"It should be noted that if the player fails to save their companion before leaving a room, or die before doing so, they will risk losing their companion for the rest of the game."
I unfortunately replaced hawk with kelly, and unluckily died when hawk incapacitated. So hawk will be dead permanently, i guess that ok because i think i still got kelly. Surprisingly i found that i couldn't got kelly back and will not have a companion for the rest of the game. Does it really sounds good? I guess many players will be annoyed by this setting. I hopefully think you could update the game so that kelly would be back or add a new companion for us because fighting alone is very difficult to play the game, especially when i am playing on SURVIVOR difficulty. I cordially hope u would consider updating the game so i WILL continue playing and lessen the complaints about the "companion died" but nothing can do with it.
Post it on the developer's wall, this Section deals with Suggestions with the site itself, not the games. Either way, I doubt Con will change his game and go through the programming just to cater to his minor suggestion. Man up and carry on.
I fought through the whole game without companions and using melee. It's possible.