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Monster Hunter Wilds is mathematically a perfect game for me. I'm passionate about wildlife, the natural world, exploring new places, and, of course, cats. One of the most recognizable facets within the Monster Hunter video game series are its bipedal cats called Palicos. Your Palico is essentially your wingman, your Samwise Gamgee, to your gentle warrior character. They're always by your side to provide encouragement and helpful items during the heat of battle. Even though there are some truly horrific-looking creatures within Monster Hunter, Palicos are not one of them. 

So when I had the opportunity to design my Palico companion in Monster Hunter Wilds, I didn't think twice about modeling him off of my late cat, Fleury. He was a black domestic shorthair cat with an unusually long body and a disproportionately small head with celadon eyes. He could be a bit of a grouch, he didn't like men (he would growl at the plumber, etc.), and he hated Nirvana in all forms, even the MTV Unplugged album, and would deliberately let my bedroom door slam behind him when I would play their songs on my guitar. But he was also incredibly loving and his antics were always funny to observe. I had him for ten good years before he passed away five years ago, and I miss him more than anything. 

In Monster Hunter Wilds, I was able to get Fleury's look right with their Palico options. I found a model that had the same half-open gaze he would direct at me whenever I did anything questionable (which was all the time), and I adjusted the pitch of the Palico's voice to get it in the same range as Fleury's comically tiny meow. Of course, it wasn't an exact 1:1, but this is Monster Hunter Wilds, not Black Mirror. I was more going for a stylized representation of this iconic being, rather than a pure clone. 

What I wasn't prepared for was the emotional experience of seeing his name race around the screen as my hunter character went about his business within the game. Wherever I went, so did Palico Fleury, eagerly exploring our new surroundings. I got choked up at first when I realized that Monster Hunter Wilds was providing me with something that's been absent from my life for the past five years: new experiences with Fleury. I was seeing his name in a new context, and it felt immensely comforting even though I knew it was just a video game. 

Until I started getting deeper into Monster Hunter Wilds, I wasn't aware of how my grief was lingering due to my inability to adjust to going through life in these unprecedented times without my cat there to experience it alongside me. Sure, Fleury wasn't exactly keeping up with the changing geopolitical landscape (he preferred sitting on newspapers, rather than reading them). But it feels strange to know that the book has closed for Fleury and I, that we've already had every interaction that we would ever have. Unlike human beings, with our long lifespans that give us the opportunity to weave in and out of each other's lives, there's a finality to being a pet owner that I'm still trying to wrap my head around. 

But as my Palico, "Fleury" and I can go on new adventures. It's an unexpected, personal tether connecting me to the game, one that I'm not alone in. Monster Hunter fans on Reddit have shared their stories of basing their Palicos on their dearly departed pets. I told one of my buddies over text about how I made Fleury my Palico in the game, and he told me that he did the same for his cat who passed away the week before. He noted that it was comforting for him too to play with a representation of his late cat, saying that he thinks, "We're in this together, lil homie" whenever he sees her name onscreen. 

And ultimately, that's one of the best parts about being a pet owner. There's this little guy on your floor who you can look at and say, "We're in this together, lil homie," whether you're hunting monsters or just trying to make it through the day. Now, long after your pet has departed this realm, you can go through it all again in the world of Monster Hunter Wilds. Well, almost, but that's good enough for me. 

You don't need to beat the game to prepare for the next one—here are all the major new and upcoming games coming our way.