2023 Golden Lance Award for Character of the Year

Despite the bevy of awards that were given out this year at Lords of Gaming, Character of the Year was the one that brought about the most discussion. The conversation revolved around the fundamental question of the definition for this category. After all, it would be exceedingly difficult to argue that any character had a more impactful year than Mario. Between the movie, Super Mario Wonder, and Super Mario RPG, it has been a banner year for everyone’s favorite plumber.

Yet, this award was centered less around cultural relevance and more about characters within the stories told in games. To that end, there was an even bigger surprise in that two of our entries come from one game. One game that embued its characters with so much style and fun, that we couldn’t pick just one character who belonged. With that said, here are the winners of Lords of Gamings 2023 Golden Lance Award for Best Character.

Winner: Clive Rosfield in Final Fantasy XVI

Final Fantasy XVI teaches us to defy fate. Clive Rosfield is a character who knew nothing but tragedy and hardship for the majority of his life. Yet, Clive turned out to be an incredibly human character, one filled with compassion for those around him. 

I found Clive and Joshua to be Final Fantasy’s version of Elsa and Anna. Their brotherly bond fueled much of Clive’s drive along with his relationship with Jill. Clive draws his strength from his loved ones and companions, all while being incredibly cool. In terms of aesthetics, he also has one of the most iconic looks of any protagonist within the series coupled with his faithful hound, Torgal.

Runner Up: 808 in Hi-Fi Rush

There can only be one in the eternal battle between cat and dog people. But in Hi-Fi Rush, there is no competition. That’s because the adorable 808 has probably stolen the hearts of every player. Including those that briefly dabbled with Hi-Fi Rush since shadow launching on Game Pass in January 2023. 808’s hilarious behavior and scene-stealing appearances quickly made her a fan favorite. 

The fact that Chai essentially stole the cat from Peppermint makes it even more hilarious especially since the two forged such an inseparable bond and their personalities meshed beautifully. 808’s endearing character can easily make her an easy candidate for a Bethesda/Xbox mascot going forward. I’m sure 808 merch will pay off handsomely for both gamers and non-gamers alike. The times you did control 808 in the game were also highly enjoyable and only added to her appeal. Make no mistake, 808 is an adorable cat that even dog lovers will find hard to hate.  

Runner Up: Chai in HiFi Rush

In a world where everyone is making characters with cringey, modern MCU-like humor, Chai was a breath of fresh air. Not only is he goofball that most can relate to, his sense of humor doesn’t reek of the same irreverence we’ve seen from so many other games, movies, and shows. There is a real charm in his naivety that doesn’t come across as obnoxious or over the top. He is simply a fun-loving character who can be stupid but isn’t completely tone-deaf to what’s going on.