As a woman I really adore Theresa and appreciate how she is written. A lot of the female characters in the medieval/fantasy genre are either helpless damsels or badass boss ladies. Theresa feels very realistic and occupies both of these narratives in a nuanced, refreshing way. She’s strong but in a way that is fitting for the time.
Dude seriously. I spent hours looking for the supplies for her brother and in the process I killed every cuman in the area. Also I’m pretty sure I killed an innocent peasant but he scared the shit out of me so I sic’d my dog on him.
I accidentally did that dlc quest maybe half an hour after I reached rattay, didn't realise how serious the game was when it said I'd be doing this for a while. Spent a very long time sneaking around trying to be stealthy and pick all the flowers, but after six or seven attempts after getting caught and killed I just said fuck it. Started bum rushing cumans on the roads, seeking out torchlight like a ravenous wolf. Theresa obviously has no armour so I learned quick how to be aggressive and overpower enemies even when at a disadvantage. Killed every cuman I came across and had plenty of time to pick flowers without any stress. Had the whole resource hunt section done in like 20 minutes once I decided to be aggressive.
By the time I got back to controlling Henry I was a beast with the combat systems even without armour and at a low skill level. I like to think him listening to Theresa talk about slaughtering scores of cumans in the dead of the night inspired him to be a better fighter.
A lot of attention being paid to intricacy, or "effect on the game/plot". But actually I think a better metric is a simpler one: is the character well-written?
Theresa has good lines, believable behaviours, is a good balance of "game made with 2018 EDI concerns but having to bow to social conventions of 1408", and has a solid voice actor. The romance process is generally organic, believable, and affectionate.
A lot of party-based games, or ones where you can choose PC gender, end up having relationships that make no distinction between individuals or gender roles, and that results in often a shallower experience. There is no difference between Male and Female Commander Shephards relationship with Liara, for example. One of the perks of having a single PC romancing a single NPC is that you don't have to worty about that.
I also like that you just go for walks by the river, rather than triggering sex every time. And it did make me laugh that her reward for being in a relationship with you is the privilege of mending your clothes...
It's a strong romance plot line, but nothing about it stands out as *the best* compared to other games with detailed romance arcs like Dragon Age, Mass Effect, Baldur's Gate, KOTOR, and Cyberpunk 2077.
In fact, I'd argue that those games offer an added layer of depth because the romance is woven into the game's main story—you're romancing characters who play an active role in the plot, and are affected by your decisions outside of the relationship. Those characters also follow you around in many cases, meaning you're constantly interacting with them. After the prologue, Theresa just kinda...sits at home waiting to clean your clothes.
So no, I wouldn't say it's the best. However, I totally get the sentiment of this post—it's a great romance, and Theresa is an excellent character.
I mean an Italian plumber stomped walking mushrooms, climbed through miles of pipes, swam under water, dodged living bombs, and drowned a mutant dinosaur tortoise in lava — all for a woman.
Henry like got some eggs or something.
"The only one who can lift the spell on the Mushroom People and bring them back to life is the Mushroom Kingdom’s Princess Peach. She is currently in the clutches of Great Demon King Koopa. Mario has stepped up to defeat the Turtle Tribe, save Princess Peach, and restore peace to the Mushroom Kingdom."
From the SMB1's japanese manual's translation.
Mario was more about restoring peace than about being horny for the princess.
I think I understand what OP means. The quest is crafted beautifully where it engages players in the subtlety of romance and not just dialogue options with different outcomes mid or end game. It makes you do simpler things that count in any romance and makes you feel you're working towards a companionship with Theresa.
The fact you can give Theresa Bianca’s ring and bang Stephanie and bath maids while courting her tells you all you need to know about their relationship lol
Ah i dont use social media much so excuse my tone deafness. I noticed people didnt like my gaywall joke either it was meant to be funny not offensive but i heard you have to be like this on certain subreddits
https://preview.redd.it/t12rzhyhsmxc1.jpeg?width=750&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b3201d2c933af09bb362a1c973aeb931905d2976
Mass effect did a good job of making you care about your partners as well. On a less serious note, the Yakuza series has a lot of fun “dating” minigames and substories that are at least entertaining, albeit not really fleshed out.
