A while back I did a list of the most heroic dogs in horror movie history. Well, movies aren’t the only medium by which man’s best friend shines in the horror genre. So, without further ado, here are the five greatest dogs in horror gaming history.
Please note that, just like in movies, sometimes our furry friends don’t make it to the end credits and beware of spoilers for the following games.
Rule of Rose
Haunting Ground
Blair Witch (2019)
Resident Evil 4
Resident Evil 4 Remake
The Last of Us Part II
Brown – Rule of Rose
Possibly the most important to the plot AND gameplay dog on this list, the entire game of Rule of Rose revolves around your player character Jennifer’s relationship with Brown, the Labrador. Given the entirety of the game takes place in a mind palace of sorts, the plot bounces around with strong and disturbing imagery while Jennifer and loyal dog Brown explore an airship to piece together her memories.
To make a very long and winding story short, after the death of her parents in an airship accident, Jennifer ended up at the Rose Garden Orphanage where a girl named Wendy had established a sort of royal hierarchy among the children with her as the leader.
One day, Jennifer found a puppy and named him Brown, quickly finding true friendship with the sweet pup which was out of the question at the orphanage. Jealous Wendy tried many times to get Jennifer to abandon the dog, but Jennifer refused.
(Brown does not make it to the end of the game, so don't view "spoiler" below if you don't want to read why)
Caution:Spoilers inside
Finally, Wendy and her “royalty” group of friends put Brown in a burlap sack and beat him to death with sticks. So, technically, Brown is just a memory through the whole game. Brown will distract and attack enemies, holding them off or in place for Jennifer to attack or escape from. You can show him any mission item and he will sniff you straight to the source you need to use it with. If you found part of a key, show it to Brown and he will find the key, no matter how far away or where in the airship it is.
Plus, if the trail leads beyond a door, Brown has absolutely the most adorable door scratching animation.
It hurts to know that your loyal friend perished before the game technically began, but if you manage to achieve the true ending, you will be treated to a scene where Jennifer meets puppy Brown. It is bittersweet, but well worth it to hold the memories of your good, loyal friend once again.
Hewie – Haunting Ground
Much like Brown, Hewie is your constant companion through the game Haunting Ground. He can attack enemies, find hidden items, and even unblock obstacles at your command. UNLIKE Brown, Hewie is not your loyal friend you’ve known since puppyhood, so you are going to have to put some work in with him. You’ll need to praise him, give him jerky to boost his stamina, and you can even play fetch with a ball you find early on in the game to build your relationship with him.
Strengthening your relationship with him will mean he will come when called more reliably, stick closer to you, and attack enemies without you needing to give the command.
Be warned though, if you mistreat him, he will NOT listen when it matters, allow the various enemies to attack you without intervening, and if you are TRULY terrible to him doing such things as kicking him, he will even go so far as to attack you himself. Be good to your dogs, people. They will return the kindness.
Bullet – Blair Witch
Bullet the German Shepard is your near constant companion in 2019’s Blair Witch. He is a police-trained canine who retires along with player character Ellis when Ellis quits the force do to military relation PTSD. When Ellis and Bullet join the search for a missing boy in the woods the Blair Witch calls home, they find themselves in the haunted forest with only each other to rely on.
Bullet and Hewie from haunting ground have quite a bit in common as you’ll have to build and maintain a positive relationship with him throughout the game. Praise, pet, keep him close as much as possible and give him treats to strengthen your relationship with Bullet as part of the many requirements to get the good, true ending of the game.
Early on in the game, Bullet will help Ellis stay grounded during flashbacks and throughout the game, proximity to him will limit the in game effects of fear and panic during monster encounters. He’s also pivotal in tracking the missing boy and digging out clues from the thick underbrush to continue the story
Scolding and neglecting to praise and pet Bullet will quickly degrade your relationship with him, so make sure you keep him close and keep him loved. You can even give him treats. He’s such a good boy.
Hewie Again (but not really) – Resident Evil 4
Resident Evil 4 had a lengthy and tumultuous development, resulting in scrapped versions which became something else entirely. One such game is Devil May Cry. Another was in fact Haunting Ground!
But, not EVERYTHING that went into Haunting Ground was fully scrapped from Resi 4 as evidenced by this here good doggo you find which ran afoul one of the many hidden bear traps in chapter 1-1. We don’t even need to consider the possibility of NOT helping this dog because if you left it or god forbid shot at it, that would make you a real Wendy.
Saving the dog just seems like the right thing to do and Leon will do it without a word. The dog barks in gratitude and jets off into the woods. But later during the el gigante boss fight, the dog shows up to return the favor to Leon.
Not-Hewie draws aggro from Gigante, allowing you to put a little more punishment into the beast without having to worry about moving out of the way of attacks and grapples. Unfortunately, after the fight, the dog disappears never to be seen again, leaving only a feeling of gratitude in the player.
That is, of course, until the 2023 remake of Resi 4 where freeing the dog has its own cutscene with Leon telling the pup to take care of itself. Then later, for you kindness, you are awarded with the most EPIC wrestlemania style intro in the history of the world when faux-hewie enters the proverbial ring.
Not only that, but as well as drawing aggro, bizzarro Hewie will even latch onto Gigante’s foot, causing the monster to topple into the canyon wall and earn you a free stun.
Best of all, this version of the dog sticks around, lounging triumphantly on a rock after the fight, allowing you to say your goodbyes and thank yous properly.
Alice – The Last of Us Part 2
On a first playthrough of the Last of Us part 2, you likely killed at least a few of the Washington Liberation Front trained attack dogs on your path to vengeance. Certainly not because you WANTED to, but some areas with loot and resources to be acquired need to be cleared out of enemies, or, it’s possible your attempts at stealth went wrong and you were forced to fight your way back from the brink of death, regardless of the enemy chasing you down.
Considering this, you may not have thought much about a scripted sequence which takes place after infiltrating the aquarium near the end of Ellie’s campaign to find Abby, the woman who brutally slayed father figure Joel in front of Ellie at the beginning of the game.
In this scripted sequence you are attacked by a dog and are forced to stab it and kick it off of you, much like any other guard dog you grappled with up to this point.
Well GUESS WHAT. Feelings inbound as soon as you step into Abby’s shoes to tell her side of the story over the last three days.
Practically IMMEDIATLEY you meet Alice, the fiercely loyal and brave WLF canine. Alice is assigned to Mel, an NPC from the upcoming chapters and Alice’s behavior toward Mel is incredible. Alice will stay on Mel’s heels and, much like real life military trained canines, will frequently look to Mel for indications on direction and threats. I also realized something in getting this footage I hadn’t noticed before. If you aim your weapon and Mel, Alice will look at you like “WHAT THE **** ARE YOU DOING?”
Alice is no slouch in combat either, both scripted and unscripted. She will attack all enemy types outright during combat, save you when you are grappled and, during a scripted sequence in which Abby is pinned down, she takes out a clicker faster than even Ellie can with her switchblade. Alice is a wrecking ball and is fiercely loyal to and protective of Mel, as well as the other members of the party.
Really should make the “team Ellie” people think twice.
There you have it! 5 fantastic dogs in horror games we can’t even begin to deserve. Who is your favorite canine companion in gaming?
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