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If there’s one thing that’s been the hallmark of the 2023 gaming calendar so far, it’s adorable side characters. An impressive number of games so far have seen fans celebrate not the lead stars of their respective games, but instead the supporting cast that have been given the time to shine.
Star Wars Jedi: Survivor and Final Fantasy 16 are the two shining examples of that so far this year. Both games have characters that have exploded in popularity for their adorableness. The Final Fantasy 16 subreddit, just days after launch, is filled with fans fawning over Torgal, the faithful wolf that accompanies Clive on his journey through the game.
We saw a similar phenomenon with Turgle when Star Wars Jedi Survivor launched in April. Despite the half-frog, half-man, full-dork being introduced as someone who causes more problems than they solve, he’s gained a devoted following with plenty of fan art and declarations of love for the character on the game’s social channels and community hubs.
What this has highlighted is the importance of cute-but-quirky supporting characters in games. While the nature of many video game narratives suits the ‘lone hero against the odds’ trope or the brooding loner type who just get things done, the importance of a solid support network is becoming increasingly prevalent in the modern gaming landscape.
Even one of the biggest games of the year in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom has taken this route. Traditionally a story about a lone boy chosen to save the world, the sequel gives Link a number of abilities granted by five companions you’ll meet up with throughout the main quest – though none are as cute as Turgle or Torgal (sorry Tulin).
It’s not always easy to create an effective supporting cast, and there are plenty of examples out there of ones we’d rather forget (those of us of a certain age have nightmares when we think about Natalya from GoldenEye 007).  But thankfully, more and more recent games are including faithful companions and lovable side characters. We’ve already mentioned Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, but we’d be remiss if we failed to mention buddy bot BD-1. And despite a completely different developer in Ubisoft, it seems the upcoming Star Wars Outlaws is also well aware of the importance of a great companion thanks to Nix, the Merqaal that’ll be tagging along for the ride with protagonist Kay Vess.
A pretty big deal is being made of the Starfield companions, and though the most stand-out so far is Vasco, your accompanying robot (and, more recently, the Adoring Fan) we’re hopeful that’ll give us some great stories and buddies to travel with. (Those who’ve played games like Fallout and Skyrim though will be all too familiar with the hit-and-miss ratio of Bethesda’s companions.) It’s interesting to note that Fable – which has traditionally given the player character a dog companion since the second game – is yet to confirm if you’ll have a furry friend to rely on in the upcoming new game.
As much as it seems to be the case, it’s not always as simple as just making a side character and calling it a day. Yes, cuteness goes a long way, and an animal-like companion can be a shortcut, but we need to care about their fate. We need to have a reason to care about their well being, and how they can make the player’s experience better. It doesn’t always have to be that they provide a gameplay benefit. There are examples of many Skyrim characters who weren’t much more than glorified pack horses, which didn’t really leave a lasting impression. But they also shouldn’t take away from the hero’s journey either – you’re not supposed to be playing a side-kick after all. It’s a delicate balance, and one that Torgal and Turgle at least get very right.Â
One thing’s clear though – side characters are in vogue at the moment, whether they’re cute, a little derpy, lovable, or quirky, and developers will want to make sure they take a little extra time to make sure they get them right.
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