Developer Ubisoft Montreal was pleasantly surprised by the positive fan reaction to Far Cry 4‘s elephants, which players can not only ride, but also use as a weapon. Level design director Mark Thompson says controllable elephants are the latest example of how Ubisoft is pushing gameplay forward with Far Cry 4.

“We knew we had something cool with the elephant, but it’s caught us by surprise just how excited people are by the prospect of the elephant,” Thompson told GameSpot at E3.

“The fact that it’s part vehicle, part weapon … and it’s just generating so many more player stories than we thought, he added. “It’s great to see just how excited people get when they get hands on with that elephant.”

To ride elephants in Far Cry 4, you need to unlock a special skill. But once you do that, you’re given full control of the pachyderm, and are able to sprint and perform a mighty melee attack with the animal’s trunk. During a demo at E3, GameSpot editor Daniel Hindes used this melee attack to secure an outpost, and you can read more of his impressions right here.

Far Cry 4 launches November 18 for Xbox 360, Xbox One, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, and PC. Earlier this week, Ubisoft introduced players to the game’s protagonist, Ajay Ghale.