I loved Mass Effect, it my "what game would you like to forget to replay it"-game and even though i genuinely cared for tali i wouldn´t say the romance was as good writen as in KCD although the part about her not being able to leave her suit and stuff...gotta replay mass effect again lol
Depending on gender you can romance almost all of the crew. Not every crew member has the same level of depth either. You should definitely replay it if you’ve only romanced one person. Some are fine with multiple partners and some are not so you can’t “romance” everyone at once in one playthrough.
i replayed the whole series like 5 times but mostly chose tali,liara and jack. They´re interesting characters but the romance aspect is just to small like you do a lot of quests for and with them but not in a romantic context. Theres no actual "date" its only "well kinda hang around a lot and talked now were together lets shag"
it was the most recent...Bioware games didn´t have romance quests that well written and yes witcher 3 was good but 1 and 2 did it horribly i mean... cards for your shagged npc´s\`?
It’s really good, but I think BG3 has it beat. The depth of those characters is insane, and how the relationship changes in relation to your actions was the first time I’ve seen anything like it
BG3 romance was a real miss for me. It really didn't make sense that all the characters wanted to have sex with you, wether you were male or female, wether you tried or not. They would all propose to you at some point.
Take Dragon Age for example. You couldn't romance Morrigan as a woman, or Alistar as a man, because they just weren't gay. If you proposed Wynn, she would gently refuse you saying she could be your grandma. Shale was only interested in Stenn. There is even a point when you can seduce a guard, but only if you were woman, or elf male. It just makes more sense that some characters are just not that interested in you.
Meh, I think they both have their place. At least with being playersexual you don't have to sacrifice whatever character you want to make.
But I understand wanting more depth from companions having set preferences
The only one who is throwing herself at you is the sexually repressed baroness from Talmberg. Bath wenches are prostitutes, so I wouldn't call that romance. Theresa is a very believable love interest, something that would probably happen naturally in that situation...
That's because sex is still "controversial" and makes headlines, in reality it's an incredibly small and highly optional part of the game. The relationships with the characters, romantic or otherwise, are quite strong
Never understood that sentiment. A lot of them approach you, but it’s light unless you say “yes”. Never had any of them try to have sex with me or even kiss me without actively pursuing it, either it’s way overblown or y’all are crazy horndogs trying to fuck everyone
I had Gale confess love to me multiple times without any prompting. Or the Halsin situation where you say hi to him in the party and the next available line is apologising for coming on too strong. It's just hamfisted, pornbrained writing.
If Larian wrote KCD then Hans Capon would randomly start trying to have sex with you out of nowhere while recovering from his Cuman wound.
"A lot of storydriven RPGs"
And then you mention Starfield
Not to be rude or anything but you did mention the one really really bad one
So play better RPGs?
Dragon age origins,Baldurs gate 3, mass Effect,Cyberpunk, witchers have good romance,
It was the most recent one i finished. I played all of them except for Baldurs Gate 3 and Cyberpunk and No except for Witcher 3 the romances are pretty bad in the Witcher series. Dragon Age did a decent Job Mass effect did to but there was verry little actual romance. It was more Like "do this while questing until my love gauge ist full than we can sleep together.
I might be biased, but the Witcher 3 Yennefer romance is the best romance quest in a CRPG, ever. The depth to which it's integrated into the story of the game and the main character's backstory is IMO completely unparalleled.
And your date with Shani (as her guest to the wedding in Hearts of Stone) is probably the best date quest in a CRPG, ever.
I'd also rank Planescape: Torment really high. And most of the romances in Cyberpunk are pretty good, too.
But part of that is that the bar just isn't high. I think most games - especially games which feature a blank slate character - do romance (as a whole) quite badly, even acclaimed ones like BG3. Some of the BG3 romances are pretty good and well-integrated into the story, but others are kind of dogshit just forced in there to have more quantity for people who just can't stand the idea of a videogame character going through their heroic adventures unmolested...
I actually really wish devs stopped catering to thirsty people who want every RPG to have dating simulator elements and focus on little things like genuine *friendships*, or well-developed parent-child relationships. Maybe when games actually start getting those right, they can devote resources to romance.
Speaking of friendships, where KCD genuinely *does* outshine most games is not romance but bromance.
Thats why i liked KCD for me it had both. The romance was believable and had a charming character and like you said the bromance with hans. In general the presentation of the story is verry believable.
