Thirsty Suitors has the best dog petting sequences in a game ever

Lots of The Thirsty SuitorsIs extra-special in all the right ways. A conversation with an ex isn’t just a conversation, but a full-blown cinematic and choreographed battle. In this game, even aunts can assume the size of a Kaiju. Outerloop Games has brought the same level of sophistication to dog petting. The new adventure game has what I think is one of the best dog petting sequences I’ve seen in a game, ever.

You can also find out more about the following: The Thirsty SuitorsPlay as Jala. She embarks on an adventure to find herself and make amends to her many ex-boyfriends. Jala has a very memorable encounter with a dog at a restaurant. Outerloop didn’t just create an animation showing Jala pet the dog, and call it a day. They went the whole hog. The dog is not the only thing she can do.

You can also pet it as Jala. Give it a handshake. You give it a skateboard. Dog does a flip. To top off the whole thing, scratch under its chin to get a lick from it. It’s a whole dang scene that you progress via a series of little quick time-esque events. It’s an incredible sequence I didn’t know I needed. Below is a recording.

The question of whether or not you can pet a dog while playing a video game is a meme that has been repeated over and over again. The human need to pet a canine predates all internet jokes, but it is clear that the meme above has become a recurring meme. Twitter account tracks whether or not a game allows you to pet a dog, and has grown in popularity over the years — so much so, that some developers have even admitted to adding dog scenes because of it.

It must be very frustrating to work as a game developer. It’s frustrating to make a game, and then have people only focus on that dog. The scene I love is that petting the puppy relates back to the bigger intention of the game developers. In an interview with Polygon, the developers talked about how they wanted Jala’s story to be about joy. And while there are a lot of ways to lean into the joys of life, one small way can be stopping to pet a pup — and watch it do a kickflip.

If you’d like to pet this dog, Thirsty Suitors is available now on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.