By Dean Moses
Game: Stray
Platform: PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and PC
Rating: E for Everyone 10+
Cost: $29.99
Last month, Stray sauntered into the gaming world with the beauty and confidence of a feline on the prowl—and this adventure-puzzle game is sure to keep you on your toes in a long-forgotten city.
Stray follows a cat surviving through the world of Cyberpunk in a third-person adventure, where you must traverse through a cybercity. It’s not just about roaming the murky streets, you must defend yourself against threats, solve mysteries, and with the added bonus of annoying the inhabitants of this dystopian world.
Gameplay
While there are a plethora of videogames that unleash whole new worlds and adventures, there are not many that have developed an entirely new protagonist perspective like in Stray.
In this iteration, you play as a cat, which means you have feline capabilities and limitations creating a rather interesting way to solve puzzles. Developers zero-in on cat characteristics and in doing so established mechanics that many gamers are sure to have not played before. Players can leap into action as a mischievous cat who must flee or fight the numerous mishaps that it encounters.
Graphics
The futuristic gritty city of Stray is sure to capture your eye with its Broadway-esque neon lights over water laden streets and moonlit concrete lots. The protagonist, an orange tabby navigates through muddy alleys and over carboard trash, precariously balances on rusted railings, and follows futuristic Cyberpunk companions in a long-forgotten city after being separated from its family. Visually, this game is stunning and has it’s playful, humorous moments as the cat attempts to be both stealthy, nimble, and annoying.
Conclusion
Since the game’s release, players have taken their love for Stray one step further by helping to aid cats around the world through fundraising platforms. Gamers are live streaming their playthroughs to help raise money for animal shelters and other organizations that help the welfare of cats. On the day it was first launched it became the fourth most watched and broadcast came on the streaming platform, Twitch.
Additionally, upon its release, Stray’s publisher, Interactive promoted this iteration by providing cat rescue agencies copies of the game to raffle off for money. Stray is currently only available digitally with a physical release set for the fall.