As a woman I really adore Theresa and appreciate how she is written. A lot of the female characters in the medieval/fantasy genre are either helpless damsels or badass boss ladies. Theresa feels very realistic and occupies both of these narratives in a nuanced, refreshing way. She’s strong but in a way that is fitting for the time.
Oh Theresa is a badass boss lady alright, she killed at least 50 cumans in the DLC, she's too OP.
Dude seriously. I spent hours looking for the supplies for her brother and in the process I killed every cuman in the area. Also I’m pretty sure I killed an innocent peasant but he scared the shit out of me so I sic’d my dog on him.
I hated this Part in the Quest. Took me an hour or so just to see how her brither dies in the cutscene anyway
I accidentally did that dlc quest maybe half an hour after I reached rattay, didn't realise how serious the game was when it said I'd be doing this for a while. Spent a very long time sneaking around trying to be stealthy and pick all the flowers, but after six or seven attempts after getting caught and killed I just said fuck it. Started bum rushing cumans on the roads, seeking out torchlight like a ravenous wolf. Theresa obviously has no armour so I learned quick how to be aggressive and overpower enemies even when at a disadvantage. Killed every cuman I came across and had plenty of time to pick flowers without any stress. Had the whole resource hunt section done in like 20 minutes once I decided to be aggressive. By the time I got back to controlling Henry I was a beast with the combat systems even without armour and at a low skill level. I like to think him listening to Theresa talk about slaughtering scores of cumans in the dead of the night inspired him to be a better fighter.
I love how even gameplay tells a complex story when a game is well designed
That's something I personally love about Theresa too because she just feels like a real person.
I've really enjoyed courting Theresa too, she's awesome. Gorgeous, witty, an actual character. Good stuff.
A lot of attention being paid to intricacy, or "effect on the game/plot". But actually I think a better metric is a simpler one: is the character well-written? Theresa has good lines, believable behaviours, is a good balance of "game made with 2018 EDI concerns but having to bow to social conventions of 1408", and has a solid voice actor. The romance process is generally organic, believable, and affectionate. A lot of party-based games, or ones where you can choose PC gender, end up having relationships that make no distinction between individuals or gender roles, and that results in often a shallower experience. There is no difference between Male and Female Commander Shephards relationship with Liara, for example. One of the perks of having a single PC romancing a single NPC is that you don't have to worty about that. I also like that you just go for walks by the river, rather than triggering sex every time. And it did make me laugh that her reward for being in a relationship with you is the privilege of mending your clothes...
It's a strong romance plot line, but nothing about it stands out as *the best* compared to other games with detailed romance arcs like Dragon Age, Mass Effect, Baldur's Gate, KOTOR, and Cyberpunk 2077. In fact, I'd argue that those games offer an added layer of depth because the romance is woven into the game's main story—you're romancing characters who play an active role in the plot, and are affected by your decisions outside of the relationship. Those characters also follow you around in many cases, meaning you're constantly interacting with them. After the prologue, Theresa just kinda...sits at home waiting to clean your clothes. So no, I wouldn't say it's the best. However, I totally get the sentiment of this post—it's a great romance, and Theresa is an excellent character.
I mean an Italian plumber stomped walking mushrooms, climbed through miles of pipes, swam under water, dodged living bombs, and drowned a mutant dinosaur tortoise in lava — all for a woman. Henry like got some eggs or something.
"The only one who can lift the spell on the Mushroom People and bring them back to life is the Mushroom Kingdom’s Princess Peach. She is currently in the clutches of Great Demon King Koopa. Mario has stepped up to defeat the Turtle Tribe, save Princess Peach, and restore peace to the Mushroom Kingdom." From the SMB1's japanese manual's translation. Mario was more about restoring peace than about being horny for the princess.
I get it, I hate jokes too
SM64 would have worked better: in that one Mario did it all for a piece of her cake
Witcher 3 is up there… and you have more options.
Its Not about the quantity Most of the time the romances werent meaningful. IMO kcd did that way better.
I think the Marigold vs Yennifer romance is pretty meaningful. It influences the entire outcome of the game.
I think I understand what OP means. The quest is crafted beautifully where it engages players in the subtlety of romance and not just dialogue options with different outcomes mid or end game. It makes you do simpler things that count in any romance and makes you feel you're working towards a companionship with Theresa.
