Flawed, even hateable companions make RPG romances more compelling, PC Gamer says

GG Brief Editorial Desk · AI-assisted, source attributed

PC Gamer columnist Harvey Randall argues RPG companions should be obstructive and flawed to create stronger stories and relationships. He uses a Baldur's Gate 3 Honour Mode romance with Gale as an example, where Gale's petty, self-destructive reaction to lukewarm praise made the relationship feel three-dimensional. Gale's behaviour fits his backstory—he was groomed by the god of magic and previously told by an ex to blow himself up—so his insecurity deepens the narrative rather than undermining it.

• Harvey Randall wrote in PC Gamer's Dungeon Master column that designers should make RPG companions obstructive and morally messy to unlock storytelling potential.
• In Randall's Baldur's Gate 3 playthrough, romancing Gale becomes memorable after Gale sulks at being told 'it was fine' and threatens to blow himself up.
• Tim Downie supplies Gale's quiet, brooding petulance in the quoted dialogue that sells the character's reaction.
• Gale's petty insecurity is grounded in his backstory—being groomed by a god of magic and having an ex who encouraged self-destruction—making the flaw narratively believable.