7 Times Video Game Companions Were Better Than Real Friends

When this inspiring crew has our backs, people just don't cut the mustard.

mass effect shepard garrus
Bioware

Real people. We all know at least one. They’re the smelly, sweaty, sometimes sticky, walking meat bags you find in the mystical place we call “Outside”.

Sure, most of them exist solely to bring us food or entertain us on TV, but every now and then… just every so often… we find one we’re willing to spend a little more time with than necessary.

These “friends”, as the kids are calling them these days, might share a pizza with you, perhaps go to a movie, but which of these 'pals' have ever joined your party on an epic quest to rid the world of a malevolent evil, provided that spark of humour and hope when all else seems lost, or stuck with you through the inevitable apocalypse that is to come? Exactly.

Through a combination of avatar projection, character building and intricate storytelling, video game friends form a bond with us like no other. With that in mind, here are seven video game companions that are just plain better than real-life friends.

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7. Varric - Dragon Age 2 & Dragon Age: Inquisition

dragon age varric
Bioware

Anyone who writes a list about video game character development and includes an entry from any BioWare game is a cheat. The whole list could be made up of characters from BioWare games; they’re the masters of emotional storytelling. With that said, right in at the first entry is BioWare superstar and everyone’s favourite wise-cracking rogue, Varric Tethras.

We meet this beloved dwarf on our first venture into the deep roads in Dragon Age 2, only for him to narrate himself all the way into our party across Thedas and Orlais in series' follow-up Dragon Age: Inquisition. With his trusty crossbow Bianca firing arrows into Darkspawn, bandits and giant spiders (why is it always spiders?!), Varric has been by our side as we’ve fought dragons, teased companions and shared tales of long lost loves.

Most heartwrenching of all was the friendship cultivated between Hawke, Varric and amiable Mage, Anders, before witnessing the latter’s descent into madness and mass-murder, sparking a war across the continent between Mages and Templars.

Geez! Nice going, Anders!

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Writer, aspiring author, and I won't stop travelling until I've seen it all. Whilst I might take a break now and then to rant about politics or muse over philosophy, I'm not afraid to roll up my sleeves, buckle down, and spend some solid hours gaming!