Not every story is meant to be experienced alone. Sometimes, the protagonist needs a friend or a foil, and having companion characters is a great way to achieve that. Thatâs why we took the time to look back on the vast collection of gaming companions from over the years, and narrowed the selection down to a rare few. This is the first class of Polygonâs Video Game Companion Hall of Fame, an illustrious honor for the best pals in the medium.
For candidate eligibility, weâre broadly categorizing companions as characters who accompany the player for large parts of the game â or at least are available to choose as party members â and had some kind of measurable impact on the rest of the game. We also decided to limit the first class of inductees to one per franchise, lest the list be packed with BioWare buddies. Future candidates may be drawn from a wider pool, but the inaugural class gets to enjoy the spotlight.
These restrictions meant we mostly pulled from RPGs, like BioWare classics, but some wild cards from the action-adventure or survival horror genres also made the cut. After considering a wealth of casts, the Polygon staff got together to decide on the following inaugural class of the Video Game Companion Hall of Fame. Candidates were suggested on a variety of merits, and are not listed in any particular order.
The 2024 Video Game Companion Hall of Fame class
Garrus Vakarian, Mass Effect 3
Garrus and Shepard are two best friends in space and thatâs beautiful. Garrus is a loose-cannon space cop who struggles with being in Shepardâs shadow, and Paragon or Renegade, I always keep him in my squad. âCass Marshall
(Also nominated from the Mass Effect franchise: Mordin Solus, Liara TâSoni)
Laeâzel, Baldurâs Gate 3
Oh, Laeâzel! I canât imagine leaving her behind after the Nautiloid. Sheâs courageous, principled, and absolutely terrified. Laeâzel ends up wrestling with her faith, and the player can guide her through a huge variety of scenarios both triumphant and tragic. A great reminder that a prickly surface can hide a heart of gold. âCM
(Also nominated from BG3: Shadowheart, Astarion, Karlach, Gale)
Varric Tethras, Dragon Age 2/Inquisition
Varric is another best friend, but one whoâs much more comfortable standing alone. We meet Varric in Kirkwall, and heâs a suave, charming, and industrious dwarf with big ambitions. This guy brings the best banter in the business, and Iâm glad he made the return as a full party member for Inquisition. âCM
(Also nominated from the Dragon Age franchise: Morrigan, The Iron Bull)
Arcade Gannon, Fallout: New Vegas
A good-natured doctor and philosopher with a secret past, Arcade Gannon is a tragic figure. The player can doom him to a miserable, Shakespearean fate, or help uplift his vision of charity and prosperity across the wasteland. In a world full of opportunists and mercenaries, itâs refreshing to find a man who just wants to help. âCM
Abelard, Warhammer 40K: Rogue Trader
As the Rogue Traderâs Seneschal, Abelard is the ultimate ride-or-die companion. If you donât feel like introducing yourself to burdensome NPCs, Abelard will step up and announce the Lord Captain. If I point at an enemy â from the lowest filth to a house-sized demon â Abelard moves to strike them down. Heâs the ultimate enabler and my beloved. âCM
(Also nominated from Rogue Trader: Marazhai)
Kim Kitsuragi, Disco Elysium
A principled detective and the perfect straight man for Disco Elysiumâs disaster protagonist, Kim is an utter delight. Heâs a dork who enjoys smoking a single cigarette, tailoring, and mechanic work⌠but he also has a keen mind, a sharp tongue, and an unshakable will. If you play a real bastard, he has some of the most devastating dialogue Iâve ever seen in games. A king. âCM
BT-7274, Titanfall 2
I wouldnât take a bullet for any of the scores of humans that get mowed down over the course of Titanfall 2âs campaign, but before the credits rolled, I knew Iâd die for Beetee. More than just a sick ride or a tank with legs, BT-7274 more closely resembles an extremely smart 7-ton Doberman, offering witty banter and insights into your current situation. âAlice JovanĂŠe
Varl, Horizon Forbidden West
While Horizon Forbidden Westâs companions tend to talk a bit too much for my taste, I never grew annoyed with Varlâs companionship â not just because his dialogue is fun, but also because his story of loss, and him finding love with Zo, sheds light on a softer side of Aloy. Their touching friendship makes his swift and senseless death in the final hours of the game hit that much harder. âZoĂŤ Hannah
Ellie, The Last of Us
Itâs hard not to love having The Last of Us Part 1âs Ellie by your side as you navigate a world filled with mushroom zombies and apocalypse-fueled megalomaniacs. Her dialogue is smart and at times childish, but writer Neil Druckmann successfully allows her to be naive and hardened at the same time, which comes in handy, narratively speaking, when the player assumes control of Ellie in Part 2. âZH
