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It’s dark and foreboding. A group of 6 stand upon an elevator as they ascend up some kind of ruined tower dotted with eerie glowing crystals. Unfamiliar architecture lies crumbling and decaying as it surrounds them while they proceed upward. Whatever purpose this structure served, whatever splendor it held, has long since been lost to the ages. All that remains now are debris and buried secrets. What is this place? Who are these people that make the perilous trek toward the top?

As I’ve stated many times, I grew up in an era when games for kids were well made, not rushed out, and designed so that everyone could enjoy them and that, lately, it seems games geared towards a younger audience have really been lackluster as of late, basically relegated to shovelware. Paw Patrol World, when I first saw this game, I thought it was going to be the latter but, to my surprise, it turned out to be the former. Yeah, this is honestly one of the better games for kids, for that matter a licensed game, that I played in a while!

We’ve been missing out on the TV series Jane over on Apple TV+, but now thanks to Animation World Network we’ve found out Season 3 is coming soon — April 18th. “The mission-driven series for kids and families is inspired by the work of ethologist and conservationist Dr. Jane Goodall, founder of the Jane Goodall Institute and a United Nations Messenger of Peace. Ava Louise Murchison (Reacher) stars as Jane Garcia, a nine-year-old budding environmentalist on a quest to save endangered animals. Using her powerful imagination, Jane takes her best friends David, played by Mason Blomberg (Shameless), and Greybeard the chimpanzee on epic adventures to help protect wild animals all around the world.” Take a look at the trailer over on YouTube also.

image c. 2025 Apple TV+

Better late than never, the 2024 Cóyotl Awards are open for nominations!

Remember that you need to be a Furry Writers’ Guild member to nominate a work, but the author does not. Please also remember that works nominated must have been first published in 2024. Nominations will run through April 5, 2025.

Feel free to refer to the 2024 Cóyotl Awards reading list to help jog your memory about your favorite reads from last year. It’s a hard decision for sure, since so many amazing books, stories, and other works were published in 2024!

Please use this form to nominate a work published in 2024:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeCX_ImDPbzBmdieS5NuZnaaQ9TkBEdMKeuDVFDwQCaUmaY7g/viewform?usp=sf_link

Welcome to "Fresh Fur!" Our weekly installment going over the newest game releases, and which ones you can expect to find anthros/furries in!

Check the list below for all the games we could find with animal/anthro influences and characters.

Major New Releases for the Weeks of March 1-14, 2025:

• Carmen Sandiego (Mobile, PC, PS4, PS5, XSX/S, Switch, Xbox One) - March 3
• Age of Mythology: Retold (PS5) - March 4
• Two Point Museum (PC, PS5, XSX/S) - March 4
• Split Fiction (PC, PS5, XSX/S) - March 6
• Dragonkin: The Banished (PC) - March 6
• Chernobylite 2: Exclusion Zone (PC early access) - March 6
• FragPunk (PC, XSX/S, PS5) - March 6
• Suikoden I & II HD Remaster: Gate Rune and Dunan Unification Wars (PS4, PS5, PC, Switch, Xbox One, XSX/S) - March 6
• Wanderstop (PC, PS5) - March 11
• Rise of the Ronin (PC) - March 11
• FATE: Reawakened (PS4/5, PC, Switch, Xbox One, XSX/S) - March 12
• On Your Tail (Switch) - March 13
• Midnight Murder Club (PS5, PC) - March 13
• Dungeons of Hinterberg (PS4, PS5) - March 136
• WWE 2K25 (PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, XSX/S) - March 14

*Bolded games have furry/animal influences/characters

Furry & Animal Steam Game Finds:

These games were found in the New Releases section of Steam this week and will be updated as more come out throughout the week!

