Stray (PS5) Review
Updated: Oct 31, 2022
Developer: BlueTwelve Studio
Publisher: Annapurna Interactive
Release Date: July 19, 2022
Platforms: PS4/PS5, PC
Overview: The much anticipated "cat game" Stray has dropped and has been a bombshell for cat-loving gamers. From the moment it was first revealed during a 2020 Playstation State of Play, Stray immediately had a cult following. I am of the firm belief that Annapurna does not miss, and the indie games they publish are always amongst the top-rated indies of that given year. With that being said, despite all the hype, Stray fell flat for me.
A lot of people are going to give this game a 10/10 strictly because you get to play as a cat and do cat stuff. From the opening cutscene, I was quickly reminded that this was still very much an indie game. In the name of fairness, I must also admit that I find no charm whatsoever in these satanic creatures. Therefore I'm unaffected by this bias and will be presenting a completely fair judgment of the game. For the purposes of this review, we'll be calling our little kitty hero Cheeto.
Story: Sometime in the distant future, humans have disappeared from the world due to a plague wiping them all out. Before the extinction, to protect themselves from the then uninhabitable Earth, they created sheltered cities with major social class divisions. Servant "Companion" robots were created to help with day-to-day tasks. With humans now gone, the Companions were all that remained and started to evolve beyond their original programming.
The sheltered cities now inhabited by these robots weren't going to stay safe for long. Before their extinction, humans created bacteria to eat the ungodly amounts of trash that had been littering the city. These bacterias eventually evolved to be able to eat metal, thus making them the number 1 fear of all Companion robots. After many, many years, the Earth finally became habitable again and our pesky little main character falls to the city below.
Cheeto's main mission is to find a way back home up above the city. Along the way, he meets a mini robot droid that provides translations for NPCs and provides the majority of the backstory for the city. The plot churns along at a steady pace without any unnecessary devices to keep you trapped in one area for an extended amount of time. The ending of the game puts a bow on everything but feels unfulfilling and a bit rushed. I wished this game stayed in the oven a little longer, but with so many delays after the initial announcement, the game had to come out eventually.
Gameplay: There really isn't that much to chew on in this game. The platforming is predetermined with no chance of failure. The player looks at their destination, presses a button, and Cheeto jumps to said platform. There's also a button specifically dedicated to meowing, and it's cute for social media marketing but doesn't serve any real purpose. There was only one small part of an area where meowing can lure enemies toward you. After this one tutorial, it has no practical use afterward.
The player does have the option to take "side quests" upon themselves to completion. These tasks aren't tracked but are required if you want to 100% the game. These small sets of tasks were some of the more enjoyable moments in Stray since they involved exploring the gloriously crafted world.
Presentation: Stray presents a unique take on a linear adventure game through a cyberpunk-like dystopia. The devs put a lot of attention to detail when constructing the NPC populated areas, and it shows. Many answers to certain puzzles are located using writings on a wall or listening to NPCs for clues. Companions have animated very well, and Cheeto is like a little slinky moving between small spaces and tight roping skinny walkways seamlessly.
Stray shouldn't be considered to be in the upper echelons of graphical fidelity by any means. The art direction really shines and alleviates any scrutiny on the texture quality and so forth. What really blew me away was how alive the NPCs felt when roaming around the cities. Midtown especially had really great character interactions.
Final Verdict: 7.5/10
Stray was a small and cute adventure about a lost Cheeto trying to find its way back home. And that's all it is. It doesn't try to be anything beyond that scope, and it left me feeling a little frazzled. I really wanted to learn more about the world, spend more time with key characters, and have more puzzles to do. I really wanted a bit more of everything, but the game stops just short of providing it.
Interacting with the NPCs and the world was a surprising treat that had me hooked. The sequences with enemies all felt pretty samey but presented a one-off gimmick that at least spiced these encounters up a bit. There's definitely fun to be had in Stray, but it will be up to the player to immerse themselves to find that sweet spot.
*Watch 11 minutes of Stray gameplay down below!
Comments