Feral

"It appears I'm not the only one that doesn't like these dogs.
 * —Alex finds a dead Feral by a police car"

Ferals are dog-like creatures in Silent Hill: Homecoming. These creatures are very similar to previous enemies, namely the Groaners, Double Heads, and Sniffer Dogs, all of which are also canine enemies.

Alex Shepherd first encounters one in the Rose Heights Cemetery, after hearing it barking and growling in the distance.

Appearance
They appear as skinless, heavily-muscled canines with fresh blood dripping from their bodies. As large dogs, they are indeed very powerful. The dogs' heads have no apparent eyes or ears.

Character


Ferals are extremely agile and swift and attack by nipping at Alex's neck or lunging at him. If they strike him with a lunge, they will pin him to the ground and bite at him violently until he shakes them off by pressing the button allocated on the screen. Otherwise, they are very mobile and occasionally difficult to hit, especially in groups. They are commonly seen feeding on dead corpses and carrion of various sorts. They growl before attacking, roar during, yelp when hit, and let out a high-pitched whine when killed. They are most efficiently dispatched using a swift weapon, but also via dodging periodically to avoid their nips.

Symbolism
Ferals are highly representative of Alex's father, Adam Shepherd's, hunting hobbies, where he was seen to be skinning his kills. In the Church of the Holy Way's confession booth, Adam also admits that he treated his dog with more respect than he did Alex, so they may represent Alex's anger over his mistreatment. As such, the Feral could symbolize parental neglect and Adam's intentions for his son.

Before the Feral's first appearance, Alex notes that the family dog Shuki is missing. Ferals may be related to Alex's worries about Shuki's disappearance.

They may also be a nod to Eddie Dombrowski, who shot a dog to death, as the achievement "Eddie's Legacy" is obtained after killing one when playing on an Xbox 360.

Trivia

 * A skinned dog seen in Paint It Black shares an uncanny resemblance to the Feral, despite having been created three years prior. It may have been the inspiration for the Feral's creation and design. The only differences between Ferals and these creatures are that they have ears and eyes, unlike the Feral.
 * Originally, monsters in Homecoming such as the Feral would be able to morph; however, the idea was dropped due to lack of resources.
 * Kenzie LaMar's original Feral model had a more zombie-like texture; however, the final version is more like a skinless dog.
 * Many different animations can be seen when killing the Feral in several different ways:
 * If the Feral is stunned and Alex is wielding the steel pipe/crowbar, he will stick the pipe in the Feral's head and kill it.
 * If Alex is wielding the knife/ceremonial dagger, and the Feral is stunned, Alex will cut its head off.
 * If Alex uses the axe, and the Feral is stunned, Alex will decapitate it.
 * If the player aims the laser pistol on the Feral and shoots it in its face, its head will shatter.
 * If the player shatters its head with the laser pistol, there is a chance it will still do its death animation- including the cry, even though it has no head.
 * If Alex fails to escape from the Feral's grasp, it will bite out his throat and kill him.
 * When Alex is about to leave the junk yard, a Feral is somehow present near the exit, hidden behind a pile of junk. When coming back from the junk yard, Alex will encounter two Ferals. If Alex doesn't defeat them and gets them to follow him into the parking lot entrance of the cemetery, they will stop chasing him and either run back, walk around aimlessly and be completely oblivious to him, or freeze in place and be harmless to him no matter how close he gets. This only occurs if they have followed Alex into the entrance.

Gallery
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