One of the most often-asked questions about animal companions in video games isif players can pet them.Flintlock: The Siege of Dawnillustrates that this remains true, even when that animal companion is a deity like the adorable foxlike Enki.
When talking withFlintlock: The Siege of Dawn’s lead narrative designer Daniel Baider, Game Rant, of course, had to ask if players could pet the cute divine companion that joins Nor Vanek on her journey. Teasingly, Baider’s answer was more than a simple yes or no.
Can You Pet the God?
Enki has become a fairly popular character even before the game’s release. He’s taken Twitter by storm, and he’s been jokingly called the game’s actual protagonist by his growing legions of fans. No small part of this is the character’s rich personality packed into a cute fox companion forFlintlock: The Siege of Dawnprotagonist Nor Vanek. And Enki is very important to Nor’s journey. He enables her magic and traversal mechanics, as well as being her guide to the various gods she will encounter on her journey. While he’s cute and offers all of this, Enki at his core is very much a divine being. As Baider explained, that means that he has a very strong opinion on whether or not he should get pets.
“There’s no dedicated button for patting Enki, as he is after all a God and would never willingly subject himself to such indignity.”
Ultimately, it does seem like a fair position for a god. While getting pets is a form of praise, gods in general tend to prefer their praise to be more of the reverent worship kind, after all. Enki has a strong sympathy for humankind, so he may not be demanding worship (which may be willingly given by some). Still, he is a god and a dedicated pet button could feel diminishing to him. However, Baider left the door open for another option.
He did say Enki wouldn’t willingly subject himself to such indignity–not that he doesn’t suffer such indignity. Baider doesn’t say that it never happens inFlintlock: The Siege of Dawn’s story, meaning somewhere among its runtime, fans may still see some pets. Baider didn’t rule out this possibility, but he didn’t confirm it either:
“As for whether it ever happens in the game, even Gods can’t predict the future….”
Despite their reputation,Soulslike/Souls-lite games can be rather funnyfrom time to time, and it certainly would be funny to see the furry god have to endure fawning pets from Nor or others on occasion in the story. After all, the relationship between Enki and Nor is the beating heart of the game, so enriching it with humor would do a lot to endear that companionship to players if executed well. In fact, from that perspective, a dedicated pet button would somewhat cheapen the significance of such a moment.
Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn
WHERE TO PLAY
From games studio A44, makers of Ashen, comes an explosive Souls-lite, where Gods and guns collide in a battle for the future of humanity.The Door to the Great Below has been opened unleashing the Gods and their armies of the Dead. The lands of Kian are besieged, the city of Dawn is on the brink of destruction. It’s time for the Coalition army to fight back. Embrace vengeance, gunpowder and magic as you embark on an epic journey to defeat the Gods, close the door and retake the world.Kill all gods.Your battle begins now.
