Feline Friday is my chance to celebrate famous cats across the arts, whether their origins are in gaming, film, anime, literature or anywhere else.

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Morard

First Appearance: Unicorn Overlord (2024)

In Vanillaware’s latest breakout/bankrupting hit Unicorn Overlord, there is an absolute glut of soldiers itching to join the Resistance Army. Ranging from angelic valkyries to wildly inappropriate witches, the endless possibilities for constructing each unit is downright mouthwatering.

Up in the snowy peaks of Bastorias, you will first encounter the bestrals; anthropomorphic warriors bearing resemblances to animals such as foxes and owls. Basically, they’re like furries on steroids, and considering their attire, they must be positively freezing.

Amongst them is the hirsute, axe-wielding behemoth, Morard. A member of the mercenary group that sounds more like a Canadian Christian rock outfit from the late 70s — the Frostblooms — he is a lion bestral, a race thought previously to have been wiped out, and one destined to take the Bastorian throne.

Our dude isn’t quite so megalomaniacal, however, focussed instead on protecting the locals by staving off the invading forces of Zenoira. Despite his hulking frame, Morard is just a big old softie, acting out storybooks for children and even allowing a colleague to stroke his mane for comfort.

That isn’t to say he’s a pushover, oh no sirree. As the mighty werelion, Morard is built to dish out a pounding while sponging up all kinds of damage himself thanks to his sky high supplies of HP. He can even traverse the map faster at night, like an in-game version of the 4 A.M. zoomies! Just keep in mind, he’s got mediocre defences and he’s not dodging a damned thing either, so you’ll want to pair him with a healer to keep him purring.

In actuality, his physique and techniques alike are a near-identical mirror to the berserker class, such as the lout Bruno who you’ll have recruited much earlier in the game. For some reason (and it could just be cat-related bias), I found Morard far more successful in battle. I put him in a battery with the soft-spoken cleric Primm, and she treated him with utmost care.

I swear, she would ignore a teammate teetering on death’s door, and instead replenish the 1 hit point Morard had lost. I don’t profess to understand the intricate design philosophy of Unicorn Overlord, so I’m just led to believe Primm likes kitties.

And if you also like kitties perhaps a bit too much, you can even propose to your muscular lion friend. His reaction, as you’d expect, is one of utter bewilderment.

The further you delve into Bastorias, the more you’ll unravel Morard’s tragic backstory and the reason for his hesitance to rule all bestrals. It takes an interesting turn before it’s all said and done, providing him with a unique character arc that I quite enjoyed. So yes, I was entirely pleased to add this Panthera powerhouse to the ranks, alongside his human sister and his owl mommy — a somewhat simplified version of the Frostbloom family dynamic.

About the only regret I had was that there wasn’t an opportunity to sign up one of the adorable cat bestrals of Bastoria, as well. They’re effectively just tiny little house cats with snappy attire, and you’d best believe I would have made every effort to shoehorn one of them into an ill-fitting role on the front line.

All going well, maybe in the next game (which I have preemptively dubbed Unicorn Overlord 2: Please Don’t Judge Me, But I Married the Hot Lion Manwich).