Your horse can't die in Ghost of Tsushima, and we're eternally grateful

The world of Ghost of Tsushima is steeped in blood, but at the very least, your horse will never, ever die. 

Sucker Punch revealed your horse's immortality in an interview with US Gamer. "Your horse is not gonna die," says creative director Jason Connell. "Your horse will get scared and run away. You may not be able to bring them back for a brief, brief moment, but nobody's gonna in combat, in gameplay, kill your horse." 

We're not sure we could handle a Neverending Story goodbye right now, so we couldn't be happier to learn that our horse will never truly leave us. And the animal safety doesn't end there. Connell also confirmed that the many animal friends that help Jin - like the birds and foxes that lead him to shrines and other secrets - are also totally off the menu. Jin can use gathered resources to customize and upgrade his gear, but you won't need any feathers, fox pelts, or the like.

"It kind of goes in theme with a lot of the other stuff we're doing with nature," Connell adds. "Our actor has a nice, sweet sensibility to him. He cares about animals and people, and it comes through in his performance." 

The good news is that we can still interact with animals, and I'm not just talking about riding your horse. In case you missed it, Sucker Punch revealed Ghost of Tsushima's unique selling point in a gameplay demo last week: you can pet the fox. 

It's only natural that Ghost of Tsushima is committed to protecting animals. After all, it has its roots in a manga about a rabbit samurai.