What game/character have you been most emotionally invested in?

[Inkdipper]

Lately I've been wanting a game that can do more than merely elicit an emotional response from me. I want to be emotionally invested throughout the game like I would be with say a good book or anime/tv series. I've played games where the main focus was on emotional investment, but have found the gameplay or immersive experience lacking. There are plenty of visual novels and games that trade gameplay for compelling story telling, but it seems difficult to strike that balance without a bigger budget. I was watching my buddy play some of Detroit: Become Human and It appeared to be a big budget version of a visual novel. But I could actually see myself playing Detroit (if it were on PC...) because it had that big budget immersive experience to go along with the mostly "on rails" gameplay that comes with most story driven games. I can see future AAA video games becoming more and more like the amazing TV shows we have now, but do so in a way that strikes a proper balance between passive and interactive entertainment. What games have took you on an immersive feel trip? Where you more invested in the overall story arc or the character(s) themselves?

[Imnotanybody]

Cole McGrath from the Infamous series (first 2, not the second son dissapointment). A guy who goes from pissing off his parents and becoming a delivery man to a person who wields powers that he can choose to do for good or evil. Just a really well written character in very fun games.

[JackofTears]

I was going to say, there have certainly been a few visual novels that got me emotionally invested. I don't know of anyone who's played "Kana: Imouto" and not cried. But other than that?

Witcher 3 had me pretty invested, actually, but a big part of that was because I'd been following the Witcher series since the first game and was invested in Geralt even before the wonderful storytelling of this latest game.

Mass Effect got me invested in Shepard, enough that I cared about her companions and love interests.

The 2013 Tomb Raider reboot really got me invested in Lara Croft; definitely one of the best origin stories I've played through. Because of that, I've been more invested in the character throughout this reboot trilogy, though I didn't feel as connected to her in the second game. This third game brought that back but it was too short and the ending feels rushed.

Most of the Dragon Age games get you invested in the characters, especially 1, Awakening, and DA2. Inquisition didn't really leave me with any great characters I wanted to know better or a story I felt compelled to visit again.

Senua's Sacrifice gets you pretty invested in the titular character by giving you deep insight into who she is and the obstacles she has and must still overcome. Incredible storytelling for an 8-hour game.

Elizabeth, from Bioshock Infinite is one of the best npcs in any game, ever, and I really came to care for her by the end of the game - where the revelation that I couldn't have sex with her wasn't even enough to ruin my experience.

But I don't think I've ever been as invested in a game character as I have with visual novels - they are an underappreciated art form.

[Inkdipper]

I for sure am with you on the visual novels nailing it and felt the same about the Tomb Raider reboot. I've been curious about Hellblade, but haven't pulled the trigger on buying it yet. Your description sounds like the experience I'm looking for though. Thanks for your in-depth reply!

[Noobc0re]

Niko from One Shot, even though I haven't finished the game. I have never cared more about a character than that.

[Monkeyman04]

The brothers from Brothers - A Tale of Two Sons. That ending really hit me hard.

[Verhoven 69]

In a fighting game I kinda love how badgal practice mode chump traitor killer Ayane evolved to be one of the heroines of the series. Read her backstory and you'll know why. She even gets some character centric parts in the modern Ninja Gaiden releases and Project Zero in the WiiU.

I kinda fear her fate in DOA6 as seen on the trailers(she may be a snarky beetch but she really tries so hard to be good, well she's one of the good gals now but still)

[Little_Balloonicorn]

For emotional, at least for me, now I'll attempt to not spoil. Flowey Undertale. On every route you can see though his pain of no emotion, especially after you can see his true form.
Undertale can be found on a number of devices, PlayStation, Switch, Windows, and Mac.

[Sorain]

Well, I can think of three and they are going to all seem weird so bear with me okay?

1. Recettear: An Item Shops Tale. It's an oddball mechanically, but Recette, Tear and even the adventurers you meet as things progress charmed me. When you actually look at the setup and then genuinely try to make the payments, only to fail and see the faux ending that results, that's practically a guilt trip on it's own. Such a positive cheerful character in such subtle darkness works great for my heartstrings. I have seen fifty pages of debate on how much of Recette's cheer and enthusiasm is an act. How much does Tear care? That doesn't come without emotional investment.

2. Prototype. No, really. The story our protagonist (I'd never call him a hero, he sure doesn't) goes through in the first game. (I refuse to credit the follow up narratives because they make no damn sense.) Trying to figure out who he is and the revelations through both the plot and web of intrigue really do give a remarkable amount of depth to the guy. His potential for self loathing and eventual decision to be a good person anyway really did grip me. It's spoilers to hell and back to tell you why unfortunately, but I can say that if you follow up the web fully as fast as you can it really makes things work as you uncover just WTF went down.

3. Ace Combat 4: Shattered Skies. Okay, I know what you are thinking. "You've gone mad!" But I have reasons. Mobius 1 is a total cypher, yes. But I became invested back in the day I first played the game in learning why this grown up man who was a child during the game's events felt the need to write to this famous ace pilot he never personally interacted with at all. Who is it that he feels Mobius 1 needs to know about, and why? You could, I admit, look up the complete set of letters (each an animatic cut-scene) on youtube, but I once transcribed the complete text of all of them, just to reconstruct the full letter for myself. But it lacks the impact of learning them as you complete parts of the game does. By the end I understood why the kid felt the need to write and thought that the message he was delivering was not only heartfelt but something I could see a real person doing, out of empathy for someone.

Bonus entry:
4. Colony Wars: Vengeance. Yes, an obscure PS1 title here. I was invested from the very opening lines. "This is the world I grew up in. My name? Mertins." I played the original Colony Wars, and the cannon ending to that game (the second to last one where you fail the final mission of the game) struck chills in me at the time. (here it is: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5bv4hBD8GK4 ) The narration asked "And yet... should we really have dispensed such a cruel form of death on our enemies?" This is that opening. ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ChUKvROd26o ) Holy god did that game get me invested in Mertins struggle, and the emotional rollar coaster of it's final missions hit me especially hard. I felt at the time that this was all my fault. (for a moment. It's a remarkable achievement for anything really) I'd failed to do the impossible at the end of the Colony Wars and got my 'Grim Victory'. Now I had to see everything I'd wrought by that. But then I stepped back and considered it and realized that I genuinely felt guilt for putting Mertins through all that. Silly as it was, it grabbed me.

Ancient as those games are, they still resonate with me emotionally. I can't hear Dvorak's Symphony # 9 without hearing the final narration of Mertins from the ending of Vengeance. That's how powerfully they stick with me.

Edit: Also, Asura's Wrath. Just... that game.

[DeathJester76]

Geralt of Rivia for sure, his story from the Witcher 1 through Witcher 3 was just amazing...a felt invested in his story the whole way and the way my choices affected his/the story was just amazing. It's shame that story had to come to and end but i think finishing at the end of the Witcher 3 was the right thing to do.

Can't wait for what CDPR are going to give us with Cyberpunk 2077!

[ConspiracyLance]

Dashyr Yshrak

Used to be my roleplaying name within Star Wars RP communities.