知名表演者黑鹿季雪將於4/5晚上六點至九點半，於Corner House角落文創展演空間進行【一鹿向光】黑鹿季雪 2025 LIVE活動，購票部分從3/7晚上六點開始，以KKTIX系統販售參加票券。

本次活動主視覺圖。圖／黑鹿季雪授權提供

根據了解，本次票券分為四種類，分別為普通票800元、贊助票1300元、特別贊助票3000元、以及超級VIP10000元。當中超級VIP名額數量僅限10位，不僅座位在搖滾區外，同時更有特別的神秘小禮物與紀念藍芽鹿音機等贈品。

本次活動的座位表示意圖。圖／黑鹿季雪授權提供

季雪在受訪時表示，活動的表演類型也十分多元，除了古箏的音樂表演外，也邀請到許多在台灣獸文化圈內活躍的表演者。本次特別嘉賓邀請到Vtuber柴虎、舞團WannnaBeast、以及在2024年亮相的樂團二足步行，希望讓大家來到現場表演就像回家一樣，能與熟悉的人們一起享受音樂。

本篇報導截稿前，已公開的演出嘉賓視覺圖。圖／黑鹿季雪授權提供

季雪也表示，本次活動會有場前與場後閒聊，但不會有演出的現場直播。本次活動名額有限，想要欣賞季雪與特別嘉賓們表演的粉絲們要加緊把握機會購票。

黑鹿季雪在宜蘭傳藝園區表演的畫面。攝影／雷古茶，黑鹿季雪授權提供

(以上報導圖片經由黑鹿季雪授權提供)

演唱會門票購買連結：https://kktix.com/events/20250405/registrations/new

黑鹿季雪粉絲頁連結：https://www.facebook.com/BlackDeer.Chord

Game dev has become so accessible over the past decade. With the advent of so many intuitive tools, code learning resources, and a community of passionate creators just like Zephyrix, who developed Ronny’s Climb and offered to let us give it a try, we as gamers are able to play so many games now as a result. Not every game promises to be as big as World of Warcraft or as high tech as Crysis 2 (throwback for the millennials!) but there’s nothing more pleasant and satisfying than a tightly crafted experience that oozes love and dedication to a vision, no matter how small. Ronny’s Climb is a perfect little example of this, as its platforming, writing, pixel graphics, and good, old fashioned 16-bit musical backing is a great experience all around.

Sometimes you just wanna be a panda dancing to the beat as you eagerly explore a lush island dotted with other friendly pandas, helping them solve little problems while you search for your Nana. That’s the experience of Dancing Pandas: Ranger’s Path as you take on the role of Mico, who has arrived at the island in search of his grandmother after a mysterious letter arrived for him. The game is a nice and cozy stroll (and soar) from start to finish, lasting about 4-5 hours if you’re trying to find most of the stuff on the island. If this style of casual exploration and chatting with quirky characters is your vibe, Dancing Pandas will aptly scratch that itch for a couple good gaming sessions at a nice price ($12.99 MSRP.)

The gameplay consists of walking around the panda-filled island, which is actually much bigger than expected at first glance, and completing tasks to gain “Courage Hearts” that will allow you to do more confident things, like attempting harder tasks or asking more personal questions to fellow pandas. As you explore, you’ll pick up collectibles and find more pandas to talk to, which will give you helpful tips, some intriguing dialogue backstory, or allow you to purchase new tools or costumes. These little moments added to the world feel, and were sometimes more deep than I expected on the surface. It felt like a nice, quirky, lived-in slice of life for these pandas, and I couldn’t have been more chill while enjoying the gameplay style the game employed. The stakes were never too high, and the ability to fast travel after uncovering a portion of the map (using gems I had collected to buy the section) was a welcome option. I did want to make a note that the game doesn’t seem to autosave enough, and you have to go in and manually save in the menu to ensure it does. When I completed the game, there was no way for me to go back and save or continue after finishing, which was unfortunate, because I wanted to finish off a few more achievements.

Other than the obviously cute, wiggly, and adorably designed panda folks that inhabit it, Dancing Pandas’ World is a colorful blast of foliage and flora, with the various areas of the island covering all types of scenery, including sandy beaches, autumnal mountainsides, green valleys, and tropical seascapes. Eventually, you befriend a lovely bird named Sofi, who will help you find any valuable collectibles you may have missed nearby. The game helps you as much as you want it to with completing quests and exploring the island, which is helpful, because some of the items to collect are pretty small and can be easy to miss if you don’t know you’re looking for them for a quest. I wish there was actually more to purchase with my gems other than map pieces and a few Ranger outfit pieces, but I’m not expecting a huge wardrobe from a game like this, admittedly. Also, your movement is based on the camera’s orientation, which was a problem a few times when my camera would whip around because it hit an overhanging structure that would cause it to reorientate. It never caused any huge trouble, but it was a minor annoyance. I also ran into a quest later in the game where I had to figure out where someone was based on context clues and a dialogue box, and the dialogue box didn’t seem to be based on where this person was in the world, once I finally found them. I spent about 30 minutes running around on a random cliff, heh. In the end, I could’ve found them quickly if I knew where to look, but I seemed to be being pulled in a different direction at first. Overall, the small issues I had were just that: small.

