Although we’re a little late to the party, its never too late to celebrate something great. Stray tells a unique and timeless tale that is perhaps even more relevant in today’s world than it was when the game first launched in 2022. In the role of the titular, Stray, cat, the player will explore an alternative world populated entirely by sentient robots following some great cataclysm. It’s a bleak setting without a single human, but the tale of camaraderie and unexpected friendships that Stray tells has a magic that will stay with you long after the game ends.
One of the reasons that this review is so late is because I played Stray with my daughters at a leisurely pace. They controlled Stray during the gentler exploration and conversational sections, whilst I took over during the faster paced or scarier parts where Stray is chased by the game’s race of tiny, antagonistic bug-like creatures that reminded me of the little leapers in Half-Life.
This variation in gameplay makes Stray perpetually engaging. There are sections where Stray explores vertical spaces that resemble a favela, where tin-roofed houses have been stacked one on top of another as high as you can see, and there are fast-paced, horizontal platforming sessions. Most of the latter involve running either from the bugs or some force of enforcers who clearly don’t take kindly to the presence of our feline friend, or indeed the group of robot friends who dream of a bigger, better life for themselves.
Whilst my girls spent most of their time fixated on the cat (which is cute, and beautifully animated), I found the story of the robot resistance equally interesting. There’s no spoken dialogue in Stray, but there is a lot that is either written (in notes or delivered as text by some of the surviving robots) and a lot that is found in the environmental features.
Exploring Stray as a smallish, highly agile creature that can access skylights, vents and other small spaces gives us what I would describe as privileged access to something that might otherwise be mundane. Yes, the robot shanty town is quite unique in its own design, but viewed often from below the height of a chair or sofa, with the option to press Y and claw a piece of chipboard, the experience is somehow different.
Attention to detail goes a long way in games like Stray, with certain locations featuring cups and other paraphernalia that players can move the cat into to knock them off. In a nod to popular meme’s, there’s even the option to paw at the odd cup and knock them nonchalantly to the floor. This serves no gameplay purpose, but it creates immersion.
Not far into Stray, the player will gain a companion. Without giving too much away, this companion helps bridge the communication gap between cat and robot, again building immersion but helping the game transition to a more purposeful gameplay structure. You can still just knock stuff over if you want, but from this point on you’ll do so with some (still fairly loose) guidelines as to what you’re doing and why.
When Stray comes to an end, it feels as though you’ve been on an epic journey. That’s partly because Sray herself has covered a lot of ground (in cat footsteps) and survived some quite significant encounters, but somehow the small, personal story of the robot friends she interacts with frames the significance of the journey. It’s about doing big things for people that matter to you, about cooperation and teamwork — and it’s even more than those things, it’s about the kindness of strangers.
As games go, 05 There are a few collectibles, but once I’d experienced the story, I didn’t need to go through it all again. On the other hand, as an experience Stray really works — especially when you play it with impressionable younger gamers (but not too young, as it can be quite scary.) If nothing else, Stray has inspired me to find more, similar games to play with the kids in future, such was the positive impact it had on them during the 10-12 hours I spent with it.
You can find Stray on Xbox, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation and PC.
