Things You Need to Know About Stray
Who doesn't love cats? Who doesn't love games? Who doesn't love cat games? But there's more to this cat simulator than it seems and here's 4 reasons why.
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00:00 [MUSIC]
00:07 This is Stray, a beautiful, bold indie that is part platformer,
00:11 part puzzle game, and all sorts of perfect, especially if you're somewhat familiar with
00:16 felines. Here's what else we learned during our preview about Stray's story,
00:20 gameplay, and its astonishingly realistic feline protagonist.
00:28 Stray puts you in the paws of a cat who has been separated from his family,
00:32 and somehow ends up in a neon-soaked world inhabited only by robots.
00:36 Martin Rageux purposely avoided telling us any real story details, aside from the fact
00:40 that this protagonist is a stranger in a strange land, and is trying to make his way through it,
00:45 to be reunited with his feline family members.
00:48 There are several levels that players will make their way through, and although Stray's story
00:53 progression is linear, there's room to explore and discover. It'll take about 7-8 hours to
00:58 finish at what Martin Rageux calls a "normal pace" and closer to 9 or 10 for more curious,
01:03 exploratory players. Think of Stray as yet another one of publisher Annapurna's brilliant linear
01:08 storytelling feats that superbly blends tight and simple gameplay, sort of like last year's
01:13 The Artful Escape. There's platforming, but here it's more feline-focused than about pulling off
01:19 well-timed jumps. You can't really mess up, as Blue Twirl felt doing so would be decidedly
01:24 un-cat-like. Players can use the tried and true cat method of knocking stuff off shelves
01:29 to help with simple puzzles, and jump in a can attached to a rope as an elevator of sorts.
01:35 Later on in the game you'll get an adorable backpack outfitted with a drone called B-12,
01:39 who can translate the alien language scattered around the environments,
01:43 shine a light wherever it's needed, and remind you of your objectives.
01:46 In one sequence the cat slides down a swamp water-filled reservoir on a cart,
01:53 steering his way through it to avoid hitting walls, and these weird little bug robots that can
01:59 kill you. I asked for clarity from Martin Rage on this specifically, but I'm only told there
02:04 are several places where you can be killed by enemies, but the cat, thankfully, instantly
02:09 respawns. We're not aiming for a hard game, he reassures. Expect the story to progress with a
02:15 nice, steady rhythm. Stray is a gamified love letter to cats, one that I reckon cat owners
02:23 worldwide will flock to just to find out how impressively real this little cat is.
02:27 During our preview we watch the protagonist push paint cans off ledges, lap up water, nap on a
02:33 robot's chest (sleeping forms the majority of a cat's schedule, so that's obviously something you
02:38 can do in the game) and do a sleepy stretch post-nap. During the preview Martin Rage assures
02:44 us that you can still be a cat and be very annoying to everyone, as he jumps up onto a
02:49 surface where robots are playing some kind of tabletop game, sending chips flying everywhere.
02:54 They beep angrily in response, and over a minute later they're still picking up the chips,
02:59 as the little orange tabby trots on. There's even an opportunity to use the triggers on your
03:03 controller to pull on the back of a couch, something every cat owner knows is a cat's
03:08 favourite pastime. When playing on the PS5, the cat's purrs will emanate from the speaker in the
03:13 DualSense controller, which will also gently vibrate so it feels like you have a cat in your
03:18 hands. And the cat itself has been designed and animated with attention and affection by a sole
03:25 animator at Blue 12 known as Miko. Miko's Sphinx cats served as inspiration for their animations,
03:32 which are so lifelike and detailed they will amaze you, from its adorable little trot,
03:36 to the very specific tip of the tail twitch that all cat owners know so well. The attention to
03:41 detail is so impressive thanks to Blue 12's universal love of cats, not only are many of
03:46 the team cat owners, but there are even office cats who wander around during production.
03:51 Thanks to their incomparable in real life references, the team can see small details
03:56 that aren't working properly to ensure this cat is like no other game cat you've ever seen.
04:01 Having cats around us is really helpful, because we get so used to seeing them move around,
04:05 we can instantly see when something is a bit off with the animation, or if a sound is not
04:10 really convincing, or if a certain situation is too unrealistic for an actual cat,
04:15 Martin Roger explains. When asked if they're paid fairly for their efforts,
04:19 he quips "they're paying us, they're the boss of the studio".
04:22 Stray releases July 19th for PS4, PS5 and PC.