These 12 games all have offspring mechanics you may not have known about

Discover the best games that let you choose your offspring or have offspring join your party

From Phantasy Star III to Crusader Kings: Games that Let You Choose Your Offspring

You may not have been aware of this, but a lot of games have a mechanic where your character can have children. In some of them, your offspring even become the main characters in the next chapter. We’re not talking about the Telltale games with their choice of spouses, but more unusual examples that you may have missed.

We’ve all played games where you can marry and have children, like the Fable games or Dragon Quest VIII. Phantasy Star III, though, went a step further back in the early ’90s by giving you a choice of wives, creating a unique offspring who becomes the protagonist in the next chapter. It’s an interesting gimmick that’s popped up in a few places over the years, so here are a few games you may not know about that feature this mechanic.

The Best Offspring Mechanics

These are the best games that feature the 'offspring mechanic':

Phantasy Star III: Generations of Doom

While the rest of the series stuck to a character select system, Phantasy Star III let you choose between different wives, each with a different set of children. We’re not sure if this was a big draw for many players back then, but it probably helped sell a few more copies.

In practice, though, it doesn’t work particularly well. Phantasy Star III is an old Sega RPG, and this was probably the precursor to similar mechanics found in later games. The cast is restricted to androids, and the children are artificial beings, so it’s more like you’re choosing among a set of NPCs than having children of your own. That’s not to say there isn’t some charm to be found in the different offspring, especially the wonderfully named Fynnde and Nylunde.

The Phantasy Star series isn’t quite as well known or well loved as it should be, but Phantasy Star IV is a favorite among many players. It has a similar gimmick, except this time you could choose between different wives, each with different children. The most popular is usually the one with the dog child, but my personal favorite is the one who looks like Angela Lansbury.

Agarest: Generations of War

There’s a long-running series of JRPGs known as the Agarest games, and they’re essentially a sometimes-over-the-top anime-style dating sim leading up to, and then beyond, a large-scale war. These games have a branching story with different wives and children, so you can replay them with different outcomes. Definitely one for fans of the genre.

Dynasty Warriors 8: Empires

Dynasty Warriors is a series of games where you play as one soldier in a large army and cut through hundreds of enemies at a time. Bannerlord is the next entry in the series and allows for characters to get married and have children, which leads to the next generation taking over. This is a great example of this mechanic in a roguelike game.

Romancing SaGa 2

Romancing SaGa 2 is another JRPG with a similar mechanic, though you don’t choose the spouse. Instead, characters can get married and have children, which leads to the next generation taking over. This series has been somewhat overlooked, but it’s highly recommended if you’re looking for more games like Phantasy Star IV.

Dynasty Warriors 8: Empires is a bit of an unusual entry on this list, given that it’s a strategy game. Arranging political marriages and raising children is a significant part of the gameplay, along with building your empire as you expand across China.

Wildermyth

While we’re on the subject of strategy games, we couldn’t leave this one off the list. Wildermyth is an RPG that spans many decades, so you expect many of the characters to age. What you might not expect is that they live long enough to have children who join the party. There are also some secrets to be found that give the game an even longer lifespan.

BitLife

OK, so BitLife isn’t out yet, but it has some of the same appeal as Kynseed, which we talked about earlier. Kynseed was a promising game that didn’t quite live up to expectations, and BitLife feels a little different. While Kynseed was more of a farming game, BitLife looks similar to The Sims mixed with some roguelike elements. You’re still building a legacy, and you have the opportunity to have children and continue that.

Red Dead Redemption 2

Red Dead Redemption 2 is one of the best games of recent times, and it has an interesting mechanic with the son of the main character from the first game. In order to avenge his father’s death, you play as Jack Marston, the son of the former outlaw. Red Dead Redemption 2 is a great example of how having an offspring can really fit into a narrative and make it personal.