Ghost Of Tsushima Lets You Pet The Fox

A lengthy gameplay demonstration for Ghost of Tsushima gave us all kinds of new details, from exploration and combat to customization options. But there was one tiny detail that took us by surprise: you can pet a fox.

The adorable detail didn't last long, but it came just as creative director Jason Connell was starting to wrap up his segment on exploration. He mentioned that there are details all over the world to explore, like mountainous paths marked with gates, or foxes showing you a hidden den to explore. Over that segment we saw a brief glimpse of the hero, Jin, scruffing the fuzzy mane of a fox.

There's no indication elsewhere that you have the fox as a companion, so it seems more likely that it's just a feral creature that you'll run into once in a while. And since petting a real wild fox is probably not such a good idea, this is one more fantasy video games can help you live out--along with being a samurai.

To that end, the lengthy gameplay demonstration also showed us quite a bit of combat, including two distinct forms of combat: the honorable traditional samurai battles, and the dishonorable stealthy "ghost" combat. You can also customize Jin with armor and gear that will accent your combative or stealthy playstyle, and Tsushima even sports a film filter to imitate old Japanese samurai movies.

Ghost of Tsushima is set to release on July 17, roughly a month after Sony's other big first-party PS4 game, The Last of Us 2. For more details check out our pre-order guide.