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An immersive action-adventure game set in a mysterious, dystopian world devoid of humans. Here you will have the chance to do what a cat does best: meow, explore, scratch and annoy other characters.
You play as a nameless orange cat that gets separated from his family and trapped in a strange, underground city full of humanoid robots. You will explore this world, meet some allies and try to both escape the sealed settlement and help your new friends with their ultimate mission.
Since this is about a main character and protagonist, I’m referring to our furry friend as a he, not an it.
Gameplay is fun and its short length prevents it from becoming boring or tedious. Still, I would have loved to play more in this wondrous world along with this smart feline. I clocked 9.8 hours at a leisurely pace, exploring the detailed environments and enjoying the experience. I managed to collect every object on my first run, and only missed a couple of memories. The puzzles are simple but effective, completely logical in its solving requirements, and make sense within the story needs. There is an adequate mix of platforming, puzzle-solving, NPC-interacting, exploring, sneaking and fighting to keep everyone entertained.
This game nails the experience of being a cat. You can meow, purr, climb, fit through tight places, scratch various surfaces, push things off tables and shelves, walk on keyboards to produce satisfying gibberish, mess around with board games, sleep on surprising spots—even on top of people—and destroy stuff; and, most importantly, steal a smile from NPCs when you nuzzle up against them.
The cat’s movements and animations are not perfect, yet still superbly done. He can realistically run, dash and trot; lick its paws, stretch, orient its ears and stare at stuff just like a real cat would. The animations are quite natural and a joy to look at.
Environments are detailed, varied and gorgeous. Each chapter has its very own ambience, distinguishable from the rest. The contrast between the organic and the machine is strong and meaningful, and the textures, colors, the lighting, even the platforming and exploration styles are defined per area. Most of them are relatively small and manageable, but still require attention if you are to discover all of Stray’s secrets. Collectibles abound, and while they are by no means numerous, they are missable and backtracking won’t be an option in several cases, unless you are willing to replay a chapter from the beginning.
The story is good, bittersweet and sad; not very predictable. It is simple but it works, and leaves a lot for the player to reflect. Echoes of the global pandemic, ecological disaster and human hubris can be seen and heard everywhere, while still maintaining a fresh look on a post-apocalyptic Earth. There are lots of details, and the story is not directly handed to the player—you will have to make your own conclusions about the past, the present and the future. To me, this is not a bad thing. Rather, it is a sign of a sophisticated storyteller knowledgeable of current trends. Dramatically, the story delivers.
The graphic settings are somewhat basic, and several advanced options are entirely missing. Some people will miss stuff like ray tracing, vignette, depth of field and such. Personally, I play in a big monitor and would have loved the option to tweak the field of view—sometimes it feels too narrow, and motion-sickness might ensue. Nevertheless, the game looks beautiful.
The music and sounds are great—some of them quite alien, as would be expected from a futuristic robot culture. It succeeds in setting the mood and tone for each situation and area, from the depressing and tranquil to the scary and suspenseful.
Since the protagonist is completely background-less and anonymous, Stray could have benefited from fur and eye color customization. That element alone would have done wonders for the player to bond and care more about their cat.
I paid full price with a 10% off for pre-order, and don’t regret it. It is in no way an outrageous amount for current standards, considering many games today are released costing three or four times that. Be not mistaken: experience-wise, the storytelling is carefully tailored here. Like a movie or a good short story, its quality is not defined by the overall length. It would be unfair to compare Stray to storyless, open-world games.
Overall, I found Stray to be a great experience, with interesting gameplay and characters, and a fresh alternative to other dystopian, post-apocalyptic games. Playing as a cat is satisfying and novel.
Mischievously recommended.