Blue Twelve Studio‘s Stray has captured the hearts of gamers and cat lovers alike with its beautifully realized world seen through the eyes of a lost cyberpunk cat. Released on July 19, 2022 for PlayStation and PC, Stray stands out among other games this year for its sheer artistry, atmosphere, and tight gameplay.
As a professional gamer who has reviewed over 200 titles in the last decade, I will analyze Stray in depth across key areas while providing improvement suggestions. This stray review will cover gameplay, visuals, audio, story, and more – explaining precisely what works and what doesn’t.
Captivating Cat Gameplay Full of Purrfect Platforming
Controlling an adorable ginger cat as the protagonist is undoubtedly Stray‘s biggest draw. The excellent animations and fluid movement truly make players feel like a curious feline traversing across dimly lit cityscapes. Jumping between platforms, balancing on pipes, squeezing through vents – it‘s all brought to life with realistic cat behaviors.
For example, the way the cat squeezes and wiggles to build momentum when leaping long distances sells the physicality. Such smooth, seamless animations make mundane traversal exciting. Players can spend hours just immersed in bumping and prodding objects out of delight thanks to the immersive tactile feedback conveyed through remarkable animations.
Yet beneath the cute exterior lies enjoyable puzzle solving and platforming challenges requiring quick reflexes and creative thinking. Cleverly designed environmental riddles involve locating and pressing switches in time, carrying and fetching key objects for non-player characters, and avoiding deadly obstacles using feline agility.
Mission structure remains varied enough to avoid monotony over the 4-8 hour playtime. One standout has players evading capture from an aggressive sentry robot through tight corridors and quick-thinking escapes that get the heart pumping! Moments like these make Stray‘s gameplay as intense as games costing triple the price.
As per Steam statistics below, over 95% of 30,000+ owners recommend Stray, demonstrating mass appeal going beyond niche platformer fans. In my expert opinion, Stray‘s gameplay innovations, focus on moment-to-moment fun, and overall polish make it one of the best indie projects of 2022.
However, some actions like repetitive clawing do get repetitive over longer play sessions. Still, transversal antics make up the brunt of gameplay, and in the mobility department, Stray shines as bright as a robot‘s neon sign.
