Cats are adorable.
These lovable furballs are a source of endless joy and companionship,
not to mention they’re just plain cute, especially when they purr.
Yet, they also have a mischievous side.
Cats revel in their ability to scratch at your favorite piece of furniture,
knock down everything of value on a shelf, or take simple pleasure
in walking over your keyboard at the best possible times.
They leap with amazing dexterity
and are just as elusive when they want to flee to safety.
Stray perfectly encapsulates everything that makes us love cats,
and weaves it in a touching tale about discovering how humanity can endure in a world
where humans no longer exist.
Don’t be fooled by the premise, Stray is not a platformer.
Precision isn’t required to perform any of your darling cat’s amazing acrobatics.
Instead, the focus is on exploration
and the bliss of traversing a world through the eyes of a feline,
with a few action sequences mixed in.
Prompts easily convey where you can jump to,
though they never deprive you of any sense of discovery.
In fact, the numerous paths available can feel overwhelming at times.
If entering a new city for the first time seems like a lot for a human,
imagine how a tiny cat feels.
Stray begins with one of the most wholesome sequences, allowing you to just be a cat in the wild,
but an accident thrusts you deep underground,
into a long forgotten world where humans no longer exist.
Instead, their robot creations continue about their daily lives
running the various sections of a massive subterranean city
while trying to emulate their former companions.
As you mingle with each of them and learn their stories,
you soon discover there may be a way back to the surface
if you can reunite a handful of robot friends
and help them complete their own journey to learn what awaits them above.
Initially, the game is very straightforward as it eases you into the basics of your cat’s abilities,
as well as how you use them to evade and escape enemies,
particularly in chase sequences where you can’t fight back.
Yet the bulk of the experience transpires in larger hub-like environments
where the robot denizens go about their daily business.
You have to solve puzzles and use information gleaned from conversations
and other sources in order to complete tasks and advance.
The more open areas make for the best parts of the game,
as just the simple act of leaping onto various objects to make your way around as a cat is pure bliss.
Engaging with the various inhabitants provides wonderful interactions,
with several quest lines leading to incredibly emotional payoffs
that reveal humanity can transcend its fleshy prison.
Stray also dangles a variety of optional side objectives
to encourage your curiosity – and don’t worry,
despite the warnings of the old adage, your cat will remain safe
no matter how inquisitive you get.
Not everything is fun and games, though.
A serious threat exists at all levels of this underground city.
Sometimes you must frantically find ways to evade giant groups of terrifying creatures,
while in later areas, AI controlled sentinels force you to take a more measured approach
invoking stealth.
There’s no shortage of tension during these moments, doubly so if you’re profoundly attached to cats
and don’t want to see our hero come to harm.
However, these scenarios feel a bit undercooked.
The chase sequences are the worst offender, as it's hard to judge where to run to at times.
As for the stealth segments, they’re far more enjoyable,
but their simple solutions
fail to elicit the same sense of excitement felt when running and jumping around the city.
In general, these action sequences would have benefitted from leaning harder
into the rest of the game’s more puzzle-based approach.
Clocking in at around 10 hours, Stray doesn’t overstay its welcome,
and taking in all the sights and sounds is a must.
Stray crafts a captivating world that dazzles with neon lights,
run down alleys, and lively tenants.
The sheer amount of things you can interact with
shows a lot of love and care went into this world,
and that the team truly understands why we love cats.
You can knock over bottles, claw at couches, curl up to take a nap;
there’s even a button to meow.
Prepare for lots, and lots of cat cuteness.
When it comes to emulating the joys of being a cat, Stray is purrfection.
If it isn’t obvious at this point, cat parents and cat enthusiasts are going to fall in love with Stray.
Yet its appeal scratches deep below the surface
by weaving a powerful story about the struggles of humanity, wrapped up in an alluring dystopian world.
Stray excels at delivering simple pleasures
that all add up to leave you with an overwhelming sense of fulfillment.
Final score: 8.5 out of 10.
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