Best 2026 Video Games for side character depth

#1

The supporting party is praised for distinct motivations, chemistry, banter, and storylines that make them more than simple companions to Velvet.

#2

Side characters are repeatedly praised for memorable personalities, stories, and conversations that make them feel like more than simple vendors or quest markers.

#3

Memorable supporting characters and realistic conversations enrich Geralt’s relationships and make optional storylines worth following.

#4

Recurring side characters give the smaller questlines much of their charm, helping the world feel personal despite its enormous scale.

#5

Zoe and Richard are singled out as unusually interesting supporting characters, with playable sections that deepen their motives, guilt, and place in the disaster.

#6

Side characters are consistently multi-faceted and memorable, with personal histories and questlines that enrich the central story. Several supporting characters become major reasons to explore beyond the main objective.

#7

Mags and Lucas generally earn their place beside the established leads, with personal histories that add texture to Bravo Squad. Lucas in particular is sometimes seen as underdeveloped until later...

#8

The supporting cast is a major asset, with returning companions receiving more personal stakes, stronger relationships, and memorable scenes. A few characters get less focus, but the ensemble is broadly...

#9

Optional characters benefit from dedicated stories and relationship-building content, giving supporting cast members more personality than the main plot alone provides.

#10

Marco, friends, partners, and other climbers provide useful counterpoints to Aava’s obsession, though most remain secondary to the mountain and her internal struggle.

#11

Story-mode characters are described as fun and colorful, giving the structured campaign more personality than simple route objectives alone.

#12

The island vignettes introduce supporting characters that can be easy to care about even when the party only spends a short time with them.

#13

Side-character depth is promising, with Jim Gordon specifically praised as unexpectedly impressive.

#14

Diana’s side-character appeal is strong, with reviewers repeatedly describing her as charming, heartfelt, and central to the game’s appeal.

#15

Silas and supporting characters such as Laeta make a stronger impression than Five, giving the otherwise lightweight story more personality.

#16

Side character depth received positive evidence where returning side characters were given needed depth and narrative purpose.

#17

Side characters were repeatedly praised as well-written, complex, rounded, and enjoyable to interact with, though one reviewer found some contemporaries merely personable rather than deeply developed.

#18

Zoe is the standout supporting character, with her radio banter and evolving bond with Dylan giving the journey warmth. Some sources find that relationship rushed or uneven, but the supporting...

#19

Rival racers, mechanics, and returning characters give the league much of its personality. Many become memorable favorites, although a few fade into the background or are held back by formulaic...

#20

The remaining townspeople feel unsettling in different ways, making conversations worth revisiting. Their presence also provides welcome relief from solitary exploration.

#21

Side character depth is strongly praised through new officers, personal questlines, expanded arcs, and more character connection.

#22

The talking guns increasingly feel like companions rather than joke dispensers, with stronger personalities, relationships, and emotional beats.

#23

Memorable residents, personal struggles, and interconnected stories often become the main reason to explore. Quest overload and limited follow-up interaction can weaken that attachment.

#24

Memorable, entertaining townsfolk give the mystery much of its charm. Cybercop is a notable exception for one reviewer, who actively disliked his presence.

#25

The colorful Space-Time Police crew is a major source of charm. Reviewers often enjoy returning to the ship just to hear new conversations and spend time with its strange, likable...

#26

Jean Grey, Mystique, Sabretooth, and other supporting mutants create strong chemistry, although several relationships deserve more development.

#27

Scientists and other survivors add distinct motives, charm, and suspicious histories to the mystery. Some find them fully fleshed out, while another wishes their individual stories had more development and...

#28

The supporting cast is frequently funny, tragic, strange, and deeply humane. The expanding plot occasionally sidelines important figures, but the strongest character stories are among the game’s highlights.

#29

Companion-focused side stories do much of the cast's best work, adding backstory and emotional context, although some critics wish that depth were integrated more strongly into the main plot.

#30

Joker Flight’s personalities and relationships are a major reason the campaign lands emotionally, with squadmates feeling more developed than simple mission voices.

#31

Shizuka, Okuni, Takamura, and Ganryu often earn praise for personality and chemistry with Musashi, though some reviewers wanted the rival storyline to go deeper.

#32

Reviewer evidence is positive: side character depth was generally praised, though some notes were more qualified across 2 review(s).

#33

More involved villagers make the stakes feel personal rather than decorative, although their roles remain fairly simple.

#34

The cast is memorable and unusual, though emotional depth varies. Some characters become genuinely likable with investment, while others feel more strange than comforting.

#35

Side character depth has limited positive evidence, focused on Greenway adding a new mentor dynamic to Bond lore.

#36

Side character depth improves in X, with researchers described as having clearer characterization and individual struggles.

#37

JC adds useful context, banter, and objective help without turning into constant hand-holding.

#38

Side characters were described as charming and good company, though preview time limited deeper assessment.

#39

Zora and the eccentric cult members often leave stronger impressions than the protagonist. Some supporting antagonists feel underdeveloped despite their striking presentation.

#40

Companions are often one of the game’s best features, with faction-specific perspectives and personal quests that add texture to the world. The roster is uneven, however, and a few characters...

#41

Most townsfolk are charming, weird, and fun to talk with, helping the world feel personable. One notably negative take finds the cast flatter and more forgettable than the original.

#42

Trace Miller and Cam often bring more personality than MP, with Trace’s role strengthening co-op even though some forced objectives make him frustrating.

#43

Personable performances and meaningful interactions make the supporting cast memorable for some. Others find their fragmented stories or exchanges insufficiently engaging.

#44

Supporting characters often supply the game’s heart, especially the orphans and Okinawan allies, although reactions to Kanda and the redesigned Rikiya are much more divided.

#45

At its best, the supporting cast is well written, interesting, and full of secrets. At its worst, characters blur together through similar voices and a uniformly cynical tone.

#46

Crew portrayals divide opinion: some see rounded personalities emerging from the logs, others find them thin.

#47

Moses, Amanda, Safi, and several returning faces earn praise in individual moments, but much of the supporting cast is sidelined, flattened, or used mainly to move the mystery forward.

#48

NPCs make the world busy and believable, but deeper interpersonal writing and companion development are limited. Repeated voices, shallow relationships, and generic interactions keep characters behind the environmental storytelling.

#49

The supporting ensemble often feels woven into the city rather than serving as simple quest dispensers. A few characters remain underdeveloped or actively irritating.

#50

Supporting characters divide opinion sharply. One account finds surprising depth in the short runtime, while others feel Gabriele’s family is too thinly developed to make the emotional stakes land.