FFXVI: Efforts for Torgal to receive more love and affection. Petting once is not enough 

Twitter account Can You Pet the Dog? has implored players to pet Torgal more often in Final Fantasy XVI. The game even has a trophy that can be earned by petting him a certain number of times. 

Torgal is the loyal companion to Clive, protagonist of Final Fantasy XVI, the latest game in the series. The two first met when Clive was a child, and they have been through thick and thin together. Torgal also serves an important role in battle, where he participates as a party member, working together with Clive to take down powerful enemies. To be precise, Torgal is actually a wolf and not a dog.  

You are also able to interact with Torgal while playing the game. This is not limited to simple petting either, as you can engage in a wide range of activities like feeding him treats. He is a companion that can truly serve as a pet. However, Twitter account Can You Pet the Dog?, a catalog of pettable animals in video games, appears to have some gripes regarding the number of times that Torgal has been pet by players.  

Those who have played FFXVI would have likely pet Torgal at least once, but there is a trophy that can be obtained by petting him multiple times. Specifically, petting him five times will net you the “You Can Pet the Dog” trophy. Setting aside the fact that Torgal is not actually a dog, it’s quite interesting that such a trophy exists for the game. Only 37% of players had the trophy as of  June 26 , which prompted the Can You Pet the Dog? account to proclaim, “We can do better.” 

Both Square Enix and the official FFXVI account have referenced the tweet, bringing attention to the push to get players to pet Torgal more. Possibly as a result of these tweets, the percentage of players who have earned the trophy had risen to 39.3% on June 27. Even though it seems like many players have pet Torgal, those who have pet him five times or more are still the minority. 

The Can You Pet the Dog? Twitter account originally started as a small-scale collection of pettable video game animals, but has since grown to become a prominent influencer with over 500,000 followers. There is also a TikTok account, which aims to spread the joy of in-game petting to even more people. One example featuring FFXVI is a clip taken from a live stream that was held prior to the game’s release. Composer Masayoshi Soken can be seen acting like he is petting Torgal and a chocobo that appear in the game footage displayed behind him. The clip grew popular for the cute interaction and undoubtedly for the cuteness of Soken himself. While it is debatable whether Torgal should be considered a dog, there is no doubt that Can You Pet the Dog?’s tweet has played a role in boosting his popularity.  

Written by. Marco Farinaccia based on the original Japanese article (original article’s publication date: 2023-06-27 16:45 JST)