Four perfect romantic video games for Valentine’s Day

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Lilia Hellal
February 14, 2023
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As a hopeless romantic, I already enjoy suggesting romantic video games here and there, and Valentine’s Day is, of course, the perfect day for that. So sit back and relax in time for romance because we have got you well and truly covered for February 14.

Whether you intend playing solo or with your special someone, here are two single player games and two co-op games for you to enjoy!

Florence

Florence follows the titular lady herself, Florence Yeoh. The game covers the most important aspects of her character and life, up until we meet her first love, Krish Hemrajani, who she encounters at the age of 25. As a more realistic romance game, prepare to experience every bit of emotion in the short time you have with it.

Florence is incredibly short, so spend just an evening playing it to its full completion once you are cosied up with a nice beverage of your choosing. It will take a repeat or two to obtain all the achievements if you’re so inclined, however.

In any case, its gorgeous comic book style and presentation makes Florence a top-notch interactive story. There is no dialogue present in the game, so every single other bit of its design is what carries it – and it is highly effective. Its OST is sublime, becoming more heightened as instruments join and layer upon one another in each exclusive chapter track as the stories – or rather memories – reach their climax. There is also such clever use of gameplay titbits that silently portray Florence’s feelings without any words being needed. Her first date with Krish really knocks this out of the park.

The game also happens to be extremely easy to navigate. Anyone can play through it, since its puzzles require merely motion or quick enough reaction timing to pull off, and the game tends to wait for you to complete them. Its achievements nicely tie into the player’s way of reacting to everything, despite the fact that the game is linear.

The way the storytelling is a reflective experience makes the game a double whammy of emotional hits. What do you value most when decorating a shared home space? How patient are you with your family? And how able are you to let go of someone who was once so important to you?

It’s a game I continue to go back to each and every year for a quick and effective dose of reality – Vanilla Sky’s “the sweet is never as sweet without the sour” is just as relevant to this gaming experience right here. It is playable on Nintendo Switch, Android and Microsoft Windows.

When the Past was Around

We are not quite done with our favourite romances being on the bittersweet side of things just yet. While Florence explored putting your own dreams and peace of mind above anything else to live a life more rich and fulfilling for yourself, When the Past was Around is an uplifting message of overcoming grief due to loss. Clocking in at roughly two and a half hours to complete, the game comes with more challenging puzzles than Florence, spread across five chapters. The game requires point-and-click problem solving to piece its entire story together.

Following the duo Eda and Owl, their personal journey is as whimsical as it is an emotional gut-punch. Propped up by stunning visuals and breathtakingly subtle animation throughout, the game’s overall design feels light and comforting despite its heavy subject matter. As a poignant and touching tale that manages to both acknowledge the lows of living and loving while celebrating them in all their glory, When the Past was Around is an indisputable triumph as one of the very best narratives of its kind.

With its surreal presentation that contains plenty of symbolic and philosophical design choices to further exemplify the dreamlike appearance of it all, its meaning and messages become clearer the further you advance in the story – all while it remains stunning on a surface level. For this reason alone, going into the game blind is for the best, as the stacking of the chapters with the final revelation and send-off is well worth the metaphorical onions destroying your tear ducts.

Playable on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Microsoft Windows and mobile devices.

It Takes Two

As one of my favourite video games from 2021, I feel confident that I will not have to do much explaining here as to why it belongs on this list. If you ask me, there is simply no other game that compares to It Takes Two as the ultimate couples game.

While any duo or relationship can take up playing It Take Two, it hits particularly hard for players who are romantically involved. This is due to the main characters, parents May and Cody, are in the midst of going through with a divorce, and this will feel more important or even relatable to any romantically involved pair playing it.

The pair are unwittingly turned into dolls due to their daughter’s turmoil about the impending dissolvement of the family unit. With only each other to depend on, May and Cody must learn to work together to find a way out of this living nightmare – but that’s only one piece of the puzzle.

It Takes Two humbles the player in what it has to say about romance, especially that of long lasting couples. It’s obvious enough that romance is never a walk in the park, especially when such relationships tend to fizzle out over time. It Takes Two reminds us all to appreciate each other, remain kind and tolerable to the ones we love most, and work on our differences while uplifting others so that we all reach the heights we can.

It’s interactive rom-com adventure with imaginative level design and a heartfelt story that ends realistically while taking some truly dark jabs, and its 15 hour journey is consistently entertaining and unpredictable. Just remember that this game requires two players to experience it, unlike the rest of our other recommended titles today.

Playable on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S and Microsoft Windows.

Haven

Just like Florence, it has been a while since I’ve mentioned Haven here at Rice Digital, but like anything good in life, I have only grown more fond of it over time.

Haven requires a lot more input from its players, unlike the majority of more laid-back and cosy experiences on this list, and that’s because it is an RPG. An RPG that allows for two of the greatest features known to man for a video game — hand-holding and animal petting.

Anyway, Haven’s uninhabited planet setting is an intriguing world well worth exploring in detail as you attempt to cleanse it of Rust. As main characters Yu and Kay attempt to make a new life for themselves, away from the grasp of the controlling and authoritarian society that they were born in, the “unwinding” time of Haven is truly where its heart is.

Yu and Kay are adorable together. Be it during the loading screen illustrations that depict their first times as a fresh couple or their many simple, everyday conversations that they naturally engage in back in their ship/makeshift home quarters, they feel real. Every single bit of their dialogue and the scenes they share together build up a picture-perfect depiction of a legitimate couple – they disagree, uplift one another, share comfortable silences, tease, carry out small gestures for one another; everything. They had me falling for them as much as they are already into one another, making for a truly delightful game through and through.

And since I last talked about the game here, it also got updated with a same-sex option for free! Play it now on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S and Microsoft Windows.

That’s it from us, now go enjoy your Valentine’s Day and remember to get in as many otome games as you possibly can. The time is ripe after all.