A head-scratching purr-to-win game that’s probably a few hours too short.

Stray is one of those games that I truly wished were released earlier. It’s not necessarily breaking new ground but, at the same time, it’s a game that offers a welcomed variety from the usual molds utilized in most AAA games. 

Undeniably, it has earned critical acclaim soon after release, and some are ready to give it the “game of the year” award already. Given the low output we’ve been getting so far this year, Stray honestly doesn’t have much to compete with anyways (save for gaming giants like Elden Ring and, perhaps, Horizon Forbidden West). 

This story is not very believable from first reading, but that shouldn’t stop you from getting heavily invested in it as you progress. What’s more, it’s not in-your-face. You have to go out of your way to look for it, as it’s mostly told through environmental elements. If you rush through the gameplay, you will most likely miss some key aspects of the plot.

I would have personally loved it if the main character behaved more like a cat. In many of the later scenes, the cat seemed to behave more like a human than a cat. The devs probably thought that this would add depth to the story and it’s understandably hard to pull that off otherwise.

Animating animal characters has possibly been one of the most significant challenges in recent years. With that said, I’m quite impressed with the quality animations portrayed in Stray. That cat got some moves! Albeit some details could definitely be purrfected (couldn’t help it!) and there was something mildly awkward about the protagonist’s face, these flaws are tolerable.

I’m hard-pressed to find a game that looks better than this one, at least judging from indie standards. The quality of the reflections, the flooring details, the lighting,  and the backdrops are jaw-dropping, and it’s very hard to believe that only 30-or-so people were involved in this project.

Moreover, this game’s design does remind me of Cyberpunk 2077 in places. After all, it’s set in an actual cyberpunk world. It carries that same aura and shares similar dystopian features. This post-human world may well have been an Asian version of Night City after a plague wiped out its entire population, though one can only imagine. 

I do have to say that this game is a bit too short. I totally understand what the devs were aiming at. I’m not a fan of long-winded 100-hour games full of fillers and hollow content. In that sense, the experience in this game is meant to be far more focused, though it’s not devoid of the annoying fetch quests that we’ve learned to “embrace”. 

Finally, I liked the sound design of this game. But, more especially, I loved the soundtrack. It’s very atmospheric and chill, fitting the environment quite nicely. I reckon this game wouldn’t have turned out so great were it not for these cool musical pieces!

In any case, a 4-6 hour game is hardly game-of-the-year material in my book, though it ultimately should stand out amongst other indie games.