Top Five Character Duos in Gaming

 There’s an undeniable appeal to things that come in pairs—something that rolls off the tongue like a perfectly formed mini-poem. From fish and chips to Laurel and Hardy; yin and yang to gin and tonic, duos just feel… right. As the years have piled up behind us, more game franchises have leveraged this fact of life in their own lineup of characters. Nowadays, you’d have a hard time finding a character-driven game without some couple, duo or double-act. Who stands above the rabble though? Which gaming double-acts bring enough comedy, character or class to shine brighter than the rest? Avert your eyes downwards to find out: here are the best duos of gaming past and present.

5 - Ratchet and Clank - The Ratchet and Clank Series

Unlike many console mascot duos, Ratchet and Clank each bring a portion of the personality to the table. Ratchet, a courageous and ambitious young mechanic turned galactic hero; Clank, a defective and resultantly self-aware battle robot with a wry sarcastic streak. All too often, mascot titles like Ratchet and Clank fall into the trap of having double-acts with one entertaining character and one silent doofus whose defining trait is—at best—the ability to follow orders and guffaw at little more than the sight of their own feet like an especially gormless stoner (Banjo, I’m looking at you here). Neither Ratchet nor Clank fit this description however: they’re both well crafted characters who have sustained their franchise through over a dozen games and three console generations.

4 - Naiee and Naia - Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons

The partnership between these two brothers isn’t just a story element—something to fill out cutscenes and dialogues. By having the player control each brother simultaneously, their relationship is intrinsically linked to the gameplay which helps elevate Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons above its contemporaries. Not only is the story of this pair heart-wrenching in the best possible way, but the game as a whole is an outstanding example of the unique ways this medium can communicate themes and ideas. This duo may not bring the laughs, but they stand as a testament to gaming’s advantages as a platform for storytelling and character development.

3 - Cortana and Master Chief - The Halo Series

Admittedly, I’ve spared myself the pain of actually proving this, but it seems as if more romantic videogame fanfiction has been written about this pairing than any other (excepting perhaps Ken and Ryu; it’s a toss-up). Endless online debate rages about the romantic subtext running through the Halo franchise: Does Chief really love Cortana? Is it all fan-projected speculation? Truthfully, it doesn’t really matter. Bungie and 343 Industries have created and maintained a character pairing that pulls from enough classic sci-fi concepts and brings enough unlikely chemistry to capture both the hearts and minds of fans the world over.

2 - Joel and Ellie - The Last of Us

Top-notch character duos are something of a staple for developer Naughty Dog. Crash and Aku Aku; Jak and Daxter; Nate and Sully; and finally, Joel and Ellie. Each successive pairing is a little more nuanced; each one brings a little more depth, flavour and charm to their respective games than the last. Being the protagonists of Naughty Dog’s most recent title, Joel and Ellie are therefore the studio’s finest creations yet. Both the gameplay and setting of The Last of Us were divisive: many loved the impactful combat and found its take on the zombie apocalypse unique, others found the combat clunky and setting uninspired. Despite this, nobody challenged the game as an achievement of character building and dialogue writing. The father-daughter relationship that developed between these two throughout their journey was not only believable, but it resonated with players on a level that many didn’t think possible from a videogame.

1 - Mario and Luigi - Mario Bros. (and beyond)

Who else could reign victorious in this pantheon of gaming duos? The Mario brothers have surpassed merely being labelled ‘gaming icons’; the pair are cultural figures in their own right alongside the likes of Mickey Mouse, Homer Simpson and Bugs Bunny. Of the two, Mario particularly can be described as a blank slate of sorts (falling into the aforementioned “gormless” category at times), but that only reflects the universally accessible nature of the series as a whole. Nintendo intentionally designs its mainline Mario games to be understandable on visuals alone—without dialogue—so that people of all ages and languages can enjoy them equally. Mario and Luigi are a perfect match for that design philosophy with identical outfits (save for a colour swap) to communicate their close ties; expressive voices and gestures to squash any language barriers; and simple motivations that can—almost always—be summed up in one word (find, save or defeat). Mario and Luigi are the defining duo of our industry; they’ll go down in history and more than deserve their place at the top of this list.

These are just five of gaming’s dynamic duos, but there are countless other fantastic pairings out there. Who have we missed? Who would make your top five? Let us know in the comments!