00:07This is Stray, a beautiful, bold indie that is part platformer, part puzzle game and all sorts
00:13of perfect, especially if you're somewhat familiar with felines. Here's what else we
00:18learned during our preview about Stray's story, gameplay and its astonishingly realistic feline
00:26protagonist. Stray puts you in the paws of a cat who has been separated from his family and somehow
00:32ends up in a neon-soaked world inhabited only by robots. Martin Roger purposely avoided telling us
00:38any real story details, aside from the fact that this protagonist is a stranger in a strange land
00:43and is trying to make his way through it to be reunited with his feline family members.
00:48There are several levels that players will make their way through, and although Stray's story
00:53progression is linear, there's room to explore and discover. It'll take about 7-8 hours to finish
00:58at what Martin Roger calls a normal pace and closer to 9 or 10 for more curious exploratory players.
01:04Think of Stray as yet another one of publisher Annapurna's brilliant linear storytelling feats
01:09that superbly blends tight and simple gameplay, sort of like last year's The Artful Escape.
01:15There's platforming, but here it's more feline-focused than about pulling off well-timed jumps.
01:20You can't really mess up, as Blue 12 felt doing so would be decidedly un-cat-like.
01:26Players can use the tried-and-true cat method of knocking stuff off shelves to help with simple
01:30puzzles, and jump in a can attached to a rope as an elevator of sorts.
01:35Later on in the game, you'll get an adorable backpack outfitted with a drone called B-12,
01:39who can translate the alien language scattered around the environments, shine a light wherever
01:44it's needed, and remind you of your objectives.
01:49In one sequence, the cat slides down a swamp-water-filled reservoir on a cart,
01:53steering his way through it to avoid hitting walls, and these weird little bug robots that
01:58can kill you. I asked for clarity from Martin Roger on this specifically, but I'm only told
02:03there are several places where you can be killed by enemies, but the cat, thankfully, instantly
02:09respawns. We're not aiming for a hard game, he reassures. Expect the story to progress with
02:14a nice, steady rhythm.
02:18Stray is a gamified love letter to cats, one that I reckon cat owners worldwide will flock
02:24to just to find out how impressively real this little cat is.
02:28During our preview, we watch the protagonist push paint cans off ledges, lap up water, nap
02:33on a robot's chest. Sleeping forms the majority of a cat schedule, so that's obviously something
02:38you can do in the game. And do a sleepy stretch post-nap. During the preview, Martin Roger assures
02:43us that you can still be a cat and be very annoying to everyone, as he jumps up onto a
02:49surface where
02:49robots are playing some kind of tabletop game, sending chips flying everywhere. They beep angrily
02:55in response, and over a minute later, they're still picking up the chips as the little orange
03:00tabby trots on. There's even an opportunity to use the triggers on your controller to pull
03:05on the back of a couch, something every cat owner knows is a cat's favourite pastime. When playing
03:10on the PS5, the cat's purrs will emanate from the speaker in the DualSense controller, which
03:15will also gently vibrate so it feels like you have a cat in your hands.
03:21And the cat itself has been designed and animated with attention and affection by a sole animator
03:26at Blue 12 known as Miko. Miko's Sphinx cats served as inspiration for their animations,
03:32which are so lifelike and detailed they will amaze you, from its adorable little trot to the
03:36very specific tip of the tail twitch that all cat owners know so well. The attention to detail
03:42is so impressive thanks to Blue 12's universal love of cats. Not only are many of the team cat
03:47owners, but there are even office cats who wander around during production. Thanks to their incomparable
03:53in real life references, the team can see small details that aren't working properly to ensure
03:58this cat is like no other game cat you've ever seen. Having cats around us is really helpful
04:03because we get so used to seeing them move around, we can instantly see when something is a bit off
04:08with the animation, or if a sound is not really convincing, or if a certain situation is too
04:13unrealistic for an actual cat, Martin Roger explains. When asked if they're paid fairly for their
04:18efforts, he quips, they're paying us, they're the boss of the studio. Stray releases July 19th for PS4, PS5 and
04:25PC.
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