Atreus, God of War RagnarĂśk
You canât have a dad game without a good kid. Atreus, the son of Kratos, might be a moody teen at the start, but I appreciate how we get to seem him change and mature over the course of the games. As my colleague Nicole Clark put it, âCould Atreus take on the crocodile-like Dreki with only Sindri by his side? Probably not. Could Atreus take on two Dreki, as Kratos can? Definitely not. Would I play the entire game as Atreus if given the choice? Absolutely. Sneaking around as a teen boy who thinks he knows all about war is definitely a good idea that wonât make anyone angry or get anyone killed.â âAna Diaz
Koromaru, Persona 3 Reload
Koromaru may be a mascot of sorts for Persona 3, but heâs also so much more than that. Heâs loyal! Heâs smart! Heâs a dog with a sword! And spending your limited time with him is always a gift â whether itâs touching the lives of strangers on the street or watching TV with him to better understand his deep well of emotions. Heâs a good boy. âKallie Plagge
Clem, The Walking Dead
When weâre introduced to a scared Clementine in the first season of Telltaleâs The Walking Dead, weâre quickly shown that weâll need to teach Clem how to survive in the brutal post-apocalypse. Every lesson strips away some of her innocence and naivety but increases the chances of her survival. We watch Clem grow from a helpless kid to a calloused survivor, and over the course of the gameâs four seasons, she becomes an outstanding example of character development in games. âAJ
Snow White, The Wolf Among Us
Whenever morally ambiguous decisions are involved, itâs always important to have a companion that calls you out on your bullshit, and Snow from Telltaleâs The Wolf Among Us provides a necessary foil to Bigbyâs occasionally intolerable hard-boiled detective nonsense. Former romantic partner to the fairy-tale gumshoe, Snow is always looking for a silver lining in the smog-choked streets of Fabletown. âAJ
Honorable mentions
Honorable mentions are characters who were fun to travel with, but failed to be quite as memorable and impactful as their peers in the Hall of Fame. Honorable mention companions had something charming about them, whether itâs Ashleyâs penchant for ducking into dumpsters or Elizabethâs perfect timing in tossing a health potion, and deserved a little shoutout for their services. They just missed out on being inducted this time around, but may join the Video Game Companion Hall of Fame in a future class.
Elizabeth, BioShock Infinite
Ashley, Resident Evil 4
Hammer, Fable 2
Cortana, Halo
Parvati, The Outer Worlds
Cid, Final Fantasy
Ghost, Destiny
The video game companion Hall of Shame
The Hall of Shame is for companions who absolutely missed the mark. These characters tried to fill the comfortable role of a familiar companion, but failed to do so. These characters make up the absolute worst blunt rotation possible; theyâre either too talkative, too terrible, or just unpleasant to deal with in some way. In order to appreciate the roses of the best companions, we must survive the thorns of their less successful colleagues.
Tallis, Dragon Age 2âs Mark of the Assassin DLC: I simply think it is weird that you can flirt with and kiss an uncanny valley version of Felicia Day! I also have a vendetta against any non-main character that takes up a mandatory party slot. What do you mean I canât take my boyfriend, my brother, and my best friend to this fancy party? Whoâs gonna defuse the tension without Varric here? âPetrana Radulovic
Paimon, Genshin Impact: Paimonâs incessant (and generally unhelpful) high-pitched chirping has become such a hated staple in my household that she managed to pester my partner, who doesnât even play the game. To this day, I think the best part of Genshin Impact was the moment where Venti mocked her, because someone needed to put her in place. âAD
Oghren, Dragon Age: Origins – Awakening: Oh, Oghren. This guy is the only companion to make it to Awakening from Origins, and he sucks so bad. At least in Origins, the game recognized heâs a dirtbag. Awakening finds his lecherous ways and drunkard persona to be hilarious. There are few things worse than a comic relief character who isnât funny, and Iâm glad Oghren graciously vanished from the Dragon Age series after this terrible encore. âCM
Morgana, Persona 5: I love cats and I love mascot characters. Morgana from Persona 5 became the first exception to that personal rule. Not only is he low-key an asshole to Joker at points, but heâs weirdly horny? âAD
Donald Duck, Kingdom Hearts: As a child, one of my favorite âmoviesâ was a taped TV marathon of Donald Duck shorts, which fostered an early affection for this frustrated avian everyman. I love Donald Duck. Except for the Donald Duck in the Kingdom Hearts games, who is useless in combat and, on top of that, drinks all my mana potions. FOR WHAT? TO DO WHAT, DONALD? Youâre benched. Me, Goofy, and Tron are going to go kick ass. âSusana Polo