Escort missions aren’t all awful; some can be beneficial after players arrive at their goal, such as these amazing video game missions.

Escort missions are well-known for being one of the worst game tropes. They can be mildly irritating to enrage-inducing, especially if the escorted character does not obey directions or remain close. However, not every escort mission is as excruciating. If the escortee is a central character or a familiar friend, it can be pleasant to securely transport them to their destination while learning about their motives and goals.

While no escort is complete without challenges, games that have mastered this type of task frequently use them as a big element of their plots, balancing its less pleasurable features with engaging stories, character arcs, and designs.

Yoshi’s Island

Yoshi’s Island is the sequel to Super Mario World. Yoshi guides Baby Mario through different stages in order to rescue his twin brother from Kamek, one of Baby Bowser’s minions who kidnapped Luigi. When Yoshi is injured, he must heal quickly in order to save a weeping Baby Mario from floating away in one of Kamek’s magical bubbles.

Normally, Yoshi is Mario’s companion or mount, but the game reverses their roles, making Baby Mario a defenceless escort throughout the game. Although Baby Mario’s tears can be annoying or stressful at times, Yoshi’s Island is an important and joyful part of Super Mario’s history.

BioShock: Infinite

In BioShock: Infinite, the Lutece twins dispatch Booker DeWitt to the floating metropolis of Columbia to accompany Elizabeth, a strong young lady who can open rifts to different realities in New York. Booker’s quest is challenging, as he is pursued by the city’s authorities and Elizabeth’s robotic warden. He is, nonetheless, driven to achieve and get his gambling debts erased.

While Booker’s journey entails guarding Elizabeth, she is never in danger during combat, and their roles appear to be reversed at times. She takes him on a journey through different timelines, possible destinies, and the truth about his mission. BioShock: Infinite skillfully employs escort missions to drive both characters’ arcs and development as they travel together.

Portal

Chell, a lonely human test subject for Aperture Sciences, is followed by Portal. She must answer several exams using a portal cannon to enter the next region, guided by a snarky AI named GLaDOS. GLaDOS presents Chell to the Weighted Companion Cube, a pink cube with a heart in the centre, as one of the tests.

While Chell only helps the Companion Cube through one exam in the first Portal game, GLaDOS subsequently mocks Chell for euthanizing the cube who would otherwise be by her side all the time. The fact that GLaDOS implies Chell’s companion is sentient makes its brief escort mission all the more sad.

Half-Life 2

Half-Life takes place in the same universe as Portal, but its events take place before Chell’s testing begin. In the second game, Gordon Freeman, a theoretical physicist, awakens from stasis to discover that aliens have taken over the world. He meets his friend’s daughter, Alyx Vance, as he reconnects with his old lab comrades to fight back against the aliens’ influence.

Gordon and Alyx become important allies and friends as members of the Resistance. However, on one of their missions, she is injured, forcing Gordon to drive and accompany her to safety. While the Half-Life 2 escort scene is challenging, Alyx’s character and circumstances make it a gratifying drive.

The Liar Princess And The Blind Prince

A wolf mistakenly blinds a prince who comes to the forest every night to hear her sing, assuming she is a princess, in The Liar Princess and the Blind Prince. Driven by shame and a desire to reconnect with the prince, the wolf gives up her singing voice in exchange for the power to shapeshift and leads the prince on a perilous trip to restore his sight.

Although the prince agrees to accompany the wolf, he will not proceed unless the wolf, disguised as a princess, guides him by hand. While the wolf keeps her identity hidden while they explore fairytale-like stages, the prince exposes his interests and loves, making him a lovable and mild-mannered companion throughout the game.

Pikmin

When Captain Olimar crashes lands on the planet Pikmin, he frequently finds himself alone and without the wherewithal to return home. Fortunately, Olimar quickly meets a variety of friendly Pikmin that he can control and lead with his whistle.

Throughout the Pikmin series, Olimar often unintentionally sacrifices his new pals in order to survive, gather resources, and overcome difficulties. While Olimar brings the curious Pikmin back to his ship, it is evident that he is reliant on his pals.

The Last Guardian

A little boy awakens before a big dog-like beast named Trico, unaware of how he got lost. Despite his determination to return home, the youngster treats to Trico’s wounds, winning its devotion and admiration. They wander through ruins, overcome puzzles, and encounter other mythological animals that obstruct their path.

To assist Trico in navigating confined locations, The Last Guardian employs typical escort mechanisms. The boy can summon it, request that it wait, and attack when required. One of the game’s better features, though, is that it allows the boy to pat Trico and soothe it down after battles. Because the boy and Trico are frequently together, their bond makes The Last Guardian a compelling escort mission in and of itself.

The Last of Us

The Last of Us is set in a post-pandemic world where the infected are grotesque and vicious. While attempting to defend himself, Joel finds Ellie, a little girl who is immune to the plague that the infected transmit. Joel and Ellie set out into the brutal and harsh world to accompany her to an organisation that can use her genetics to develop a vaccine.

Ellie begins The Last of Us as an inexperienced youngster, but as she works alongside Joel, she becomes more resourceful and motivated. Nonetheless, Ellie’s relationship with Joel and their disparate experiences make her a compelling escort even from the outset of Drive Mad game.

Ico

A young kid with horns named Ico is dragged to a mystery castle and sentenced to starve or freeze to death in a coffin after being blamed for all of his town’s woes. Fortunately, he escapes, rescuing another prisoner, Yorda, along the way. Shadowy guards, however, pursue them, compelling Ico to take Yorda to safety by hand because they speak different languages.

Although both protagonists use their abilities to flee the castle in Ico, the horned child serves as a guide because he is better at fighting, climbing, and jumping than Yorda.By the end of the game, Ico and Yorda have formed a wonderful bond based on trust, which is what makes Ico such a well-received game.

Resident Evil 4

In Resident Evil 4, Special Agent Leon S. Kennedy is tasked with saving the President’s daughter from a mystery cult operating in Spain. Leon discovers her in a chapel and is forced to defend her against powerful and terrifying animals until a helicopter can transport them to safety.

While the President’s daughter, Ashley, shares her fears, concerns, and opinions to Leon, she listens to his directives and does her best to stay out of the way. Nonetheless, given Ashley’s role in the horror game, her escort is frequently viewed as a genuine and devastating event in Resident Evil 4.