I’m sure I’ve said this before but Helmut and Bob from Psychonauts 2 are probably one of the best written gay couples from a piece of media that isn’t overtly a romance/exploration of queer relationships and I’m mad I never see anyone talk about it
They are explicitly depicted as gay (you even go to a mental recreation of their wedding) without needing to stop and explain to Raz/the player what gay people are. No reliance on queer coding or room for interpretation.
They’re major characters (though not main) in the story and their relationship is a big part of Bob’s arc. It’s not like they’re only part of an optional side quest with ultimately no impact that can be skipped/patched out in other regions.
They have distinct personalities outside of just being The Gay Couple™
Their sexuality/queerness isn’t used as a source of angst, it’s just part of who they are. While they both clearly have their own issues and personal demons, so does everyone else in the game (Bob’s main source of angst is that Helmut seemingly died during the battle against Maligula, but that has nothing to do with them being gay. It’s not like either of them deal with overt homophobia and continue the narrative of “being gay sucks because people will always hate you for it”).
Helmut starts off the game essentially dead, but by the end he’s able to live on as a brain in a hamster wheel with the promise of him eventually getting his body back. I think for a lot of folks but especially queer people, the hopeful message of enduring through difficult and sometimes even deadly times is very poignant and inspiring. It’s kind of like a reverse fridging/bury your gays lol
Their sexuality was never used as a marketing gimmick during the game’s prerelease period (in fact, I’m not sure it was ever mentioned during the marketing at all). This is especially noteworthy because Helmut got a lot of press otherwise because he’s voiced by Jack Black and gets his own song.
Everyone please play Psychonauts 1 and 2 they’re so good even if 2 ruined my headcanons
