Things You Need to Know About Stray

GamesRadar

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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00:00This 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

00:23protagonist. 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,

01:40who can translate the alien language scattered around the environments, shine a light wherever

01:44it's needed and remind you of your objectives. In one sequence, the cat slides down a swamp-water

01:52filled reservoir on a cart, steering his way through it to avoid hitting walls and these weird

01:57little bug robots that can kill you. I asked for clarity from Martin Roger on this specifically,

02:03but I'm only told there are several places where you can be killed by enemies, but the cat,

02:08thankfully, instantly respawns.

02:10We're not aiming for a hard game, he reassures. Expect the story to progress with a nice, steady rhythm.

02:18Stray is a gamified love letter to cats, one that I reckon cat owners worldwide will flock to just

02:25to find out how impressively real this little cat is. During our preview, we watch the protagonist

02:30push paint cans off ledges, lap up water, nap on a robot's chest. Sleeping forms the majority

02:36of a cat schedule, so that's obviously something you can do in the game, and do a sleepy stretch

02:41post-nap. During the preview, Martin Roger assures us that you can still be a cat and be very annoying

02:47to everyone, as he jumps up onto a surface where robots are playing some kind of tabletop game,

02:52sending chips flying everywhere. They beep angrily in response, and over a minute later,

02:57they're still picking up the chips as the little orange tabby trots on.

03:01There's even an opportunity to use the triggers on your controller to pull on the back of a couch,

03:06something every cat owner knows is a cat's favourite pastime. When playing on the PS5,

03:11the cat's purrs will emanate from the speaker in the DualSense controller,

03:14which will 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

03:25sole animator at Blue12 known as Miko. Miko's Sphinx cats served as inspiration for their

03:31animations, which are so lifelike and detailed they will amaze you, from its adorable little trot

03:36to the very specific tip of the tail twitch that all cat owners know so well. The attention to detail

03:42is so impressive thanks to Blue12's universal love of cats. Not only are many of the team cat owners,

03:47but 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 PC.

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