I load up Stray, and I’m immediately greeted by our small, ginger Outsider. To progress, I need to work together with my fellow feline associates, giving them a groom or play combating with them, earlier than all of us curl up collectively for a catnap. It turns into obvious, in a short time, that these felines are my household.
Stray fades to black after this quick, however highly effective, opening scene. Positive sufficient, there are tears in my eyes already. You might be pondering that I ought to get a grip, however I’m a cat individual by way of and thru. I haven’t had cats for a couple of years, however Stray has a humorous method of reminding you of each cat you’ll have ever encountered, previous and current, and simply how impactful these creatures are on our lives.
However this journey isn’t about me, or any of the cats that I’ve been fortunate to take care of. Stray is all concerning the Outsider (our furball), Momo and the Companions, Seamus and his father, and maybe – most significantly – B-12. Stray is a touching story of loss, loneliness, environmental destruction, and what it means to be human. However Stray can also be a narrative of hope and significant connections, and simply how necessary these are to our survival. Whether or not you’re a cat or not.
As soon as our furry pal components methods with their household after an unlucky fall down into Useless Metropolis, the true journey begins – and what an attractive journey it’s that we find yourself embarking on. As the primary hour or two unfolds, you’re actually whiskered away into the lifetime of roaming round, four-legged, and the immersion at play is phenomenal. Particularly provided that it’s the function of a cat that you simply’re entering into, and never – one more – human being.
Whereas making progress by way of The Flat and The Slums, you’ll meet an array of vibrant characters that take the type of robots, and also you’ll start to unravel their particular person tales and work out how they match into the broader narrative. What occurred right here? Why is town like this? As you begin to paw the narrative threads aside, nonetheless, you’re consistently reminded that your protagonist is a cat: knocking over pots of paint, scratching doorways or carpets, and nuzzling as much as Grandma are just some of the cat actions that our Outsider can have interaction in. These might be executed standalone, though there are various situations through which they’ll be wanted on the peak of the motion, too.
There’s a fixed reliance on the Outsider’s agility and dexterity, which is required to progress, and it’s refreshing to see how deeply embedded the skills of a cat are into the sport’s mechanics, in addition to the environmental design.
Producer Swann Martin-Raget described the world as being the ‘purr-fect playground’ for a cat in our preview. Now, just some weeks later, I can see precisely what they imply by this sentiment. From The Slums, to Midtown, and all the best way to the Jail, Stray’s setting isn’t solely visually gorgeous, however it’s scattered with platforms and gadgets for our Outsider to reap the benefits of. Curtains, bins, towers of books. You identify it, our cat can most likely climb atop it. Or knock it over.
Not solely do you navigate every chapter by naturally dashing by way of tiny gaps, leaping elegantly from platform to platform, or leaping throughout rooftops – as cats usually do – however the duty is commonly put to you by others that you simply encounter throughout The Slums, Midtown, and past. These (largely…) pretty robots that inhabit The Slums, Ant Village, and Midtown will assist you in your mission to return dwelling – however you could assist them, too. This implies navigating sewers and all different kinds of small and finicky areas that your normal robotic wouldn’t have the ability to get by way of, and each motion feels so precious and so worthwhile. It virtually feels as if your influence on these characters is extra necessary than the true job at hand – making it again dwelling – because the automata grow to be so grateful for all that you simply, a glossy ginger kitty, can do for them.
The friendships that unfold on account of your efforts are extremely emotive and can fire up one thing in your soul. With out making a gift of an excessive amount of of the story, you’re not the one one who longs to be again at dwelling with their household and out of The Slums. It seems that everybody right here is lonely, at a loss, and eager for some form of objective – a objective that lies with the surface world. An out of doors world which everybody has been locked off from, one through which most of our associates didn’t suppose existed or was secure any extra.
So, when our Outsider lands on this unfamiliar world, its inhabitants see him as an indication of hope. For a lot of, that’s what our pets are; they’re a lot greater than four-legged associates and familiars. Animals are household, and for a lot of, they’re symbolic of dwelling and security, too. In Stray, our four-legged Outsider symbolises simply that, so there’s no turning again now – not only for them, however for everybody else we meet alongside the best way too.
