It’s one of gaming’s hidden pleasures. Explore a nice gaming world, encounter a cute animal, being able to pet it. There’s even actual content creators focused solely on covering which games features animals, and which ones allow you to pet the animals. Fortunately, Assassin’s Creed has been letting pet cats and dogs in various games already. Assassin’s Creed Shadows, however, is a transformative massive new game in the franchise, the biggest evolution since Origins in 2017. That means a lot of new features, a lot of old things removed or transformed – all sorts of changes really. Today’s question is: can you pet cats or dogs in Assassin’s Creed Shadows? Let’s find out!
As pointed out in another article I wrote about the incredible amount of love and care that went into the animal world in Assassin’s Creed Shadows, I can restate the core concept. There’s a crazy amount of different animals in this virtual Japanese playground from the 1500’s, featuring pets, wild animals and more. Hunting mechanics are gone, no need to skin animals to craft cool gear and upgrades anymore – on the other hand, the density and variety of animals has increased tenfold, with even more side events and lore additions related to animals.
This means that, throughout our journey, we’ll see dozens of different types of creatures. There’s dogs, cats, foxes, deer, fishes, boar, cranes, horses, cows, tanuki… the list goes on. For the first time, we even get to witness younger variants. That shiba doggo looking fine? Wait until you the shiba puppy, and get ready to melt. The very cultural impact, the religious symbology, the metaphors and anecdotes around these animals are a core part of the experience in Assassin’s Creed Shadows, and being able to even have these animals in your very own hideout is just the icing on the cake. To use an abundantly overused term in videogaming context: it’s a love letter to the world of animals.
But where does that leave us in terms of cats and dogs? Can you pet them? You used to be able to do so in Origins, Odyssey and Mirage, and I’m glad to report you still can in Shadows, as well. Not only the regular cats and dogs, but even their puppies! Some other animals, like foxes, can also be occasionally interacted with. There’s different breeds and sizes, too, so you’ll even face a handful of different animations and comments by Naoe and Yasuke when interacting with these creatures. There’s no XP or monetary reward for these petting activities, but if it’s your first time cuddling a certain race or breed, that kind of animal will now be available to place in your very own hideout!
So there’s your answer! Of course, other than petting cats and dogs, there’s much more to do in Assassin’s Creed Shadows – clearing bases, fighting samurai, exploring the sensational 1500’s Japan, building your hideout, customizing your builds, romancing… you name it! Find out more in our Assassin’s Creed Shadows review!
