It’s not very often we get to experience a video game where we get to play as an adorable cat. They do exist, but they were never all that good. With Annapurna’s Stray on the other hand, they’ve unleashed the holy grail of all cat games and it’s a marvel to experience. Developed by indie company BlueTwelve Studio, they took it upon themselves to scratch that itch in every cat lover/gamer out there to make not only an adorable and authentic cat simulator experience, but also a genuinely authentic artistic expression in the video game medium.
Surprisingly enough this game very much has a story, and kind of a sad and tragic one at that. You play as that cutie-pie orange cat you see in the photo (secret’s out, I’m a huge cat person), when you embark on a normal day with your fellow stray cat family you sadly get separated and fall into this apocalyptic world that’s closed off from the nature-consumed outside. You’re now surrounded by a cyberpunk style town, filled with robots who try to behave like they’re human, everything is decrepit and worn out, everything is just existing. You then come across a companion that will be on this journey with you. A little sentient drone named B-12 (Get it? Like the vitamin found in animal food. Also, a shortened version of the developer’s name… Interesting). In this third-person adventure, the both of you go on a journey to help each other accomplish your goals, for you, the cat, it’s to get back to the surface, back with nature and perhaps find your cat family. For B-12, to free the city of darkness and open up the giant hatch doors that cover it, which will also destroy the little mutant creatures that inhabit the area, which they call “zurks.” Clearly, this is a big ask for a little cat and a little drone, are you up for the challenge?
Let me just get the cat stuff out of the way. Yes, the game knows it’s a cat game, and it knows what you want in a cat game. Which means there are a lot of “cat-isms” that cat owners will relate all too well to. Such as jumping up on shelves and knocking things over, scratching at carpet or furniture, creating amazing music when walking on a piano, making gibberish when walking on a computer keyboard, jumping in boxes, finding comfy places to nap in (there’s even a trophy where you just let the cat sleep somewhere for an hour), and of course getting your head stuck in a bag… Among many others. But it’s obvious, that’s not what would make a game good, okay maybe that’s not true… It’s not enough to make a game GREAT. So, with all those elements stated, they drenched it into a lore-heavy neon world the likes you may have seen in a Blade Runner film as well as making this a unique and inventive puzzle solving game.
The game is pretty linear, but at times allows you to explore and gives you options to do some side quests like fetching things for robots to collect badges. You’re also finding things to help spark B-12’s forgotten memories. Surprisingly there isn’t an actual jump button (yet there is a meow button), it can often feel like a “point and click” adventure, but to compensate they keep throwing enough curveballs to always keep things fresh. There will be a time where B-12 will have a special UV light that you can use that kills off attacking zurk creatures. There are also some fun stealth challenges thrown in for good measure. My only real issue is that some of the puzzle solving can feel a little obtuse and hard to solve with the information given. I always recommend exploring as much as you can of this gorgeously realized world, you’ll find a ton of surprises and the more robots you speak to the more beautiful and sadder you begin to realize this whole game really is, the writing done here is just exceptional.
Stray is 12 chapters long and does not wear out its welcome. To some, they may complain that the game is too short. It may only take you five or six hours to finish, but what was set out to be accomplished was very much done and by the end I felt emotional and all-around fulfilled. From the writing, the cinematography, gorgeous graphics, to the awesome score, everything done here was made with passion. The end result is that gamers now have the ultimate cat game that we will probably never forget, but also just a phenomenal video game in itself… That my own cat loved to watch.
9/10
For all the latest updates on the game, follow Annapurna Interactive and BlueTwelve Studio on Twitter.
Related: Nick Navarro Reviews
Gaming since I was given an original Nintendo as a kid. I love great storytelling and unique ingenuity. When both collide in a single game, I'm a happy gamer. Twitter/IG @NickNavarro87
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