When players jump into the world, they’re immediately treated to an opportunity to do everything they would want to do in a cat simulator, including run, scratch, and (of course) meow. Little to no semblance of a story is present until we meet B-12, a drone companion that joins players along the way and presents a single mission that even a human can understand: to go outside and back to nature. Slowly, through the main quest, we can piece together what exactly has happened and why the city is devoid of human life. While unnecessary, the side quests help elaborate even further on this, and we feel that we are learning about this slowly through discovery. It is certainly effective, and the gravity of the situation only hits players after they’ve already been bought in by the protagonist’s antics.
Throughout its media cycle, the game has accurately been described as a cat simulator and its release has shown that to be an accurate description of the title. Underneath it, however, players will find a solid exploration title and puzzler. Many of the actions that players can perform, which are all within the realm of any feline owner’s daily observations, serve to help the players solve many of the game’s puzzles and help the player go around town. Players are sure to get a chuckle as they use these same sources of daily amusement or nuisance for those who have the joy of working from home as their companions decide on making the keyboard their beds.
Some of the most fun segments in the game involve using the cat’s overwhelming speed when pitted against the city’s formidable enemies, all of whom can easily take out the feline in a matter of seconds. Though it will likely break players’ hearts in their trial-and-error process as they figure out the optimal route to outrun some flesh-eating bacteria or lock away overzealous sentinels, it is exhilarating to use the meow to lure enemies before darting past them and onto the next segment’s puzzles.
Aptly named HK_Project before its release, Stray was clearly influenced by the city of Hong Kong. Residents, expatriates, and former tourists of the city will clearly recognize the rundown alleyways, the abundance of window AC units with accompanying spikes, and multitudinous neon signs would ensure no stars are ever visible. It is an absolute joy to wander the city through the vertical slits with our feline protagonist as we use all of its grace and agility to our advantage. The littered streets of Stray also make for its own endearing soundtrack; while many segments will include a soundtrack that conveys the suspense of a chase sequence or a sense of wonder as players enter a space worth exploring, the bottles and garbage in the streets and their sound effects enhance the very environment that players are in.
For all of its successes, the title is not without its shortcomings. One of the abilities, to observe and see from the cat’s perspective, is one that I never used. Additionally, the game’s length is definitely short, clocking in at around five hours to beat. While completionists may get a little more mileage from the title, it wouldn’t be significantly so.
PC-using future orange tabby cats will be happy to hear that the title ran just fine on an aging 970 using lower settings, though the game clearly looked its best on the PS5. Initially, I had no idea what I was in for when I picked up Stray, but the title manages to deliver a well-designed adventure puzzler with a deeply relevant story that actually utilizes the main feline’s agility abilities rather than cash them in for internet points. By the end of the game, players may question whether their own cats are intentionally stepping on keyboards or jumping boxes in an attempt to escape out of their own concrete jungles.
Score: 8/10
