Not that I’m complaining, but there’s been a ton of games in the last year that offer up the ability to pet animals–so much so that a popular Twitter account started that catalogs these interactions. It truly appears to be that the most pressing question that we as game journalists can now ask upon the release of a new game is not “What does this game say about the human condition?” but “Who’s a good boy? THAT’S RIGHT YOU’RE A GOOD BOY!” Unless it’s The Last of Us Part II, in which case…. uh, maybe don’t ask about the dogs. Regardless, we can add another game on the list of making all our digital petting zoo dreams come true as a recent hands-on account of Cyberpunk 2077 revealed that players can pet the cats and dogs found across Night City. Rejoice.
The news about what type of animals to expect in the world of Cyberpunk 2077 comes from one of the many first-hand accounts of journalists getting to take a four hour deep dive into Night City. While many of these reports extol endlessly about how beautiful and expansive the game appears, IGN’s Miranda Sanchez has the correct idea about what kind of content the people truly want and reports nothing but straight facts. “Oh, and I pet a cat! That’s very important. I didn’t see any dogs for you dog people out there.” The dog question has already been answered according to an older piece from VGR, stating that dogs and cats are essentially the only animal players will come across.
Does this allude to something more sinister in the Cyberpunk 2077 universe in regards to the status of mother nature in a world of unnatural machine modifications? After all, CDPR put an absolute petting zoo worth of critters in The Witcher 3, including my favorite, the geese that run away from Geralt in terror every time he even takes a step their way. Only time will tell, but one thing is for certain: 2020 is the year of pets in games. Stray received an announcement, Final Fantasy 7 Remake ties the fate of a beloved character directly to a plot point about his cats, and now Cyberpunk is giving me hope that I can spend my time in the future, digital hellscape by petting some squishies.
Cyberpunk 2077 was recently delayed from its September date to November 19, but it will be available on PS4, Xbox One X, and PC. The current-gen versions will be compatible with next-gen consoles, and a proper PS5 and Xbox Series X version will release later, free for those who bought the current-gen version. You can preorder Cyberpunk 2077 now for just $49.99.
