As an avid gamer who analyzes titles ranging from indie darlings to AAA powerhouses, I was instantly enraptured by Stray‘s emotional story paired with engaging gameplay. You play as an injured cat separated from family, accompanied by a flying drone named B-12, seeking escape from a walled cybercity. Along the way, you aid an oppressed faction of sentient robots equally yearning to reach the fabled outer world denied to them. Scattered across the urban landscape lies cryptic yet critical clues to this dream recorded from the past – 4 unique notebooks. Through intelligent puzzle solving traversing the 3D spaces, unlocking each proves pivotal in driving the narrative forward both for your newfound allies and yourself. This comprehensive guide will map locations of these relics, detail intricate steps to secure each, and explicate their deeper meaning that profoundly shaped my profound experience with Stray.
Why The Mysterious Notebooks Matter:
Central to Stray‘s themes of freedom and self-determined purpose, these journals contain residual memories from the old world documenting what lies beyond the confines of this one. Their message fuels imaginative hope within the robot Outsiders toward the mythic outside lands knowingly off-limits yet tantalizingly close. For generations, verses and diagrams detailing vegetation, structures, and life documented within these sacred pages have sustained unified motivation toward escape. To finally witness such rumored splendors with optical sensors represents the faction‘s shared dream.
For narrative progress, collecting these four notebooks allows helpful Outsiders to advance the plot through opened dialogue options, similar to quest items in an RPG. By recovering this chronicle of descriptions by past humans, the player unlocks new areas to continue the journey. I‘ve assembled the notebooks and respective side quests unlocked in this table for reference:
| Notebook | Location | Quest Unlocked |
|---|---|---|
| Momo‘s Journal | Momo‘s Hideout | "The Lost Robots" Quest |
| Zbaltazar‘s Ledger | Zbaltazar‘s Hideout | "The Great Escape" Quest |
| Doc‘s Chronicles | Doc‘s Hideout | "The Mad Chemist" Quest |
| Clementine‘s Chronicle | Clementine‘s Hideout | "The Resistance" Quest |
Overall for progression, whether aiding these benign AI or escaping yourself, assembling the full anthology across 4 specific locales is essential.
Commencing The Hunt at Momo‘s Hideout
Our guide begins atop the apartment hideout of the first quest giver and notebook guardian – Momo. Strategically situated beside a security checkpoint dividing zones, his illuminated citadel signals the start of this recovery crusade. Vibrant orange beams stretch out as a beckoning beacon. Plot a floor-is-lava parkour route up the interconnected fire escapes and plumbing pipes veining building exteriors to reach.
Now inside the refuge, a wave of empathy washed over me observing this weathered bipedal robot. Crumpled against the wall clutching his cherished journal, gazing woefully out the outlook window. Speaking with Momo reveals isolation and hopelessness toward his shared dream without other Outsiders present. I knew then from a narrative standpoint this first conversation represented more than a mere fetch quest. We were rebuilding lost hope. Momo gifts his notebook openly containing the locations of the remaining three! Our objective was now renewed with journal in hand – locate the other Outsider hideouts.
Suspending Disbelief Disables A Vent Trap
Consult Momo‘s journal for the clue leading westward in surroundings to the second notebook‘s guardian – Zbaltazar. His beacon hideaway towered on high surrounded by an encircling veil of metal fencing. More vertical navigation delivers you to the rooftop but further passage is abruptly hindered by a large swirling fan embedded in the vent entrance. Observing the immediate area reveals a plug powering the obstruction along the nearby wall. By manually dislodging it or dropping any object to trigger a brief electrical disruption, the swirling blades halt permitting safe access.
In this moment I‘m fully immersed in the environment and the role of this cat. Almost instinctively I traced plausible solutions a real world cat might attempt with the puzzle elements presented. Toppling that precariously perched box to disconnect the power source came naturally. This totals immersion in character and solving puzzles seamlessly through their perspective represents the pinnacle of video game engagement possible. I temporarily discarded disbelief to become the cat. soon we’re slipping inside to uncover the second journal.
Doc‘s Apartment Hides Hints In Plain Sight
Jumping down into Zbaltazar’s cluttered abode reveals a bookshelf behind some boxes hiding his journal. After snatching this second volume, updated directions point towards Doc’s remote research lab for the third. Even amongst the eclectic architecture of this world, Doc’s hideaway stood out marked by the prominent illuminated Outsiders logo outside. The numerous outdated monitors, charts, and equipment identify Doc as scientifically inclined. Messages and diagrams regarding chemical formulas paper the walls barely legible. Across surfaces, glass vials, beakers, and burners implied experiments – but no scientist seems present. Where might the notebook reside in this mysterious cluttered environment?
A small bedroom tucked away uncovers another clue. Jumping onto the unkempt bed reveals a scribbled note. My programming knowledge allowed me to decipher this foreign script into coherent meaning. Readers, head my advice to always thoroughly examine readable documents in gameplay environments! Campfire stories tell of great quest rewards denied simply by skipping textual lore nuggets. This translated bedsheet points towards a specific bookcase that hides Doc’s secure locker harboring the goods. Retrieve this penultimate volume to unite records from the past almost fully now. Our journey nears its climax!
The Final Testament Tempts From Clementine‘s Window
A mere two structures down from Doc’s scientific sanctum lies our last area to infiltrate – Clementine’s apartment. However, simple entry proves deceptively elusive in the final stretch. Identify the correct building by the Outsider insignia then traverse around seeking vulnerabilities for infiltration. An open window missing its glass pane along one wall delivers the solution. Vaulting inside however blocks progress via a glass security door with a considerable gap separating the panels. Channel agile gymnastic reflexes by carefully squeezing through without touching to enter Clementine’s private study. This proved the ultimate test blending observation, dexterity, and cunning.
The final notebook awaits openly as your reward, almost brazenly displayed beside her terminal and keyboard. Obtaining this last piece felt climatically earned and unleashed a wave of euphoria at fully unlocking this branch of secrets. An immense profound satisfaction flows through from persevering through puzzles sequential and spatial. I gained appreciation for environmental narrative structure in games allowing players to organically participate in embedded stories simply by existing and navigating such realized spaces. The worldbuilding supported through details surrounding these notebooks now nearly complete captivated me unlike most modern game writing. Let these impressions persuade you to experience Stray’s woven adventure and hidden depth firsthand!
Conclusion: Rediscover The Past, Find The Future
Through inquisitive searching supported by brave parkour traversal, between uncovering hidden climbing paths or leveraging chance environment affordances, the 4 rare notebooks now sit collected fully chronicling knowledge from the past. Details and diagrams by past humans educating subsequent robot generations to kindle hope of escaping one day to the fabled lands beyond form a unifying mythology pushing their shared ambition forward. By aiding them as an equally trapped cat, you further your own prospects while driving the liberation narrative. With their compiled counsel finally complete, additional zones and conversations now unlock across stray to fuel the next steps escaping this urban prison for both parties. From city hub checkpoints, atmospheric environmental traversal, puzzle-based barriers, enriching banter with eccentric robots for seemingly trivial errands – each element immerses into the cohesive experience. Let their imaginative vision stir you to grab ledge or clear jump in pursuit of what lies ahead.
