I had so much fun playing Stray from BlueTwelve Studio. So, I thought I would share a few thoughts I had in regards to this latest Indie video game published by Annapuma Interactive. Stray is an adventure, platform, and puzzle game where you play as an adorable little cat. The cat originally was on the surface with his friends but fell underground into a sealed city where the former residents (humans) have died and been replaced by robots that are being killed by a parasite creature called the Zurk. You team up with a drone named B-12 to find a way back to the surface.
The main story takes around 6 hours in total. But it can take you longer depending on how in-depth you go with exploration. But it had been achieved in 2 hours, considering there is an achievement for this.
I thought I did pretty well on my first playthrough as I got almost all of the memories (only missed 4) and most of the collectibles. But I’m probably going to go back to find the rest in the future to see where the others were hiding. Especially as two of the memories were from a Zurk-infested area and I swear there were no off branches where they could’ve been hiding, but they must’ve considering I missed them.
Even though the game was only six hours, it has a lot in it. It was one of the best games I’ve played in a long time. There weren’t any graphic glitches or problems when trying to control the cat character. And when there was (i.e. bag on cat head) it was intentional. There were also a lot of emotions as you go through the game. The developers spent a lot of time paying attention to detail and I loved that. When the cat falls a long distance, it limps. You can meow on demand. The cat asks like a cat, not like a player controlling it… or you really get into the mindset of a cat (I suppose). There are things to knock down, you scratch surfaces, and nub against individuals. I especially loved the nap areas as you got a chill moment to take in the environment and music.
You can tell this game was made by cat lovers.
The game is fairly straightforward with a chill undertone to the steampunk aesthetic surrounding you. And there are moments of action, but it’s nothing overly difficult. Especially once you get a weapon to help you against them (granted it has a quick overheat period and only is used in one section of the game). You just have to work out the puzzle in order to move forward.
But overall, it was a delightful adventure game. And a fun take on a platforming game with the use of a normal cat and a small drone. Their relationship was heartfelt. Both characters are central to the story and while the game might have a dark and steampunk tone to it, the drone doesn’t take all of the interactive actions either, it’s split between the two. Not to mention, the ending between the two is emotional.
The one thing I would’ve loved to see in the end was our cat protagonist meeting back up with his three cat friends. As that’s why they are trying to get back to the surface. But otherwise, I thought it was a perfect conclusion to the game. So, I would give this game a 4.5-star rating with all of that being said.
Love ya,
Mae Polzine
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