I discussed the setting being preferrred for a cat, however what I didn’t point out was how detailed all of it was. Every chapter of Stray has its personal designated zone, and none of them are any much less lovely or inviting than the final. The neon-drenched panorama is suffering from platforms, art work, indicators, and even pleasant robots. Not solely is each alleyway or deserted dwelling designed for our cat to waltz round in, however they inform their very own tales, too.
If you finally tire of meowing at safety cameras which nod again at you, or have had sufficient of curling up with Morusque as he performs the sheet music you’ve discovered for him, you’ll finally discover Momo residing in The Rooftops. Momo and his crew of Outsiders welcome our cute, agile Outsider with open arms as soon as they realise what the adventurous kitty is able to. Beforehand dedicated to discovering a method exterior, earlier than they finally gave up, the Outsider supplies Momo with a glimmer of hope to maintain on going. Right here comes our first instance of environmental storytelling at its most interesting.
You’ll be tasked with discovering some books for Momo eventually, and you could go to a couple of deserted flats to take action. Whereas prowling every flat, and nearly each different space within the recreation, you may piece collectively particulars to work out what occurred and who lived there; you don’t want to do that, however as you try to search out gadgets and make it to the following chapter, you’ll end up usually entranced by the setting, and doing so anyway. Let’s not overlook to say the truth that many of those flats are suffering from mugs to knock over, keyboards to run throughout, and cow photos on your viewing pleasure.
Exploration is additional enhanced by B-12. B-12 is just a little droid we discover early on in Stray, and he turns into our companion all through. The bot tracks your aims, shops gadgets, interprets for you, and rather more. By the top of the sport, there’s little question that he’s your greatest and closest companion. Throughout the primary present, B-12 additionally has us discover recollections. Who’s recollections? I can’t say, however most of those are hidden away in areas you’ll solely discover by going off the overwhelmed path and exploring, thus encouraging you to spend extra time actually analysing the setting and simply how detailed it’s from a cat’s-eye view.
Mechanics like this are extremely necessary to telling the entire story of Stray, but additionally so necessary for encouraging gamers to look just a little more durable. To essentially admire the attractive setting at play and take within the fantastic accompanying synthy soundscape, I’d say it’s important you go off the important path – and sometimes, too. You’ll be so pleasantly stunned and extremely touched by the main points of this unusual world and its inhabitants you can unveil.
How lengthy can a recreation a few cat keep recent for? Properly, I ready myself for the sport to grow to be repetitive, however Stray stays magical. Though, how a lot can one cat actually do? Stray knocked this assumption on its head fully. Whilst you advance into the later recreation, the puzzles and platforming stay recent as you encounter new environments, new enemies, and new conditions to get your self out of.
By the point you’re in The Sewers, pots of paint and scratching doorways to get by are a factor of the previous, and the whole lot turns into all of the extra intense. That doesn’t imply our journey turns into any much less about being a cat, although; each problem is one which solely our Outsider might do, and no person else, and Stray doesn’t let itself down by repeating something.
All over the place you go, there’s element to take pleasure in, and new playfully cat-sized duties to finish. Contemplating I’ve been catless for some time now, the sport was a definite reminder of simply how succesful these animals are. They’ll merely by no means fail to search out one thing to knock over or break, that’s for positive.
Stray is an actual testomony to the fervour and dedication of developer, BlueTwelve, and its love for cats. An indie studio based by two cat-lovers that left Ubisoft to pursue a brand new venture, Stray took seven years to develop and is the studio’s first recreation – and I sincerely hope it received’t be their final. It has been fantastic to delve into the lifetime of a cat in such an impeccable setting, and much more charming to get to know each character alongside the best way.
The sport feels so removed from mechanical and is bursting on the seams with love and life, even in a world that appears thus far faraway from that at instances. It’s been a pleasure to be reminded of simply how highly effective and necessary animals are to individuals. The inhabitants of Midtown and beneath will always remember our Outsider, and sure, I’ll be naming my subsequent cat after Momo. Watch this area.
Stray may finally be indie in dimension, however it’s triple-A in high quality, and whereas it could solely final eight to 10 hours, it’s a recreation that has touched me for a lifetime. I can’t wait to see how Stray brings individuals collectively, as a result of that’s precisely what it’s going to do. Now, go hug your cat for me, if in case you have one.