Not many people would have predicted that PlayStation’s biggest release in July 2022 would be a third-person adventure game about a cat, but Stray is a perfect choice as a leading game. A refreshing change of pace from the big-budget action-heavy releases that otherwise carry the game release calendar, you do not necessarily have to be a cat lover to get the most out of it – though it certainly helps.
The unnamed protagonist is a wandering ginger cat who lives in a world where humanity died out long ago. As he sets out with his cat family, he gets, in a mistimed leap, to plunge into the depths of a mysterious, long-forgotten world. The dilapidated dystopian cyber city is a mix of garbage alleys, murky sewers and neon-lit back streets, but even though humans may have been wiped out hundreds of years before, there are still secrets to be revealed. With the help of a mysterious flying drone companion called B-12, the cat sets out to reach out again.
A world without humans
The world below may be deprived of humans, but it is still occupied by their robot workers, only these have evolved to be sensuous with their own personalities. There’s a martial arts-loving Guardian, a musician who’s lost his music, and a mischievous duo who throw paint cans in a row until one gets lost to create clutter on the street below. This may interest you : USFL Championship Game: ‘No. Finale recap 1 rated show. Aside from clothes, these look mostly identical, except for the charming and diverse range of faces that give more of an idea of their personality. The robots are peaceful for the most part, and their city is a welcome refuge where they help propel the story forward, as well as occasionally handing out side quests.
Most of the missions and the overall gameplay involve exploring the forgotten world and solving simple puzzles to open up new realms. The journey is divided into chapters, some of which focus on linear environments that go from one destination to another with a guided path. Other areas take the form of cities in the open world, where players have to work much harder, especially in terms of the paths the cat can take to reach rooftops and buildings that would be inaccessible to larger creatures. The puzzles make wise use of the cat’s limited abilities without being too repetitive or overcomplicated. For the odd occasion you can get stuck, the B-12 has hints, though I never thought these were more than a reminder of my current goal and not very helpful.
Developer BlueTwelve Studio is clearly a lover of cats and has studied their movements intensely. These movements are very accurate, such as the cat’s agility, which allows you to scale landscapes such as rubbish bins, pipes and air conditioners to reach the roofs, but not to climb impossible heights. It will hiss at surprises it considers threatening, cuddle friendly robots, meow to attract attention and even hide in the spread of cardboard boxes scattered around the city. Getting robots to stumble upon him never got old. The only downside is that the scratch animations rarely match the control inputs, so most of the time the players do not know if it works.
B-12 is there to do everything the cat can not. He can translate robot conversations as they have even created their own language. He can operate electronics such as door contacts and transform useful objects into furniture, which the cat carries on its back in a harness. The cat’s limitations become even more apparent in those moments when the B-12 is unable to use its abilities. They can solve puzzles using each other’s abilities or even team up to be two places at once.
The horrific side of a dystopian world
However, not everything in the dystopian city is peaceful. Outside the safe zones, one can find the lasting effects of the pandemic. A horrible vein-like case covers surfaces and takes over all previous life. To see also : Atari turns 50: A look back at the original name in video games. Zurks, pink climbing creatures that look suspiciously like Half Life’s head crabs and are just as dangerous, burst from pulsating sacks when they detect movements nearby. They are the biggest challenge that prevents the cat from returning to the outside and will easily kill him.
Zurks will not hesitate to swarm the cat and they result in hunting sequences that are easily the most stressful parts of the game. There is nothing more frustrating than trying to figure out what to do now while being haunted by hordes of bloodthirsty and metal-hungry Zurks. They also highlight a surprising limitation of the cat’s movements, as he cannot jump over them. Jumping is limited to climbing around the landscape and only when a button prompt is highlighted, a decision that seems a bit dubious with how agile cats can be. Other problems included some minor visual flaws, including a wandering robot that got stuck. The movement was also choppy enough in places that it gave me motion sickness after a few hours of play – I would advise turning down the look sensitivity from the default setting if that’s sometimes a problem for you.
Stray Review: Final Verdict
Despite the bizarre slip-up, Stray is a (mostly) relaxing game that takes clever cat interactions and turns them into a compelling adventure. The story of 8-10 hours (on a complete run) will certainly pull at the heartstrings in some places, but will not exceed its welcome. See the article : 10 Overlooked Video Games in Great Franchises | ScreenRant. The gameplay is simple enough that it can be enjoyed by all ages, although the younger children may find the Zurk pictures a little scary. Those who play Stray on PlayStation Plus should definitely try this one, while those who want to buy the game upon release should not hesitate much.