As you explore, you’ll be audibly whisked away by the soundtrack, which composer Tom Schipper did a beautiful job with. Luckily as well, the game doesn’t crowd the peaceful music with tons of unnecessary sound effects, and as such you’ll really get to be carried by its flowing, melodic pace as you complete your tasks. Sometimes this lack of sound effects can seem like something’s missing, like a practical beep or snap or the like when completing an action or task. Overall, the music made up for anything I felt was lacking in the sound department, and I appreciated the touches that were there.

Dancing Pandas: Ranger’s Path is what you want in a cozy game like this: a little, lively world to explore, a few tasks to complete at your own pace, and an achievable goal to pursue. All the while you get to talk with panda people and be one yourself! You don’t get to do that in every game, right? At a price of $12.99, it’s a perfectly pleasing piece of gaming goodness.

The Ace Attorney franchise doesn’t feature any anthropomorphic characters. Sure, it can get zany and feature strange stuff at times but for the most part it opts to be somewhat realistic with its cases. There aren’t any werewolves walking around or talking animals taking the spotlight. But there are characters who are animal tamers or otherwise work with animals that play pivotal roles in the cases they’re in. There are characters with names and attributes that clearly take inspiration from the animal kingdom. Animals themselves even show up as crucial evidence or get put on the witness stand. I intend to highlight those cases and characters here. Minor spoilers ahead for several games in the franchise, though I won’t delve too deeply into the cases themselves or discuss major plot points.  

Welcome to Kacey Pink, a trans lesbian writer of adult stories about transbodies and people overcoming adversity, trauma, and love finding a way. You can check out her novels here: pinkkacey.itch.io. Thanks to Kacey for her guest review of a novella based on characters drawn by artist Canisalbus and written by fan RoobrickMarine. 

✦ Sanctuary ✦

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— 𝕮𝖆𝖓𝖎𝖘𝕬𝖑𝖇𝖚𝖘 (@canisalbus.bsky.social) February 2, 2025 at 4:30 PM

Spoiler Free Separation Review

RoobrickMarine’s Separation is a story about reunion and yes, if you can believe it, separation. The novella is hosted on AO3, so it’s available for free if you’d like to give it a read yourself. The setting is 16th-century Rennaissance Italy. It is tagged History But Everyone Is Dogs, and star-crossed lovers for main characters Machete and Vasco.

Over a decade since he split from the only man he ever loved, Machete is now a cardinal in the political mire that is the Catholic Church. He has worked tirelessly to secure his own position and work towards his goals, having abandoned the idea of ever seeing his love again. Things are shaken up, however, when there is an attempt on his life. Now, plots will be uncovered, friendships will be tested, and something abandoned will suddenly be rekindled…

Here’s what character artist Canisalbus said about Separation:

What if I told you that RoobrickMarine went and wrote an entire novella starring my 16th century dog couple? It’s very canon-adjacent, well researched and thoughtfully put together, has inspired me a ton during these past months and it’s now publicly available at AO3. I highly recommend it.

It’s not a terribly grim story, but it doesn’t have a particularly happy ending. However, it does have a dessert at the end for you to enjoy if you want to see the boys thriving.

Overall, the story stands out for its strengths. The mystery and suspense is strong and getting to read a story about Vasco and Machete is really wonderful. I found myself rereading some of the lines in the story because they were just so fun. I particularly enjoyed the flashbacks and the retelling of the two’s history. The present time of the story is not safe or comfortable on purpose, so those escapes to simpler times are powerful.

Thanks to CanisAlbus

My only complaint really, which is more of an observation of the format than a real quibble, is that the story feels limited. I have written stories after pieces of art before and I can relate to one of the goals of this novella. Its goal is to create a story and a stronger context for the art amazing CanisAlbus has made of these two lovely dog boys. In that way, it does feel somewhat restrained. But yes, my big complaint is rooted in “I want more” and I’d love for that more to be wed with more art and context for their lives. An artistic endeavor that we may have to wait for in the form of a more direct work from CanisAlbus, since these babymen are theirs. No shame though, I’m just glad we get to enjoy them at all.

