After taming animals to fight alongside you, you can command them to either attack an enemy outpost ahead of you - thereby flushing enemies out - or to join you for side-by-side kills through the wilderness. Different animals give you different abilities or bonus attacks, like a better awareness of enemy positions and easier stealth kills. Many players have sent bears forth to stomp and maul entire enemy camps so you're able to (tactically) stay at a distance, picking them off one at a time, before strolling in during the aftermath to mop up stragglers and free any imprisoned tribespeople. In earlier games it could always be a pleasant surprise to have a bear or leopard join you in an assault, but this was often random and you could see the business end of a set of claws at a moment's notice. Now you've got the choice to have a fierce companion, easily making for some amazing battles - just don't forget to pet your chosen beast after a successful raid to keep the bond strong!
Bryan Langley’s first console was the Super Nintendo and he hasn’t stopped using his opposable thumbs since. He is based in Bristol, UK and is still searchin' for them glory days he never had.
