It won’t be long before Red Dead Redemption 2 hits the shelves of video game stores and online retailers everywhere, bringing the rootin’ tootin’ cowboy shootin’ adventure to PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. This is easily one of the most highly-anticipated sequels of 2018, and Rockstar is bringing all their cards to the table and some aren’t the best of news. Unfortunately, some of these changes make the game more realistic, including a permanent death feature for our trusty horse companions.

Speaking to Games Radar, director of technology at Rockstar North, Phil Hooker, touched on the realistic touches to the – one of which will seem harsh to animal lovers out there. Permanent death of these four-legged friends is one of them. To the developers, including this feature into the gameplay added a “vulnerable aspect” as you make your way through the Wild West. Permadeath for horses was important to “cement the strength of the bond” during your travels. Hooker stated:

As you play the game, caring for and feeding your horse, calming it when it’s scared and encouraging it when it’s tired, naming it, looking after it – you can’t help but develop a bond with it. It’s your closest, trusted companion and you are nearly always together. To cement the strength of the bond we had to make it vulnerable so you respect and cared for it as you play, so it feels personal and real.

Rather than a convenient mode of transportation to throw away at a moment’s notice, the developers at Rockstar North wanted to give players some semblance of responsibility. Horses are vital to the gameplay in Red Dead Redemption 2, and bonding with them provides better control and behavior during combat. However, once that noble steed dies – players will have to find another stallion and start the bonding process from zero again.

What do you think about perma-death for our four-legged traveling companions? Do you think this is too harsh a sentence for the trusty sidekick or does it add an appropriate level of reality? After all, their balls even shift in size according to weather changes. Let us know what you think in the comments section below or start a conversation on DFTG Facebook page. To stay up to date on gaming news as it happens, follow us on Twitter! Here’s some of our latest and related articles:

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Red Dead Redemption 2 arrives October 26th, 2018 for Xbox One and PlayStation 4.