I like to give stories ratings based on where my expectations lay. I’m giving this story:

4 out of 1

I don’t mean to get down on fanfic or anything, it’s valid as a form of writing, I too have written fanfic. You go into the work expecting a certain level of “orbs” and this story didn’t really fall into that trap. Even with my previously stated issues, the format holding back the story, it was a great work. I think with some plot rework and scene adjustment this might even become a 5 out of 1.

I haven’t read anything else by RoobrickMarine, and am not sure how to find out more about them as a creative. It might be this is the pseudonym of an already accomplished author, you never know on the internet. However, this work has an opening note that it’s their first completed work, with a threat that they might rewrite it someday. I hope they do rewrite it and I hope they put it out there, because this is not the kind of work that should go unpublished. I would like to have a copy of this story on hard cover someday, with all kinds of glossy little jpegs within.

Please, I’m begging you.

Make it happen.

– Kacey Pink

For more by Kacey, visit her site, follow on Bluesky or check out her Patreon. 

✦ Ad Astra ✦

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— 𝕮𝖆𝖓𝖎𝖘𝕬𝖑𝖇𝖚𝖘 (@canisalbus.bsky.social) April 24, 2024 at 3:47 PM

Like the article? These take hard work. For more free furry news, follow on Twitter or support not-for-profit Dogpatch Press on Patreon.Want to get involved? Try these subreddits: r/furrydiscuss for news or r/waginheaven for the best of the community. Or send guest writing here. (Content Policy.)

Welcome to "Fresh Fur!" Our weekly installment going over the newest game releases, and which ones you can expect to find anthros/furries in!

Check the list below for all the games we could find with animal/anthro influences and characters.

Major New Releases for the Weeks of February 22-28, 2025:

• Longvinter (PC) - February 24
• Sayonara Wild Hearts (PS5) - February 24
• Spectre Divide (PS5, XSX/S) - February 25
• PGA Tour 2K25 (PS5, PC, XSX/S) - February 28
• Glover (PC, Switch, PS4/5, Xbox One, XSX/S) - February 27
• Monster Hunter Wilds (PC, PS5, XSX/S) - February 28

*Bolded games have furry/animal influences/characters

Furry & Animal Steam Game Finds:

These games were found in the New Releases section of Steam this week and will be updated as more come out throughout the week!

Ever have a game come along that instantly you know you’re going to enjoy thoroughly, to the point of calling it one of your favorite games of the year, if not of all time? Well, that’s what happened to me with Tails Of Iron II: Whiskers Of Winter, a game I originally wasn’t too interested in but now I can’t stop playing. Seriously, I never found myself wanting to keep playing a game, even after the credits rolled, as much as I did with this one.

For fans of Nimona, here comes The Fox Maidens, a new fantasy graphic novel (based on Korean myths and legends) by Robin Ha. “Kai Song dreams of being a warrior. She wants to follow in the footsteps of her beloved father, the commander of the Royal Legion. But while her father believes in Kai and trains her in martial arts, their society isn’t ready for a girl warrior. Still, Kai is determined. But she is plagued by rumors that she is the granddaughter of Gumiho, the infamous nine-tailed fox demon who was killed by her father years before…” Take a look for yourself over at Harper Collins.

image c. 2025 Balzer & Bray

Welcome to March! That’s all I have to say about that.

The Cóyotl Awards reading list is underway, with a form now attached so authors and readers can suggest qualifying works. Because of the difficulties we’ve had getting the page put together (many thanks to Resolute for his hard work!), nominations for the Cóyotls won’t start until March 15. I’ll post when the nomination form is open. Until then, visit the 2024 Cóyotl Awards Reading List page to find works you might have missed reading last year.

If you’re feeling frustrated at the delays we’ve had getting the Cóyotl Awards underway, perhaps you would like to volunteer to be next year’s Cóyotl Awards Chair! Guild officer elections start next month and we really need some fresh meat helpful volunteers.

