Cat loving gamers across the world were eagerly awaiting the arrival of something completely different to the current crop of videogames when a little known French studio, BlueTwelve Studio, announced their latest project; third-person cat adventure game, Stray. Published in 2022 by Annapurna Interactive for Playstation and PC, Stray received an overwhelmingly positive response. The fluffy feline hero of Stray stole gamer's hearts and the game cleaned up during awards season, winning The Game Award for Best Independent Game and The Game Award for Best Debut Indie Game, and it's not hard to see why.
Stray sets itself apart from every other game that has ever existed with it's very premise: a third-person cat adventure game that let's you see the world through the eyes of a cat. And it certainly delivers. I've grown up with cats so I know a little something about cat behaviour and it's very apparent that BlueTwelve Studio do too. They have absolutely nailed a cat's inquisitive, curious, playful, sometimes mischevious nature and everything in the game is designed to indulge this most natural cat behaviour. From strategically placed paint pots that can be pushed off and sent hurtling to the ground below with a sneaky paw to a wide variety of surfaces to exercise said paw's razor-sharp claws on, there is so much to explore and so many ways to just be, well, a cat in Stray.
Not only have BlueTwelve Studio hit the nail on the head with cat behaviour, they've mapped a cat's movements perfectly. One of the first things I noticed as I explored the world our ginger protagonist lives in with his fellow felines was the fluidity and the ease of movement as a cat. Jumping from floor to pipe to air conditioning unit to roof and back again, you have much more freedom of movement and a completely different perspective in some cases moving around the game as a kitty. There were a few ocassions the cat's movements seemed...bizarre. His fastest speed, for example, sometimes led to some frankly hilarious scenes where it all just looked so fake. Luckily, this was very few and far between and didn't come up enough to ruin the gameplay experience.
Graphically, Stray is just breathtaking. I've honestly never played a game where I've spent so much time marvelling at the worlds. BlueTwelve Studio are keen to show off, to, with frequent cutscenes panning out to give the best view of each world you find yourself in, however long or brief your stay there might prove to be. Speaking of worlds, each world is very well fleshed out with plenty of life to it (quite ironic really, considering these are worlds inhabited by robots) and a huge amount of attention to detail. It's clear that the developers spent a lot of time developing these worlds and their efforts really paid off. Stray is definitely one of the best games I've ever played when we talk about graphics and design.
That being said, Stray really fails to deliver in a few key areas. The story, for starters, which promises an original, sci-fi premise and scope for a really deep dive into the story and the world. What you actually get, though, is a game that just barely scatches at the surface of this story and leaves you wanting more. It also throws up a lot of questions that go unanswered. Then there's the cutscenes. At times, the game begins to feel more like an interactive movie with so many cutscenes moving you from one part of the story to the next. And if you're speedrunning the game for the I Am Speed achievement? These cutscenes are insanely frustrating, being unskippable as they are. Further, the amount of time your fluffy feline spends in The Slums of Stray's world is completely disproportionate to the time you spend in other sections of the world. It feels a little like the developers couldn't decide whether to set the game solely in The Slums or not and in trying to find a compromise, failed.
I won't go into detail on the ending because I don't want to spoil the game for future players, but suffice it to say that it was something of an anticlimactic end to a story that had ramped up the tension, action and emotion to that point. It did not end where I thought it should, upon a very poignant moment, and left the player with more questions than answers. I can only hope that means a sequel to Stray is coming because for all the criticisms I may have of this game, it still delivers in more ways than it fails. It is original, fresh, fun, playful, emotive, and visually breathtaking.
Stray is a game unlike anything we've seen before and I can forgive everything that just isn't there with it for the fact we get to play as a cat and for the beautiful worlds the developers have created. I honestly cannot sing it's praises enough in terms of graphics/design and cat behaviour. Give the people who worked on those areas a raise, please. As for a sequel, no word yet, but I have hope. There's definitely scope for a sequel and considering the overwhelmingly positive response the game received I feel BlueTwelve would be stupid not to capitalise on this with a follow-up. My hopes for a sequel are a more fleshed out story, maybe answering some of the many questions Stray throws up but fails to answer itself, and a 'skip' option for cutscenes. After repeat playthroughs to get all the achievements, including two speedruns, I wait with bated breath to see what BlueTwelve Studio do next. I may be done with Stray but I'm not over it at all; I love the concept and it was a much needed breath of fresh air in a somewhat stale industry where so many videogames these days are rinse and repeat.
Overall Rating: 3.5/5
Have you played Stray? Did you give your fluffy friend a name? I did, I called him Buddy.
