6. Ellie & Riley - The Last Of Us: Left Behind
You don't get a whole lot of time to explore Ellie and Rylie's relationship, but that could entirely be the point - as scriptwriters Neil Druckmann and Bruce Straley really are masters of their craft, drip-feeding just enough nuance and enjoyable heartwarming moments for the two teenagers across what's otherwise a very bleak game and context. Their relationship taps into that insatiable well of teenage curiosity, heightened evermore by the fact that the two of them are engaging in a 'day off' from all the horrors of the post-apocalyptic world by heading to an abandoned mall, instead taking some pictures together, playing in an arcade and visiting a costume accessory store. It starts like any burgeoning "Is there something more going on here?"-type of romance, leading to more unravellings around the idea that Rylie had previously left Ellie alone - meaning that come the moment she realises her affections and leans in for the kiss it's one that's totally earned, and ends up giving even more weight to the end of the original Last of Us main game.