Summary
Duringthe most romantic time of yearas decreed by your local drug store’s seasonal section, you may understandably wish to forego such a commercialized holiday in favor of continuing to enjoy your favorite games. But there’s no need to be cynical. The two ideas can coexist.
There’s nothing wrong with enjoying Valentine’s Day for what it is: the day before you can buy cheap candy. But it’s also an excuse to let your inner fan of sappy romance out to play, and you just know many of your favorite video game characters have a secret romantic side to them who would absolutely adore this time of year.
10Princess Peach
Super Mario
Peach is about as effective a ruler as you could be in a world targeted by a different cartoon villain every few weeks. But as seriously as she takes her job, she’s got a clear love for the romantic side of life, especially as shown during hereclectic role-changes in Princess Peach: Showtime.
She appreciates the beauty of the moment, as seen by her vast and luxurious wardrobe, and would absolutely use Valentine’s Day as an excuse to similarly go all out with her plumber of choice. She’s also the only princess who would celebrate, as Rosalina is beyond such terrestrial things and Daisy has the soul of an anarchist.
9Wyll Ravengard
Baldur’s Gate 3
Wyll is arguably the most romantic love interest inBaldur’s Gate 3, and it’s hard to deny the idea. Even before he joins your party, he’s all about being the dashing hero of the Sword Coast and protecting everyone he can. So it’s only natural that energy would carry over to his love life.
If given the opportunity, Wyll would jump at the opportunity to express his feelings for his beloved for all to see, and what better way than Valentine’s Day? He’d be the type to get a reservation at an expensive restaurant and request a bard just so all eyes would be on him and his love. It would also put him in devastating debt, and he would still do it every year.
8Vivian
Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door
InPaper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, Vivian is at a rather turbulent time in her life. She’s spent her life being miserable at the hands of her sisters and has never really had the chance tolive freely as a trans womanout from under their ridicule.
But after Mario comes along and helps her break free, she has a whole new appreciation for life. At this point, Vivian wouldn’t even need to be in a relationship to enjoy Valentine’s Day (though she’d probably prefer it). She’d just relish all the celebration of love, particularly after being suppressed for so long.
7Dorian Pavus
Dragon Age: Inquisition
If there’s one thing Dorian loves inDragon Age: Inquisition, it’s himself. Granted, it’s not in a narcissistic way. He just appreciates beauty, and he knows full well that includes him. But when he’s in a relationship, he never puts himself before the man he loves.
But that’s not to say Dorian wouldn’t take any and every opportunity to be extra. He wants to be seen, and all the better if he can be seen with his love on, say, a Valentine’s Day dinner. Of course, if he’s with The Iron Bull, they wouldn’t often have the luxury of public meetings being Tevinter and Qunari. But that would just make him all the more eager for a big romantic gesture.
6Curie
Fallout 4
There are absolutely some questionable power dynamics at play when it comes to Curie. At the time when you can romance her, this former Miss Nanny robot has literally just become a synth, including first-time access to every human emotion that comes along with it. It’s admittedly a little off-putting for some.
Even so, she’s arguablyFallout 4’s most romantic love interest, and that’s largely due to her infectious enthusiasm for life and the human experience, even in the wasteland. If Curie found out that there’s a holiday celebrating love, she would not stop chattering about it for a second until she got a chance to take part.
5Panam Palmer
Cyberpunk 2077
When you first meet Panam inCyberpunk 2077, she’s a little abrasive, to say the least. When you get to know her and maybe even fall in love, she’s still abrasive, because she’s Panam. But you kind of get it at that point. She finds it hard to trust people, but when she does, her loyalty is truly intense.
That naturally applies to romance as well. When Panam falls for someone, she falls hard, and you can tell she always hates when she can’t be with V. If Night City has a Valentine’s Day celebration, she would tell the Aldecaldo’s to bugger off for at least a week just so she can spend the whole time with her person.
4Snow Villiers
Final Fantasy 13
Throughout the entireFinal Fantasy 13saga, Snow goes through a few changes. But whether he’s a freedom fighter or city ruler, two things remain constant: his brash look-before-you-leap nature and his love for Serah.
Unfortunately, most of the time, they’re unable to be together for various reasons, often including death (they get better). But if they happened to be together on Valentine’s Day, Snow would plan the biggest and most extravagant event for the two of them, likely not consulting Serah first and ruining them financially.
3Tali’Zorah
Mass Effect
Tali’Zorah vas Neema nar Rayya, everyone’s favorite quarian engineer in theMass Effectgames, has always been a bit of a hopeless romantic. Though you don’t get to see much of that unless you romance her, or you agree to her inspired movie night in Mass Effect 3’s Citadel DLC.
The fact is, Tali is a huge fan of romance, even memorizing the entire script of a sappy romance movie (and blatantly plagiarizing it during an intimate moment with Shepard). So frankly, there’s little chance she doesn’t already know about the human holiday of Valentine’s Day, and she’s probably already made plans.
2Mitsuru Kirijo
Persona 3 Reload
As the heir to a prestigious trading company, Mitsuru is naturally no stranger to dealing with other people. That’s one reason why she’s such an effectivemember of SEES in Persona 3, the other being her skills with a rapier, though both can come in handy on Valentine’s Day depending on how cool you are.
But aside from her battle prowess, Mitsuru is probably an old pro at Valentine’s Day given those social circles. Whether she’s on an actual date or simply enjoying someone’s company while discussing books, she seems the type to have a standing reservation at an expensive restaurant that would be perfect for the holiday.
1Wario
Wario probably doesn’t have a date, and it’s not because Wapeach isn’t real. She would know better. (Or they’d be related.) No, Wario isn’t a fan of Valentine’s Day because of the romance or anything like that. He simply approves of the rampant commercialization. Game respects game, and Wario respects anyone who can squeeze a buck out of someone else.
Valentine’s Day is an excuse for countless stores to have big sales on chocolates, decorations, and things not appropriate to mention when talking about Mario characters. So Wario would find a way to capitalize on it himself. He’d make his own terrible candy and sell it at a premium as ‘homemade’. Digestive problems are part of the rustic experience.
