And well I guess if thats what you meant as Linear, as in, there is only 1 branch for the romance and you can't decide between being fully invested or just being platonic, then yes your right.
I mean, linear is linear.
There's no dynamicism involved. You enter a romance by picking a dialogue option and then the character is in love with you until the end of the game (Or you make decisions that forcibly end the romance such as picking the dialogue option to end it or certain actions like going an evil route) after which, the character goes back to their normal self as if they were never in a relationship with you. No messed up feelings. No latent affection from their end. Nothing.
A more dynamic relationship system would have characters react to things you do. Be more affectionate and come onto you more when you treat them well and become distant and confront you if you do things they dislike. You know, like real people. People don't just get together and are instantly madly in love forever, relationships build over time and change depending on actions. With of course, ended relationships being emotionally devastating (Unless they had been falling apart for some time).
Originally Posted by Thunderbolt
There is Yrliet's romance, which, given that it is a platonic relationship, I believe is completely unique from other RPGs.
It's not truly platonic though, it's just not physical. Which is nothing particularly new. Pre-Dragon Age: Origins had plenty of non-physical relationships (Mostly due to being even less than half-baked additions). If I recall correctly, Visas from KotOR 2 had a similar romance path it being more spiritual in nature (Due to the whole "Being blind and seeing through the force" thing)
