Over the years, many games have included familial relationships of some kind. One of the most explored relationships has been between a parent and their child. Sometimes the parent spends the game protecting their offspring; other times, the two fight side-by-side; and occasionally, they're sworn enemies.
Regardless of how the relationship is presented, it tends to add more emotional weight to what's happening - unless it's a more casual game without much narrative. It can even help humanize certain protagonists, making you appreciate them even more. These are some of the most notable mothers and fathers (biological and adoptive) in gaming history.
8 Dead Rising 2 (Chuck Greene)
Being a single parent is never easy, but it's likely even more difficult in a zombie outbreak. That's the situation Chuck Greene has to deal with throughout Dead Rising 2. To make matters worse, his young daughter Katey was bitten by a zombie before the events of the game.
The only thing keeping the girl alive is a drug called Zombrex. While playing through Dead Rising 2, you have to keep supplying her with the drug, or else she becomes a zombie. In canon, he manages to keep her alive, proving he's one of the best zombies survivors in gaming history.
7 The Walking Dead: The Telltale Series (Clementine)
Despite only being young herself, Clementine becomes an unofficial adoptive mother in season two of The Walking Dead Telltale series. This occurs when Alvin Jr's mother dies shortly after giving birth to him. Clem then has to help raise the baby in the following years.
In the final season, she truly is like a young mother as she teaches AJ about the world. This is a big part of the gameplay, too, as your choices impact the sort of person AJ becomes.
6 Red Dead Redemption Series (John Marston)
In the Red Dead canon, John Marston wasn't always the best father to his son Jack. He was bitter about having a kid and wasn't even sure if Jack was actually his offspring.
However, by the end of Red Dead Redemption 2, it's clear that John cares for his boy, even if they're very different people with distinct personalities. And when you play as the outlaw in the first Red Dead Redemption (which takes place after RDR2), you spend the entire game trying to earn the chance to see your family again.
5 Detroit: Become Human (Kara)
Kara is another character who isn't technically a biological mother, but she should certainly count as a parent. As she's an android, the character starts out as a servant. Yet, when she sees the abuse a young girl named Alice receives at the hands of her so-called father, Kara breaks her programming and desperately attempts to save the child.
As Detroit Become Human is a game all about choices, Kara and Alice's adventure can change drastically based on your decisions. But in the best scenario, Kara spends the story keeping her adoptive daughter safe.
4 Fallout 4 (The Sole Survivor)
In Fallout 4, you can fully customize the look and gender of the main protagonist. Whoever you create, though, starts the game with a child. Unfortunately, very early in the story, someone kills the boy's other parent and kidnaps the kid.
The Sole Survivor is incapable of stopping it as they're stuck in a cryogenic pod and later frozen for several years. When they wake up, their one goal is to find their son, Shaun. So, you spend much of the game participating in that search.
3 God Of War (Kratos)
Kratos has had two children in the God Of War canon. His daughter Calliope is no longer alive, but his son Atreus plays a large role in the 2018 game. The title is all about the father and son's rocky relationship as the duo attempts to fulfill Arteus' mother's last wish.
Throughout the adventure, you see how much the large demi-god cares for his son, even if he's not always the best at showing it. It doesn't help that Arteus is very different from his father. The two do make an excellent team in combat, though.
2 It Takes Two (May And Cory)
At the start of It Takes Two, May and Cory are on the verge of getting divorced. Naturally, this upsets their daughter Rose, who unknowingly turns both of her parents into dolls.
During the game, you have to guide the married couple as they desperately try to become humans once again. In the process, they learn a lot about their daughter as well as their own relationship. It makes for an emotional story that puts plenty of focus on parenthood.
1 Mortal Kombat 10 (Various Characters)
The Mortal Kombat series is filled with familial relationships, especially after MK10. The tenth main instalment turns several of the series' long-tenured characters into parents by including their children as new playable characters.
Jax has a daughter named Jacqui Briggs, while Kenshi's son is called Takeda. Arguably the most popular one, though, is Cassie Cage, who is the daughter of Johnny Cage and Sonya Blade. All the parents share similar fighting styles with their kids, and their personalities aren't too dissimilar either. This becomes clear during the main story, in which they all try to protect Earthrealm.