The most recent game in the tactical strategy series, Fire Emblem: Three Houses, was released last month to favorable review from critics and fans alike. Many have said that the game looks great, and expertly combines turn-based tactics and social elements just as well as previous games. However, even the most seasoned reviewer overlooked the one thing that makes the game entirely unplayable: you can’t even pet the cats.
Three Houses generously adds cats to the Garreg Mach Monastery, the home of the Knights of Seiros. The game includes tabbies, tortoiseshells, and cats of all different colors. They amble around the grounds, lounging in the sun and engaging in other catlike activities as you go about your business. Overall, good game design.
Or at least it would be, but the game does not allow you to pet them. It doesn’t let you rub their bellies or scratch under their chins. It doesn’t allow you to interact with them whatsoever. You can’t speak to them, or even get them to meow for you. Fantasy author Sam Sykes has spoken out on this glaring lapse in gameplay:
After the similar disappointment in last year’s Pillars of Eternity II, which featured a similar game design oversight, Fire Emblem: Three Houses is one in a long line of petting-deficient games. But there is hope. Many games have surpassed Three Houses and its kind by including plenty of pet interaction. Divinity: Original Sin 2 lets the player pet undead kitties and talk to literally every dog. Watch Dogs 2 makes the title literal with a feature that lets you watch (and pet) dogs that pass you on the streets of San Francisco. The Last Guardian’s titular character Trico may be some kind of cat/dog/bird combination, but the game makes sure to allow petting, even making it a crucial gameplay element. And of course, Nintendogs + Cats is a game all about petting dogs and cats, mostly.
Hopefully Intelligent Systems will release a patch to Fire Emblem: Three Houses that fixes this issue. After all, the game is unplayable in its current state. We can only hope that they will realize this and let players finally pet the cats.