Growing up I lived with a tabby called Twm. I say live with because it’s less that my parents adopted him and more he appeared in their garage one night and refused to leave. Twm had a nonchalant attitude about life – going about his important cat business unworried unless a thunderstorm was involved. When Twm did require assistance though, he would silently stare at you, shadowing your steps, until you solved his problem. (And, once it was fixed, usually go do something completely different, because cat.) So I can say with utter assurance that if Twm had found himself lost in a city inhabited by robots, he’d have simply found a comfy spot near a radiator and waited for me to find him. Thankfully, Stray’s titular cat is far more proactive than Twm would ever have been in this situation.
After being separated from their family and falling into a cybercity, this cat searches for an escape – Stray is what I imagine a cyberpunk version of Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey would be like, but without the unsettling human voiceovers for the animals. From the sewers to cramped robot slums and busy midtown district, the city has an atmosphere of decayed glory; walls are coated in graffiti, odd one-eye creatures attack you and, sometimes, surveillance cameras seem to be following you far too accurately. It’s a maze of alleyways and buildings squeezed into the tightest of places, with only the faintest glimmer of natural life, but, as a cat, it’s a labyrinth you can master. What might be set dressing in another game – like tables, signs or the thinnest of ledges – all help you traverse the world of Stray and, if cat sneakiness fails you, it’s time to utilise cuteness.
Having recently watched a hands-off 30 minute preview, it’s easy to say the unnamed cat is the highlight of Stray. Whether you’re running or having a little sleep, the dedication BlueTwelve Studio put into recreating the experience of being a cat is always on display. It’s such a faithful recreation I was surprised to learn the developers hadn’t used motion capture to build some of the cat’s movements. Even the decision to ensure every jump the cat makes automatically succeeds was done to preserve this idea of embodying a feline, with the added bonus of easing exploration. Best of all, the developers have captured the most important element of any cat – chaos.
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