Publisher: Annapurna
Developer: BlueTwelve
Year: 2022
Platform: Windows, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, XBox Series, Switch

Rating: 6

Stray, an epic adventure about a lost cat, is as adorable as one could possibly hope for. A realistic physics engine combined with inane feline habits steals the show. And while gamewise and plotwise there are some missteps, there’s enough here to give the experience emotional weight beyond “Ooo, there’s a kitty!”

The game begins as you and a few of your stray cat friends are exploring a lush, green plateau, learning the games physics while meowing, running, and jumping. Then tragedy strikes as a branch gives way and you fall deep into the Earth, surviving a fall into a sewer system. After nursing your wounds, you explore this new, desolate area.

Here you will navigate a series of rooms, solving some cat-friendly puzzles such as pushing things around in order to make some jumps, flipping switches, or taking running jumps onto beams to get them to sway. While it’s fun, I found myself getting a little bored with these simple puzzles after about twenty minutes. But then the real game begins.

You discover tiny creatures called Zurks, which you later learn are parasitic creatures that evolved from bacteria invented by humans to eat trash. At first they seem harmless, but then suddenly recognize you as trash that needs to be eaten. You need to run through the streets avoiding them and shaking them off until you escape. While you can die, this first encounter is relatively simple as long as you keep running. Then you find an old scientist’s office and through an elaborate puzzle (that admittedly requires a human brain to solve), you activate a robot drone named B-12 that has the ability to translate on your behalf (via text; the only vocal sounds characters make are beeps, boops, and kitty sounds).

It is here the game takes off. You and B-12 go up a level and discover the sprawling underground town simply called the slums. You meet the guardian, the robot leader of the slums. You learn that humans died off long ago, and the robots have learned to adapt and survive on their own. Some of them believe it may yet be possible to return to the Earth’s surface, while many more believe it is inhospitable and a pipe dream. Besides, their main focus is on just leaving a peaceful life by ensuring the Zurks stay cordoned off out of harm’s way. However, the guardian supports your quest and advises you on who to find in the slums to help you continue your adventure.

I had a blast in this area of the game where there was no danger. In addition to finding the scientist that will guide you, there are several sidequests as well. Foremost is unlocking B-12’s memories (from his failing hard drive) by coming across parts of town that evoke strong familiarity. When you do so, B-12 will give you backstory that helps you make sense of what happened on Earth before you came around. Beyond that, you can try your luck at a basketball game, collect sheet music for an aspiring robot musician (B-12 also helps you carry inventory), or do goofy cat things like get your head stuck in tiny boxes. You’ll also be doing plenty of fetch quests, but at least most of them are interesting insofar as they provide character backstory.

Unfortunately, at least for me, there are several other sections of the game where danger is ever-present, and I found there to be a reverse difficulty-curve. Perhaps it’s because the Zurks creeped me out, but they killed me so many times. In later chapters, sentinels can off you as well, but at least they follow predictable patterns and aren’t so dang creepy. Anyway, my nerves were on edge at several points in the game, which was at odds with the warm fuzzies I was generally feeling throughout.

I’ll also praise the puzzles, which become more clever as the game goes on, including some platforming that requires more brains than finesse. A few stealth sequences are also satisfying, and for the most part they all felt realistic for a cat to complete physically, even if they require your human brain to navigate.

The graphics are solid, with highly detailed environments where nothing feels repetitive. The color palette is washed with sepia tones, in part due to neon lighting that has replaced the sun. The citizens strike a nice balance between anthropomorphic features and robotic ones. And as mentioned earlier, our furry friend is animated incredibly well, to the point you would think real motion capture was used.

The soundtrack is also pleasant, blending electronic synth with organ and orchestral sounds. It didn’t really move me, though that may be more the fault of the game than the music. Many people found Stray to be a very emotional game, and there’s certainly some beats that are meant to bring tears. For me, nothing particularly grabbed me, partly because I felt the pathos didn’t break through from the robots, and the cat…well just acted like a cat. I’m a cat guy, but at no point for me did this feel like anything other than a cute puzzle game.

The ending also feels rather abrupt and simplified, with the final puzzle, disappointingly, being one of the easiest in the game. The climax feels a bit forced, and the denouement all too short. I was ready for the game to be over by then, but it still felt like a let down. That said, Stray is a huge achievement and I recommend it to anyone who loves cats and is all right with employing a little stealth in their gaming.