can only have one party member accompany him in battle, and they each have their pros and cons attached in terms of what they can provide in battle.
Among them all, Yoshi Kid could be argued to be the undeniable champion because of his range and versatility of skills. Gulp and Stampede are his two best moves, making any battle a cinch with him alongside Mario in battle. His alternate skin colors can also be a sign of pride among players, who value one color over another, from green to orange to white. His spunky attitude can also be a bit addictive to see how he reacts to certain story situations.
Dragon Quest 5: Hand Of The Heavenly Bride
Your Bride To Be
Dragon Quest 5: Hand of the Heavenly Bride is a unique entry in the Dragon Quest series because it replaced human party members with monsters that players could recruit. Also, players got to see the hero grow up through various points in his life, including the ability to choose a bride, which was mostly a story decision.
In the original SNES version, players could choose between the rich and kind girl in town, Nera, who could provide players with stability. Then there was Bianca, the adventurous tomboy childhood friend who seemed the most fitting given the story. Another girl, Debora, was added as a romance option to the DS version, who’s kind of like the domineering one who is rude but fun to have around. Dragon Quest fans can debate over each character for their positivities, but childhood friends always seem like the obvious choice in media, just like the example between Tifa and Aerith in Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth.
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