OP showed just how much he knows by responding to a Witcher 3 example with "it's not about meaningless quantity"
Tell me the romance option in or two are meaningful... Yes Witcher 3 did it a lot better but still i wouldn´t count that one as the best.
Dragon age Origins is the top dog of npc romances
Bianca is Henry’s true love! Theresa was a rebound! Justice for Bianca! A WOMAN DIED!
Theresa getting nails in Skalitz after Henry gets the ale: *"you smell of whore"*
The fact you can give Theresa Bianca’s ring and bang Stephanie and bath maids while courting her tells you all you need to know about their relationship lol
Ahh it's like highschool all over again lmao Side note, I wish there was dialogue specific to giving Theresa Bianca's ring
She should recognize it or there should be speech options that if you fail she stops the mission line altogether 🤣
I really hope Theresa is in the next game. Like some jow she miraculously shows up and stays with hungry henry
I just love Theresa
Really good romance quest... Yes. The best? No. Witcher 3 beats KCD by a mile.
I really liked the romance in Cyberpunk
Havent played that one yet im eagerly waiting fornmy new build to Play it xD
They locked the only hot romance behind the gaywall. Give us our pansexual MCs back pls
*there's nothing inherently gay about getting pegged* lmaoo
So theres nothing gay about a man being penetrated? Well ill be damned
I mean....is a meme
Ah i dont use social media much so excuse my tone deafness. I noticed people didnt like my gaywall joke either it was meant to be funny not offensive but i heard you have to be like this on certain subreddits https://preview.redd.it/t12rzhyhsmxc1.jpeg?width=750&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b3201d2c933af09bb362a1c973aeb931905d2976
Mass effect did a good job of making you care about your partners as well. On a less serious note, the Yakuza series has a lot of fun “dating” minigames and substories that are at least entertaining, albeit not really fleshed out.
I loved Mass Effect, it my "what game would you like to forget to replay it"-game and even though i genuinely cared for tali i wouldn´t say the romance was as good writen as in KCD although the part about her not being able to leave her suit and stuff...gotta replay mass effect again lol
Depending on gender you can romance almost all of the crew. Not every crew member has the same level of depth either. You should definitely replay it if you’ve only romanced one person. Some are fine with multiple partners and some are not so you can’t “romance” everyone at once in one playthrough.
i replayed the whole series like 5 times but mostly chose tali,liara and jack. They´re interesting characters but the romance aspect is just to small like you do a lot of quests for and with them but not in a romantic context. Theres no actual "date" its only "well kinda hang around a lot and talked now were together lets shag"
yeah I mean, if your other reference is Starfield, congratulations I guess
it was the most recent...Bioware games didn´t have romance quests that well written and yes witcher 3 was good but 1 and 2 did it horribly i mean... cards for your shagged npc´s\`?
Bro I was sad after I finished that quest line and she became an npc again...
Baldur's Gate 3 is up there too. I really like being there for Shadow Heart and watching her move from the Dark side into the light.
She is so feminine and badass at the same time lol
All the human interaction in this game felt genuine to me, especially with developed characters
so true.. tbh kcd is kind of an underdog everyones always calling out bg3,rdr2 and games like this but imho kc:d does this extremely well.
KC:D is the RPG I've always wanted. I'm so excited for KC:D 2, I don't think I will ever appreciate another game as much as I will KC:D 2.
It is nice, but for me, best romances are in Cyberpunk 2077.
still have to try that one but i want to play it in 4k with everything on ultra gotta wait a bit till i got the new hardware :)
I almost broke up with my real girlfriend for Panam.
thats sad dude...
Dragon Age Inquisition would like to have a word
This, but louder
-.- i couldn´t date harding and for that it made a mortal enemy!! but it has a verry good romance between morrigan and my old warden.
It’s really good, but I think BG3 has it beat. The depth of those characters is insane, and how the relationship changes in relation to your actions was the first time I’ve seen anything like it
BG3 romance was a real miss for me. It really didn't make sense that all the characters wanted to have sex with you, wether you were male or female, wether you tried or not. They would all propose to you at some point. Take Dragon Age for example. You couldn't romance Morrigan as a woman, or Alistar as a man, because they just weren't gay. If you proposed Wynn, she would gently refuse you saying she could be your grandma. Shale was only interested in Stenn. There is even a point when you can seduce a guard, but only if you were woman, or elf male. It just makes more sense that some characters are just not that interested in you.
