Video games let folks do real-world impossible things and explore interpretations of historical and futuristic times. When an animal companion is involved, those immersive and thrilling adventures are only enhanced with heartfelt warmth, narrative deepness, and endearment!
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Companionship, camaraderie, and connection can be more appreciated when a furry, scaley, or feathered buddy runs, scurries, or flies at the player’s side. Some may have their own quest lines while others are just along for the ride. This list ranks various animal friends who can provide transportation, bring items, and enrich the gameplay experience.
10Pikachu In Pokemon Yellow
Pikachu is an instantly recognizable,lovablelittle creature, maybe even the face of the entire Pokemon franchise. In some of the first iterations of the Pokemon video games, specificallyPokemon Yellowfor GameBoy, players are put into the life of Ash Ketchum, a Pokemon trainer who is the best of friends with Pikachu. In the games, the little buddy follows along on happenings and battles at Ash’s side outside of his Pokeball.
9Jin’s Horses In Ghost Of Tsushima
The immersive, gorgeous worlds of Ghost of Tsushima are enough to lose many hours to this game happily. The experience is only enhanced by the beautiful camera work, realistic characters, and easy-to-master gameplay. While horses are sometimes just a way to get from point A to point B in games, Jin’s relationship with horses in this game serves the narratives and tugs at the player’s heartstrings instead of being left just inconvenienced when a horse is unavailable.
8Boomer In Far Cry 5
Boomer is another animal companion from Far Cry 5 and another good boy! After completing one of the main story missions, players can recruit this dog with a paracord collar. His owners were murdered by the crazed cult followers of the antagonist, Joseph Seed, so Boomer is more than excited to earn justice. His distinctive perk is locating all nearby wildlife and enemies. He will growl, follow a scent trail, stand up, and a visual tag will appear above whatever Boomer was after.
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7Red XIII In Final Fantasy 7 Original
Final Fantasy is a franchise filled with crazy and incredible characters. Red XIII, one of the main characters of 7 and part 1 of itsremake, is an experiment by Hojo, head of the Shinra science department. His smarts, seriousness, and unique limited break make him an essential party member in the original after rescuing him. In part 1 of the remake, Red XIII is rescued and unavailable as a party member towards the end of the game. There is hope that he will be in part 2 of the remake!
6Peaches In Far Cry 5
Far Cry 5 has many different companions available to choose from, humans and animals alike. A stand-out amongst them is Peaches is the cougar. When assigned, Peaches runs right alongside, either into a deliberate firefight or to the vantage point for a stealthy approach. She will take out marked enemies silently, maintaining a low profile. Peaches is most effective when picking off singled-off enemies, so the player can keep an overview of the area and take down what’s left.
5Pets In Torchlight Series
In the light-hearted top-down RPG Torchlight series, players get to choose a pet from the very start before even entering the game. Choices range from domestic pets like a cat to fantastical ones like a chakawary. In the first game, feeding the (maybe) furry friend a fish will give it special buffs. In that and the second game, pets can be equipped with gear such as collars. By the third installation, the selection of animals included breeds of species and flying variations. Any one of them ready to fight and defend!
4Machines In Horizon Zero Dawn & Horizon Forbidden West
The massive open worlds of both Horizon Zero Dawn and Horizon Forbidden West are overflowing with exciting adventures, deep caves, high-up collectibles, and so much more. In the first game, players can override machines by progressing through the story. Doing so has them either fight for Aloy or turn them into a transportation mode. Riding machines like horses is still an option in the second game, but taking to the skies was added. Overriding a larger flying machine allows Aloy to hop on their back and reach mountain tops much quicker.
3Birds In Assassin’s Creed Games
A bird buddy in Assassin’s Creed has been a recently added staple to entries into the franchise. The first game it appeared in was Origins, as Senu aids Bayek, the protagonist. The access to eagle eyes introduced a whole new way to approach confrontations. Players can use the bird to gain a new perspective of a location and find and tag enemies, chests, and VIPs. The addition of the bird has stuck and has existed in each game released since its first appearance in Origins.
2Dogmeat In Fallout 4
Dogmeat, a recruitable companion in Fallout 4, is the most loyal last person on Earth’s best friend. Found at the Red Rocket truck stop, he can be outfitted in the latest wasteland fashions, unfortunately, without any protection value. This reliable canine will do amusing tricks, converse with the player (in bark form), self-healing, fetch things and hunt enemies. He is designed as a saddle-back-colored German shepherd, but when in view, all folks will see is a lovely, faithful fellow apocalypse survivor!
1DD In Metal Gear Solid 5: Phantom Pain
DD, D-Dog, Diamond-Dog; whatever he’s called, he is always a good boy! This adorable eye-patched dog is part of the Metal Gear Solid series, pointedly Phantom Pain. Players first meet DD as a puppy, but when he fails to jump into a helicopter to join a mission, he gets discouraged and runs off. The next time he is seen, he is fully grown, trained with handy skills, and ready for action. DD can stun, distract, kill, and injure enemies, as well as many other actions.
NEXT:Best Animal Companions In Anime
