Far Cry 5 is going to bring players right in the middle of the United States, and what's more American than having a dog close by at one's side? In a recent set of tweets, Ubisoft put Far Cry 5's dog, Boomer, and the rest of the "Guns for Hire" on display, hoping to spark interest.

The Guns for Hire in Far Cry 5 are NPC allies that can help players through in a number of ways. Boomer is a dog and one of these Guns for Hire, though Ubisoft describes him as "Fangs for Hire" and "a cute dog that everyone loves," enabling him to sneak into enemy-controlled territory. Ubisoft is trying to make Boomer and the other Far Cry 5 Guns for Hire early fan favorites, and even encouraging cosplay.

This wouldn't be the first time a game developer has tried to promote a game by playing and gamers' affection for dogs. Call of Duty: Ghosts, one of the most notable flops in the Call of Duty franchise, made much ado about its tactical dog that would join players through the campaign. Fallout 4 showed off Dogmeat plenty in trailers in the lead-up to the game's launch. Metal Gear Solid 5 let players rescue and raise a wolf pup. Far Cry 5 looks like it may feature the Guns for Hire pretty heavily, so Boomer could play a big part in the game.

In the gameplay seen so far, Boomer and the Guns for Hire look like useful NPCs to have around. Unfortunately, gameplay footage and actual gameplay don't always line up. Fallout 4's dog and companions found all sorts of ways to be the opposite of a help. If the AI for Far Cry 5's Guns for Hire is anything like the AI for terrorists in Rainbow Six Siege, Boomer and friends may prove to be little more than promotional pieces for the game.

Of course, not everyone is going to care if the Guns for Hire are perfect. It can be nice enough to have a companion in a video game just for the sake of not feeling like it's one person against the world. And even bad AI characters in games can offer players interesting experiences. Good or bad, at least Ubisoft offered a practical dog for a battle in the mountains of Montana instead of, say, a Pomeranian.

Far Cry 5 will launch on February 27th, 2018 for PC, PS4, and Xbox One.

Source: Ubisoft