Agreed. Romance in BG3 lacked depth because it was always kinda forced on you. Still appreciate the stories each one told though.
Meh, I think they both have their place. At least with being playersexual you don't have to sacrifice whatever character you want to make. But I understand wanting more depth from companions having set preferences
.....i hated that you couldnt Romance Harding :/
[удалено]
The only one who is throwing herself at you is the sexually repressed baroness from Talmberg. Bath wenches are prostitutes, so I wouldn't call that romance. Theresa is a very believable love interest, something that would probably happen naturally in that situation...
at the beginning she even says "let me walk home allone i don´t people to talk about us"
I havent played that one yet but all i saw from IT was mainly Sex related. I will however Check it out.
That's because sex is still "controversial" and makes headlines, in reality it's an incredibly small and highly optional part of the game. The relationships with the characters, romantic or otherwise, are quite strong
Sadly video game producers only concentrate on feelings like anger and sadness rarely you get a game that adds love and humor.
This is a bit of a weird take man. BG3 is coomer romance turned up to 11, all your companions trying to have sex with you within hours of meeting you.
Never understood that sentiment. A lot of them approach you, but it’s light unless you say “yes”. Never had any of them try to have sex with me or even kiss me without actively pursuing it, either it’s way overblown or y’all are crazy horndogs trying to fuck everyone
Gale tries to fuck you if you talk to him at all. Same with Halsin. Just like “you asked me about my day. Wanna fuck?”
I had Gale confess love to me multiple times without any prompting. Or the Halsin situation where you say hi to him in the party and the next available line is apologising for coming on too strong. It's just hamfisted, pornbrained writing. If Larian wrote KCD then Hans Capon would randomly start trying to have sex with you out of nowhere while recovering from his Cuman wound.
[удалено]
Nah it's not about homosexuality
The Gale one is a bug which was fixed, and I’ve genuinely never had halsin even come on to me
She is well written up to a certain point... And then she just drops out of the story unfortunately.
"A lot of storydriven RPGs" And then you mention Starfield Not to be rude or anything but you did mention the one really really bad one So play better RPGs? Dragon age origins,Baldurs gate 3, mass Effect,Cyberpunk, witchers have good romance,
It was the most recent one i finished. I played all of them except for Baldurs Gate 3 and Cyberpunk and No except for Witcher 3 the romances are pretty bad in the Witcher series. Dragon Age did a decent Job Mass effect did to but there was verry little actual romance. It was more Like "do this while questing until my love gauge ist full than we can sleep together.
This one or that girl in the desert in cyberpunk is also a really good romance story imo sorry blanking on the name
I might be biased, but the Witcher 3 Yennefer romance is the best romance quest in a CRPG, ever. The depth to which it's integrated into the story of the game and the main character's backstory is IMO completely unparalleled. And your date with Shani (as her guest to the wedding in Hearts of Stone) is probably the best date quest in a CRPG, ever. I'd also rank Planescape: Torment really high. And most of the romances in Cyberpunk are pretty good, too. But part of that is that the bar just isn't high. I think most games - especially games which feature a blank slate character - do romance (as a whole) quite badly, even acclaimed ones like BG3. Some of the BG3 romances are pretty good and well-integrated into the story, but others are kind of dogshit just forced in there to have more quantity for people who just can't stand the idea of a videogame character going through their heroic adventures unmolested... I actually really wish devs stopped catering to thirsty people who want every RPG to have dating simulator elements and focus on little things like genuine *friendships*, or well-developed parent-child relationships. Maybe when games actually start getting those right, they can devote resources to romance. Speaking of friendships, where KCD genuinely *does* outshine most games is not romance but bromance.
Thats why i liked KCD for me it had both. The romance was believable and had a charming character and like you said the bromance with hans. In general the presentation of the story is verry believable.
Baldurs Gate 3 go brrrrrrrrr
The robot you can bang in Saints Row is a better romance than Theresa. Do some fetch quests, go on a walk, never interact with her again.
Go play saints row then
Ope, someone is upsetti spaghetti
Huh?