Here are the current open markets for your short stories:
Plott Hound Magazine – Deadline March 15, 2025
Spirit of the Wolf – Deadline March 31st 2025
The Second Hayven Celestia Anthology – Deadline July 15, 2025
Indecent Exposure – Deadline When Full
This Is Halloween – Deadline When Full
Children Of The Night – Deadline When Full
Furry/Lovecraftian/Erotic/University Themed Anthology – Deadline When Full

Please also check out the latest book releases from our members:

Legend of Ahya: Broken Empires, by Matthew Colvath. Released October 2nd 2024.
Space Dragons: Luxorian’s Crew, by Veo Corva. Released November 12th 2024.
Catfish and Other Stories, by K.C. Shaw. Released November 30th 2024.
Wolf Tech 3: The Alphas, by Adam Webster. Released December 10th 2024.

Happy writing!

Kate Shaw

Happy Pokémon Day! For those unaware, Feb 27th is the date that Pokémon Red & Green launched in Japan almost 30 years ago. Every year around this time, Pokémon Company does their annual Pokémon Presents presentation where the latest news and updates about all your Pokémon favorites are shared! Check out the 19 minute presentation and our coverage of it below!

It's Steam Next Fest time, which means GF is here to bring you an exhaustive list of animal & furry games from the February 2025 version! We have compiled as many games as we could find with animals and/or anthropomorphic characters featured in them! Be sure to let us know of any others you find!

We have an actively updated Furry & Animal Games List over at @GamingFurever that you can follow and get constant updates for lots of indie titles with TONS of lovely furry characters! If you're a developer of any of these games, feel free to hit us up on email over on our Contact Us page! We'd love to talk to you about your development!

Here's your February 2025 Steam Next Fest list:

Welcome to "Fresh Fur!" Our weekly installment going over the newest game releases, and which ones you can expect to find anthros/furries in!

Check the list below for all the games we could find with animal/anthro influences and characters.

Major New Releases for the Weeks of February 8-21, 2025:

• Sid Meier's Civilization VII (PC, PS, Xbox, Switch) - February 11
• Warriors: Abyss (PS5, PS4, PC, Switch, Xbox One, XSX/S) - February 12
• Dawnfolk (PC) - February 13
• The Legend of Heroes: Trails through Daybreak 2 (PS5, PS4, PC, Switch) - February 14
• Tomb Raider IV-V-VI Remastered (PC, PS4/5, Switch, Xbox One, XSX/S) - February 14
• Lost Records: Bloom and Rage (Tape 1) - (PC, PS5, XSX/S - February 18
• Avowed (PC, XSX/S) - February 18
• Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii (PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, XSX/S ) - February 21
• Die in the Dungeon (PC) - February 21

*Bolded games have furry/animal influences/characters

Furry & Animal Steam Game Finds:

These games were found in the New Releases section of Steam this week and will be updated as more come out throughout the week!

Quite a while ago we learned about the Wereworld series of young adult dark fantasy novels by Curtis Jobling. Well, now Netflix has just dropped a trailer for Wolf King, the brand new animated series based on those very same books. “In a land once subjugated by werelords, sixteen-year-old Drew Ferran realizes he is the last member in a long ancestral line of werewolves. Drew must confront and overthrow the tyrannical rule of the Lionlords and take back the throne as the statutory wolf king.” The series is set to premier on March 20th.

image c. 2025 Netflix

Outside of first person shooters, another genre of games I enjoy playing are the Fighting games. Games like Street Fighter VI, Mortal Kombat 11, Smash Bros. Ultimate, and the 2013 incarnation of Killer Instinct are some of my favorites to play (Not online as I am nowhere near THAT skill level yet to even attempt anyone online) now and then and I do get interested whenever a new fighting game is announced. However, sometimes, one can slip under my radar and go unnoticed by me for who knows how long and today’s game is one such game: Mostrocopy. I had no idea this was even in development until a friend told me about it and I gotta say? This is a fun fighting game though it has some minor issues that do affect my enjoyment.

I had the opportunity to spend some time with a preview build of “Shuffle Tactics”, a new roguelite deckbuilding tactical RPG developed by Club Sandwich and published by The Arcade Crew, that features a sharply pixelated cast of anthropomorphic heroes and sidekicks. Starring in the demo is the anthro canine Doberknight, as well as Catalina, along with a few animal-based sidekicks to choose from in your runs. Other than the creative characters, Shuffle Tactics focuses on blending light environmental tactics with inventive deckbuilding options.