Lost, alone and separated from family, a stray cat must untangle an ancient mystery to escape a long-forgotten cybercity and find their way home. Stray is a third-person cat adventure game set amidst the detailed, neon-lit alleys of a decaying cybercity and the murky environments of its seedy underbelly. Roam surroundings high and low, defend against unforeseen threats and solve the mysteries of this unwelcoming place inhabited by curious droids and dangerous creatures.
See the world through the eyes of a cat and interact with the environment in playful ways. Be stealthy, nimble, silly, and sometimes as annoying as possible with the strange inhabitants of this mysterious world. Along the way, the cat befriends a small flying drone, known only as B-12. With the help of this newfound companion, the duo must find a way out.
This game is basically Cyberpunk 2069 (or whatever), but without the bugs[1], without the delays, without the micro-transactions, so it’s basically a great game.
Stray puts the player in the skin of a cat that explores the world around and gets to make some new and unexpected friends. You’ll get to meet great characters, help them and earn cool stuff in the mean time. All this while being a cat! Jump on ledges and pipes, knock shit off counters, scratch things and meow at stuff.
I know it doesn’t sound like much, but without the evolutionary miracle of opposable thumbs, you need to use your small size and big brain to your advantage. The game brings about 8-9 sometimes relaxed sometimes tense hours of gameplay and is actually funny, fun and worth playing.
Got to knock things off counters? Check.
Got to make some wonderful robot friends? Check.
Got to experience some wholesome moments? Check.
The blend of excellent gameplay, intriguing but fairly easy puzzles, good music and great pacing, with jokes landing pretty well, along with great level design and beautiful graphics made this one of the best new games I’ve played recently and it’s definitely a favourite. Five joysticks and it goes into the Gaming Vault. Get if on Steam, PS or Xbox from their site.
[1] - Okay, I managed to encounter a bug where I’ve been sleeping so hard on a rug that I scratched so hard that I managed to fall through the level into the void. kek.
PS: Stray was influenced aesthetically by Kowloon Walled City, which the developers considered the “perfect playground for a cat”.
Spoilers!
