The 2024 Video Game Companion Hall of Fame

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. That’s 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 Polygon’s Video Game Companion Hall of Fame, an illustrious honor for the best pals in the medium.

For candidate eligibility, we’re broadly categorizing companions as characters who accompany the player for large parts of the game — or at least are available to choose as party members — 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 that’s beautiful. Garrus is a loose-cannon space cop who struggles with being in Shepard’s shadow, and Paragon or Renegade, I always keep him in my squad. —Cass Marshall

(Also nominated from the Mass Effect franchise: Mordin Solus, Liara T’Soni)

Lae’zel, Baldur’s Gate 3

Oh, Lae’zel! I can’t imagine leaving her behind after the Nautiloid. She’s courageous, principled, and absolutely terrified. Lae’zel 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. —CM

(Also nominated from BG3: Shadowheart, Astarion, Karlach, Gale)

Varric Tethras, Dragon Age 2/Inquisition

Varric is another best friend, but one who’s much more comfortable standing alone. We meet Varric in Kirkwall, and he’s a suave, charming, and industrious dwarf with big ambitions. This guy brings the best banter in the business, and I’m glad he made the return as a full party member for Inquisition. —CM

(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, it’s refreshing to find a man who just wants to help. —CM

Abelard, Warhammer 40K: Rogue Trader

As the Rogue Trader’s Seneschal, Abelard is the ultimate ride-or-die companion. If you don’t feel like introducing yourself to burdensome NPCs, Abelard will step up and announce the Lord Captain. If I point at an enemy — from the lowest filth to a house-sized demon — Abelard moves to strike them down. He’s the ultimate enabler and my beloved. —CM

(Also nominated from Rogue Trader: Marazhai)

Kim Kitsuragi, Disco Elysium

A principled detective and the perfect straight man for Disco Elysium’s disaster protagonist, Kim is an utter delight. He’s 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 I’ve ever seen in games. A king. —CM

BT-7274, Titanfall 2

I wouldn’t take a bullet for any of the scores of humans that get mowed down over the course of Titanfall 2’s campaign, but before the credits rolled, I knew I’d 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. —Alice Jovanée

Varl, Horizon Forbidden West

While Horizon Forbidden West’s companions tend to talk a bit too much for my taste, I never grew annoyed with Varl’s companionship — 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. —Zoë Hannah

Ellie, The Last of Us

It’s hard not to love having The Last of Us Part 1’s 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. —ZH

Atreus, God of War Ragnarök

You can’t 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, “Could 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 won’t make anyone angry or get anyone killed.” —Ana Diaz

Koromaru, Persona 3 Reload

Koromaru may be a mascot of sorts for Persona 3, but he’s also so much more than that. He’s loyal! He’s smart! He’s a dog with a sword! And spending your limited time with him is always a gift — whether it’s touching the lives of strangers on the street or watching TV with him to better understand his deep well of emotions. He’s a good boy. —Kallie Plagge

Clem, The Walking Dead

When we’re introduced to a scared Clementine in the first season of Telltale’s The Walking Dead, we’re quickly shown that we’ll 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 game’s four seasons, she becomes an outstanding example of character development in games. —AJ

Snow White, The Wolf Among Us

Whenever morally ambiguous decisions are involved, it’s always important to have a companion that calls you out on your bullshit, and Snow from Telltale’s The Wolf Among Us provides a necessary foil to Bigby’s 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. —AJ

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 it’s Ashley’s penchant for ducking into dumpsters or Elizabeth’s 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; they’re 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 2’s 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 can’t take my boyfriend, my brother, and my best friend to this fancy party? Who’s gonna defuse the tension without Varric here? —Petrana Radulovic

Paimon, Genshin Impact: Paimon’s incessant (and generally unhelpful) high-pitched chirping has become such a hated staple in my household that she managed to pester my partner, who doesn’t 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. —AD

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 he’s a dirtbag. Awakening finds his lecherous ways and drunkard persona to be hilarious. There are few things worse than a comic relief character who isn’t funny, and I’m glad Oghren graciously vanished from the Dragon Age series after this terrible encore. —CM

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 he’s weirdly horny? —AD

Donald Duck, Kingdom Hearts: As a child, one of my favorite “movies” 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? You’re benched. Me, Goofy, and Tron are going to go kick ass. —Susana Polo