Astral Chain has a lot of players intrigued with its fast-paced action and gorgeous character designs, but the real reason why fans are excited about the game is due to the abundance of cats can be encountered and pet within the world.
Fire Emblem: Three Houses is one of the most acclaimed games of 2019, but the one aspect that everyone criticized was the inability to pet the cats and dogs that lived in Garreg Mach Monastery. The developers filled the military academy with stray cats and dogs that hang around the grounds, but it wasn't possible to pet any of them. Fans are hoping that this travesty of game design will be addressed in the update that will add the second wave of DLC to the game, which is due to be released in October.
It seems that PlatinumGames will be making up for Nintendo's crimes against cat petting in Astral Chain, as director Takahisa Taura has waxed poetic about his love for felines at Gamescom 2019, while also showing off an accessory that makes it look like a cat is sitting on the player character's head. The Nintendo of America Twitter account has uploaded several screenshots from Astral Chain showing the kinds of cats that can be encountered in the game.
Cats aren't the only animal companion that will be receiving adoration in Astral Chain, however, as there are also dogs in the game world. There is also the powerful Beast Legion, which can fight alongside the player in the game. The Beast Legion resembles a giant robotic dog, and Taura has confirmed that the player will be able to pet it outside of battle.
It has become increasingly common for video games to allow players to pet the animals within the game world, as it's the thing that they would do in real life if placed in the same situation. Nintendo might have dropped the ball with the cats and dogs in Fire Emblem: Three Houses, but it seems that PlatinumGames will be picking up the slack with an abundance of animals in Astral Chain.
Astral Chain will be released for the Nintendo Switch on August 30, 2019.