>>713889220I don't think it's fair to label all games with backpack lolis post-2013 as TLoU imitators. The wolf and cub trope has been popular in gaming for a while, think Telltale's TWD, Dishonored and RE4.
>>713889764 already mentioned Bioshock 2, and I'd like to add that Bioshock Infinite already had teasers with Elizabeth 3 years prior to TLoU. I Am Alive is oft-forgotten, but it's a pre-TLoU game set in the post-apocalypse with a gruff protagonist and a little girl he has to protect. I don't mind seeing more of this trope. Having a little girl to protect and look after and nurture is the quintessential male fantasy.