Linktree
Cat loving gamers across the world were eagerly awaiting the arrival of something completely different to the current crop of videogames when a little known French studio, BlueTwelve Studio, announced their latest project; third-person cat adventure game, Stray. Published in 2022 by Annapurna Interactive for Playstation and PC, Stray received an overwhelmingly positive response. The fluffy feline hero of Stray stole gamer's hearts and the game cleaned up during awards season, winning The Game Award for Best Independent Game and The Game Award for Best Debut Indie Game, and it's not hard to see why.
Stray sets itself apart from every other game that has ever existed with it's very premise: a third-person cat adventure game that let's you see the world through the eyes of a cat. And it certainly delivers. I've grown up with cats so I know a little something about cat behaviour and it's very apparent that BlueTwelve Studio do too. They have absolutely nailed a cat's inquisitive, curious, playful, sometimes mischevious nature and everything in the game is designed to indulge this most natural cat behaviour. From strategically placed paint pots that can be pushed off and sent hurtling to the ground below with a sneaky paw to a wide variety of surfaces to exercise said paw's razor-sharp claws on, there is so much to explore and so many ways to just be, well, a cat in Stray.
Not only have BlueTwelve Studio hit the nail on the head with cat behaviour, they've mapped a cat's movements perfectly. One of the first things I noticed as I explored the world our ginger protagonist lives in with his fellow felines was the fluidity and the ease of movement as a cat. Jumping from floor to pipe to air conditioning unit to roof and back again, you have much more freedom of movement and a completely different perspective in some cases moving around the game as a kitty. There were a few ocassions the cat's movements seemed...bizarre. His fastest speed, for example, sometimes led to some frankly hilarious scenes where it all just looked so fake. Luckily, this was very few and far between and didn't come up enough to ruin the gameplay experience.
Graphically, Stray is just breathtaking. I've honestly never played a game where I've spent so much time marvelling at the worlds. BlueTwelve Studio are keen to show off, to, with frequent cutscenes panning out to give the best view of each world you find yourself in, however long or brief your stay there might prove to be. Speaking of worlds, each world is very well fleshed out with plenty of life to it (quite ironic really, considering these are worlds inhabited by robots) and a huge amount of attention to detail. It's clear that the developers spent a lot of time developing these worlds and their efforts really paid off. Stray is definitely one of the best games I've ever played when we talk about graphics and design.
That being said, Stray really fails to deliver in a few key areas. The story, for starters, which promises an original, sci-fi premise and scope for a really deep dive into the story and the world. What you actually get, though, is a game that just barely scatches at the surface of this story and leaves you wanting more. It also throws up a lot of questions that go unanswered. Then there's the cutscenes. At times, the game begins to feel more like an interactive movie with so many cutscenes moving you from one part of the story to the next. And if you're speedrunning the game for the I Am Speed achievement? These cutscenes are insanely frustrating, being unskippable as they are. Further, the amount of time your fluffy feline spends in The Slums of Stray's world is completely disproportionate to the time you spend in other sections of the world. It feels a little like the developers couldn't decide whether to set the game solely in The Slums or not and in trying to find a compromise, failed.
I won't go into detail on the ending because I don't want to spoil the game for future players, but suffice it to say that it was something of an anticlimactic end to a story that had ramped up the tension, action and emotion to that point. It did not end where I thought it should, upon a very poignant moment, and left the player with more questions than answers. I can only hope that means a sequel to Stray is coming because for all the criticisms I may have of this game, it still delivers in more ways than it fails. It is original, fresh, fun, playful, emotive, and visually breathtaking.
Stray is a game unlike anything we've seen before and I can forgive everything that just isn't there with it for the fact we get to play as a cat and for the beautiful worlds the developers have created. I honestly cannot sing it's praises enough in terms of graphics/design and cat behaviour. Give the people who worked on those areas a raise, please. As for a sequel, no word yet, but I have hope. There's definitely scope for a sequel and considering the overwhelmingly positive response the game received I feel BlueTwelve would be stupid not to capitalise on this with a follow-up. My hopes for a sequel are a more fleshed out story, maybe answering some of the many questions Stray throws up but fails to answer itself, and a 'skip' option for cutscenes. After repeat playthroughs to get all the achievements, including two speedruns, I wait with bated breath to see what BlueTwelve Studio do next. I may be done with Stray but I'm not over it at all; I love the concept and it was a much needed breath of fresh air in a somewhat stale industry where so many videogames these days are rinse and repeat.
Overall Rating: 3.5/5
Have you played Stray? Did you give your fluffy friend a name? I did, I called him Buddy.
Linktree
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