Rockstar Games is known for pushing boundaries in storytelling, and with Bully, originally released in 2006 and later remastered as Bully: Scholarship Edition, the developer traded crime-ridden city streets for the chaotic halls of Bullworth Academy. While not a romance game in the traditional sense, Bully features a surprising amount of romantic content that adds depth to its characters and elevates the high school experience into something memorable, quirky, and surprisingly heartfelt.
The Setup: Bullworth Academy and Its Social Ecosystem
In Bully, players take on the role of Jimmy Hopkins, a troubled teenager sent to Bullworth Academy, a private boarding school full of cliques, bullies, and chaos. While the core gameplay revolves around open-world exploration, mischief, and missions that often involve fighting, pranks, and schoolwork, there’s also a lighter side: romance.
The romance in Bully is not the focus of the game, but it’s integrated seamlessly into the social mechanics. Jimmy has the opportunity to form relationships with various students—both male and female—making it one of the first Rockstar titles to allow for same-sex romantic interactions. This progressive move was notable in the mid-2000s and has helped the game retain a cult following.
Romance Mechanics: Flirting, Gifts, and Kisses
Romance in Bully is initiated through simple social interactions. Players can give gifts like flowers or chocolates to certain characters, often followed by compliments or flirty dialogue. If successful, this leads to a kiss, which rewards Jimmy with a small health bonus—a classic Rockstar tongue-in-cheek incentive for teen romance.
Though the mechanics are basic, they’re fun and surprisingly well-integrated into the school environment. Characters react dynamically depending on the player’s reputation with their clique or recent mission outcomes. For example, kissing a member of one clique might make others jealous or hostile, adding a layer of social strategy.
Notable Romance Options: Diversity and Humor
Jimmy can pursue romance with a variety of characters, including Beatrice, a nerdy and insecure girl; Pinky, a snobby rich girl; and even Lola, who dates multiple guys across different cliques. Each romance option is stereotyped, but in a way that parodies high school tropes rather than reinforcing them.
Interestingly, Bully also allows Jimmy to kiss male characters like Trent and Kirby. While these interactions are not deeply explored or treated as major narrative arcs, they’re presented in the same casual tone as heterosexual romances. This open approach to player choice, particularly in a 2006 title, was refreshingly inclusive, even if the game doesn’t delve deeply into the implications of these relationships.
Narrative Impact: Flirting Without Consequences
Romantic interactions in Bully are mostly cosmetic. They don’t significantly impact the storyline, missions, or outcomes. That might be a disappointment to players hoping for deeper emotional arcs or branching romance paths akin to modern visual novels or RPGs. However, this light-touch approach fits the tone of the game—irreverent, satirical, and driven by humor.
Romance is used to flesh out the high school environment rather than drive the story forward. That being said, it still adds charm and helps humanize many of the characters. Even the school’s notorious bullies become a little more relatable when you see them stumble through teenage crushes and awkward kisses.
Visuals and Presentation
In Bully: Scholarship Edition, character models and animations were improved slightly, making romantic interactions look a bit more natural than in the original. Still, these scenes are basic—kisses are short and followed by goofy grins or quips. Dialogue is campy, which matches the game’s overall tone but might limit emotional resonance for those seeking heartfelt storytelling.
The voice acting, however, is solid. Each romanceable character has distinct mannerisms and voice lines, making the brief romantic interactions feel unique despite the limited mechanics.
Final Verdict: Not a Romance Game, but a Game with Romance
While Bully can’t compete with full-fledged romance games like Dream Daddy or Persona in terms of depth or emotional storytelling, it stands out for how it weaves romance into a sandbox filled with teenage angst and humor. The inclusion of same-sex options, the variety of personalities to woo, and the casual, consequence-free nature of these interactions make Bully a unique blend of action-adventure and teen drama.
If you’re looking for deep emotional connections or story-altering romantic choices, Bully may fall short. But if you’re in it for light-hearted fun, some nostalgic high school mischief, and a chance to kiss your way across cliques, Bully delivers with charm and humor.
