Good parents are often hard to come by in the world of video games. From neglect to downright abuse, terrible video game parental figures are a dime a dozen. (Just look at the complicated story of Mortal Kombat.) However, there are a few diamonds in the rough that make us praise the sun. The Witcher's Geralt and Ciri is one of those great parental relationships.
But if you examine other video games more closely, you will see a handful of parent-child relations that exceed the quality of Geralt and Ciri's. Read on if you want to know about the best, most touching parental relationships in video games that hit you right in the feels.
10 Kratos & Atreus (God Of War)
Kratos might not have started out his first few games as the best of fathers, but by the latest God of War installment, he has slowly proven he has parenting chops. The entire game revolves around his relationship with his son, Atreus. They have their rocky moments for sure, but at the end of the day, the love Kratos feels for his son is apparent. Geralt and Ciri might have a fairly smoother time being around each other, but the work Kratos puts into his time with his son makes it more heartfelt.
9 Naru & Ori (Ori And The Blind Forest)
Ori and the Blind Forest was a visual delight for platforming fans. It also appealed to gamers looking for sweet parental figures. Naru, a creature of the forest, finds Ori after a tempestuous storm. With no hesitation whatsoever, Naru decides to care for Ori as if the little spirit was her own child. The first few moments of the game cement the wholesome and pure relationship the two share as they cuddle, play, and look for food. Geralt and Ciri couldn't be this cute if they tried.
8 Harry Mason & Cheryl (Silent Hill)
In a way, Geralt has an obligation to look after Ciri. While the Witcher does in fact care for her, the basis of their relationship is almost one of duty. On the exact opposite side of this spectrum is Harry and Cheryl Mason. Most horror game parental figures are abysmal at raising a child, but Harry does his best.
He and his wife found Cheryl at the side of the road and decided to adopt her. That's some unconditional love right there. And later on, Harry goes through the terrors of Silent Hill to try and rescue her.
7 Tenenbaum & The Little Sisters (Bioshock)
Just hear us out on this one. It takes a lot gumption to admit to your mistakes, and that's exactly what Brigid Tenenbaum from Bioshock does. Her main work in the underwater city of Rapture was to create Little Sisters for the production of Adam. However, she realizes the immorality of what she's doing to these young girls and spends the rest of her life trying to rectify her mistakes. She goes out of her way to care for the girls and to help cure them. She might not have started out as Mom of the Year, but she more than makes up for it in the end.
6 Toriel & Frisk (Undertale)
No one does mom the way Toriel from Undertale does. During the tutorial section of the game, Toriel takes the player under her wing and gently leads them through the mechanics of the gameplay. Players eventually realize that the one thing Toriel wants to do in life is care for someone. She is prime mom material. If you were a heartless jerk (or just curious), you might have killed Toriel during the fight to get out of the Ruins. If so, you missed out on some sweet parental figure moments in the end portion of the game.
5 Claire Redfield & Sherry Birkin (Resident Evil 2)
Sherry Birkin's actual parents in Resident Evil 2 are terrible. One spends the game as a mutated monster, while the other is trying to cover up her mistakes in creating the virus. However, Claire Redfield steps up to the plate, ready and willing to help Sherry where her parents won't. Nothing actually ties Claire to Sherry. Claire acts on goodwill and kindness. Geralt is a generous fellow, and he helps Ciri out of more than a few tough spots, but the random kindness Claire displays toward Sherry beats Geralt's do-gooder-ness.
4 Joyce & Chloe (Life Is Strange)
Not many games can fully capture the average dysfunction that goes on in a home, but the Life is Strange series does a pretty good job. Chloe Price is your typical angsty teen that players fall in love with despite her occasional whining and selfishness. At the end of the day, Chloe is a good kid.
And we can't help but admire the relationship she has with her mother, Joyce. Joyce does not get enough credit for being the mother to Chloe's rebellious daughter. They might argue a heck of a lot, but it illustrates a real-life mother-daughter relationship that is not overt about the love beneath it all.
3 Ethan Mars & Shaun (Heavy Rain)
Heavy Rain displays in a shocking fashion the lengths a father will go through to save his son. When Ethan Mars' child, Shaun, is kidnapped by the Origami Killer, he jumps through impossible hoops to rescue his boy. You as the player get to determine how much Ethan is willing to do to retrieve Shaun. Since the game is based heavily on choice, there is a point in the game where you can have Ethan drink a poison in an attempt to get Shaun back. Ethan is clearly willing to die for his child.
2 Lee & Clementine (Telltale's The Walking Dead)
The parental figure that is Lee from Telltale's The Walking Dead is comparable to none. Geralt and Ciri might cut a fine, pseudo-father-daughter pair, but their relationship did not make us cry the way that Lee and Clementine's did. Lee helps Clementine when the undead nightmare begins, and he cares for her as much as he can throughout their journey together. Even when Lee's life is ending, he still makes decisions to help Clementine.
1 Joel & Ellie (The Last Of Us)
Did you think that we could talk about parent-child relationships and not mention Joel and Ellie from The Last of Us? This pair redefined what it meant to have this kind of relationship in a video game. Though they start the game as strangers, their growth into a father-daughter-esque relationship is organic, feeling totally natural to the player. You get an in-depth look at each of their characters, so when the end of the game arrives, you know Joel's reasoning for that final decision. We'd like to see Geralt try to sacrifice the entire world's well-being for Ciri.