Mustelids will occasionally appear in games. Although these appearances are rare, below is an even more obscure list where they are both part of the primary gameplay, and look like mustelids. We at Genuine Mustelids are not affiliated with any of the game developers below.
Games by Species
Badgers
Shelter is developed by indie development team Might and Delight Games.
Mustelid species that appear: Non-specific badgers, but likely European badgers
In Shelter you experience the wild as a mother badger sheltering her cubs from harm. On their journey they get stalked by a bird of prey, encounter perils of the night, river rapids crossings, big forest fires and the looming threat of death by starvation.
Shelter also includes a separate mode called Nurture. It’s a tamagochi-like game that takes you back to the forest of Shelter every day and brings you even closer to your cubs.
Ferrets & Polecatss
Ferret Monogatari: Watashi no Okini Iri for Game Boy Color by Culture Brain.
Mustelid species that appear: Ferrets
This is a Japanese simulation style game in which you take care of a ferret. At the start you choose one of three different coloured ferrets. The colours are randomly chosen.
The ferret is kept in the cage much of the time. You have mind its water and food supply, and clean its litter box. You can take your ferret out for walks or to play with. You can also play mini-games. One is a race, one is putting together a picture and the other is dancing.
Ferret Scoundrels by Cryogenic Entertainment.
Mustelid species that appear: Ferrets/polecats
If you love ferrets and the open sea, you’ll most certainly enjoy this cute game. You’re the captain – make trades, fight and explore with your ferret crew.
Though the ferrets in this game could stand to have better proportioned and less canine-looking hind paws, it’s great to see modern game developers taking an interest in giving mustelids positive attention.
Iron Ferret by Necktiedog.
Mustelid species that appear: Ferret
Iron Ferret is a short Windows/MacOS indie game made for GBJAM7, a Game Boy-themed game jam. You play as an unnamed ferret who can pilot a tank, entering the tank for combat and exiting to collect items on foot. It’s a simple and breezy five-minute game with a sweet ending.
The Shiren the Wanderer series is by Chunsoft.
Mustelid species that appear: Ferret
Shiren the Wanderer is a Mystery Dungeon subseries. The silent protagonist Shiren has a little talking ferret companion named Koppa. Koppa doesn’t do much, but he does appear by his walking sprite in the town sections. He appears to be a stoat in ermine, but it is said in the series that he’s a ferret.
Widget Satchel by Noble Robot.
Mustelid species that appear: Ferret/polecat
In Widget Satchel, you are Sprocket, a pet ferret on a space station in the far future. Escape your playpen and make your way to the shuttlebay with the most stuff!
This is a promising platformer game on Steam. It is planned for release for the Nintendo Switch (Coming 2019), PC (Coming 2019), Xbox One (2020) and PlayStation 4. The gameplay looks both amusing and adorable, and is a nice mix of ferret traits with technology at your disposal.
Otters
The Lost Legends of Redwall series is by Soma Games.
Mustelid species that appear: Otter, non-specific
This is a series of six episodic video games for for Microsoft Windows, macOS, and Xbox One.
In Episode 2 Lost Legends of Redwall: Escape the Gloomer you guide a young, anthropomorphic male otter named Gillig. It is set during the events of the second published Redwall book Mossflower. Escape the Gloomer is a text-based adventure game where the player must guide Gillig through the catacombs of Kotir Castle to safety. The character is voiced by Joshua Cookingham.
As usual in the Redwall universe, otters are depicted well, and this game is no exception. As for how other mustelids that aren’t otters or badgers appear in this series… only time will tell if they receive the same attention to detail.
Weasels
Rocket Weasel by Freeze Tag, Inc.
Mustelid species that appear: Weasel, non-specific
The forest animals send their kids to “Weasel’s School for Hunting Chickens” to learn from Mr. Weasel, an expert chicken hunter. On a midnight field trip, Mr. Weasel and his students sneak into the hen house, but everything goes horribly wrong! The farmer is waiting for them with crafty cages and treacherous traps. Help Mr. Weasel save his students and chomp the chickens!
The gameplay in a way is similar to Angry Birds, but has it’s own unique features as well. Back in 2012, this game could be found on Apple and Android app stores. Today it seems to be only available through Amazon.
Sam Stoat Safebreaker by Gremlin Graphics Software Ltd.
Mustelid species that appear: Stoat
This character strangely looks more stoat-like in the actual game than on the cover…
Sam Stoat Safebreaker is an arcade action game developed in the UK for the ZX-Spectrum 48K. Released in 1985, in this game you play as a stoat who blows up safes to steal diamonds. The goal of this game is to pump the safe, use the match with the pump, run off screen before it explodes, return to collect the diamond; then proceed to the next house. This isn’t an amazing game by any means, and tends to require near perfect precision to complete, but it does surprisingly feature a stoat.
Yōdanji by Kemco.
Mustelid species that appear: Weasel, non-specific (Japanese: Kamaitachi (鎌鼬))
Yōdanji is a very simplistic coffee-break, roguelike game for PC/Switch themed around yōkai—creatures of Japanese myth. One of your starting options is a kamaitachi, or sickle weasel.
Contains Multiple Mustelids
Armello is developed by an Australian independent game studio.
Mustelid species that appear: European badger, and non-specific otter
Set in a fantasy world filled with anthropomorphic animals, up to four players assume the role of a hero chosen among their clan to take part in a campaign to become the next king or queen. The game features turn-based board-game mechanics that revolve around the use of dice and cards that are drawn from a deck, with each player’s actions influencing the outcome. – Wikipedia source.
In this game you can play as a European badger named Horace (The Iron Poet), or some type of otter named Sylas (Fisher of Souls). They are both members of the Bandit Clan. This game also has many cards featuring different mustelids in the artwork.
Blackfoot is a free PC platform RPG by Dan Fornace.
Mustelid species that appear: Stoats, and non-specific martens and minks
In this game you play as a weasel character while trying to collect 10 eggs hidden throughout the stage, and killing your prey at the end of the level. It’s unclear why they call what’s likely a stoat, and a stoat in its ermine coat a marten and a mink, but a great game nonetheless.
Super Animal Royale by Pixile Studios.
Mustelid species that appear: Ferret, sea otter, pine marten (not sure if American or European), and a non-specific otter.
Super Animal Royale is a battle royale style game for Windows and MacOS. In a vibrant, whimsical 2D environment one takes the role of an animal, and as one of 64 players in a gradually shrinking map peppered with weapons, armor, restoratives and hamster exercise balls, you must fight to be the final survivor. Players are rewarded with apparel items, along with experience points and animal DNA to unlock new breeds of animals.
Tooth and Tail is developed and published by indie development team Pocketwatch Games.
Mustelid species that appear: European badgers and ferrets/polecats
Available for Windows, MacOS, Linux and PlayStation 4, Tooth and Tail is a real-time strategy video game set in a society of anthropomorphic animals during a time of severe food shortages, resulting in the uprising of political parties with differing ideologies regarding the acquisition of food.
In this game you can play ferrets (which are members of the Freight Union), and badgers known as Inmates #43B.
