Love is in the air this time of year. Stores are lines with pink and red decorations, flowers poke out in every direction, and romantic gifts are littered across the aisles. In fact, the upcoming holiday Valentine’s Day just so happens to be on a Saturday this year. That means that not only do you have an entire weekend (3-day weekend no less, due to President’s Day on the following Monday) to celebrate your love for your significant other, but most MMOs will be awash with festive decorations of love and romance as well.
In spirit of the season, I’ve put together a list of 5 MMOs to play as a couple for Valentine’s Day. Not all of the games on this list involve romancing mechanics and not all of the games on this list are fresh and new experiences. In fact, if you’re significant other is new to MMOs, you might be better off checking out one of the games on this list instead. And if MMOs aren’t your thing for couple play sessions, then I highly recommend Divinity: Original Sin, which I reviewed and loved last year.
5) Perfect World International
Somehow, someway, many years ago this was one of the very first free-to-play MMORPGs that I had the pleasure of experiencing. Promotional artwork drew me in, trailers hooked me, and the idea of being able to fly from the very beginning of the game completely sold me. After playing the game for a few months, I discovered how great of a community there was in Perfect World International and, to my surprise, how active the romance mechanics were.
)
I saw characters carrying their significant others in their arms as they ran around town, picking them up as they soared through the moonlight on the back of flying animals, and entering into official marriages with one another. Over the years, PWI has continued to deliver a ton of varied and engaging content and the intimacy of the player base is truly unrivaled. If it wasn’t for the grind-fest and dated mechanics this would definitely rank higher on this list, but unfortunately from a pure gameplay perspective there are more enjoyable games to play with your significant other.
4) Eden Eternal
You can already tell just by reading the name of this bright and colorfully-styled MMO that it has a heavy focus on romantic engagement. Just look at it: Eden Eternal. Eden is referred to as a state of bliss, a paradise, the home of Adam and Eve – something that exhumes happiness and love. Now make that eternal and you have the naming concept behind this one.
)
If the cute art style and name of the game wasn’t enough to convince you, Eden Eternal actually has a robust Dating System. When someone is marked as your partner or lover in the game, it comes with a lot of useful perks. Not only can you easily find each other on the map at all times and teleport to one another, but you even gain couple-specific buffs and special items. Just by playing together you earn Luv Coins that can be used to purchase all kinds of items in the Sweetheart Shop.
3) Age of Wushu
No list about romantic endeavors in an MMO would be complete without including Age of Wushu. This is of course a game based in ancient Chinese tradition with a focus on martial arts, but the Chinese traditions extend beyond just gameplay. Age of Wushu has, by far, the most elaborate system on this list in terms of simply performing the act of actually marrying two characters. To get married in Age of Wushu, it requires everything from the male proposing, each character receiving teleport-enabled rings, and planning the wedding all the down to how extravagant it will be.
)
The bride and groom must send out invitations to friends, who can then provide gifts as blessings at the event, and there’s even a party that happens after the formalities conclude. They gain the benefit of special items, costumes, group perks, and even tax-exempt trading. That’s right – there are tax benefits in Age of Wushu for marriage. And another way it’s just like real-life, is that you can get divorced in the game as well, either amicably or by forced measures. Obviously there are major penalties for forcing a divorce, but not even virtual paperwork can keep your avatar from finding happiness.
