Stray Review

Introduction

Having had Stray on my radar for a little while, I finally chose to pick it up in the steam sale. And wow I'm glad I did. Stray is a charming and visually stunning adventure that consistently impressed me throughout.

You begin in the overworld with your cat friends (which serves as a tutorial) before you fall and are then stuck down in a strange underground civilisation, on your own. There are a few main areas which you go through, each generally looking even cooler than the last, all having their own style and range of NPCs and quests in them.

This review is going to be very short because it's hard to find much to say about it without spoiling anything - it's just a visually stunning adventure game where you play as a cat. I'll let the pictures speak for themselves...

Meow

While this seems like just a game where you just happen to be a cat, this completely changes how you perceive the world. A closed door? Can't open that... A bin that you can jump on to then jump onto a sign to then go through the ventilation? Easy peasy! You have to really think like a cat to traverse the world.

There's also so much extra stuff that wasn't necessary but just makes it feel more like you are a cat. Whether the dedicated meow button on the keyboard or the ability to scratch on rugs you see, you really feel like you are a cat throughout the whole experience.

Visuals

The visuals for this game are absolutely stunning. While it starts off looking quite normal, the vibrant colours of the underground civilisation are simply amazing. This is one of the best looking games I have ever played.

Level Design

Building a space for cats, but one that looks like it was built by humans, is extremely difficult and they have absolutely nailed it. Traversing the world was always fun and interesting even if it was sometimes unclear where to go next. While it was easy to get lost, the game was good at locking me into areas so I don't stray too far off the path I need to be on.

Also, the game does not feature any quest markers etc., forcing you to pay attention to the dialogue and engage with the world rather than just mindlessly going to the next waypoint. Moving around the world was genuinely really enjoyable, which is great because this is what you spend most of your time doing.

Platforming

The platforming basically consisted of looking in the direction you want to go and then clicking the button to jump. While this was the right choice over a more free approach, it was sometimes a bit clunky as it didn't always manage to find the platform I wanted to jump to.

Combat

There is some combat, although infrequent. It generally felt quite good although nothing outstanding. I didn't initially realise that the weapon can be fired backwards.

Weaknesses

Writing

The writing can be funny but is generally quite weak. I didn't find listening to NPCs that interesting by itself.

Camera

Pretty good but didn't always have the camera in the right place making it sometimes difficult to see what I'm doing

Autosave

While it saved quite a lot, it wasn't always clear where it had last saved and hence when it was safe for me to quit the game

Animations

The cat animations were good, but still a little bit off from what a real cat looks like

Performance & Bugs

Performance was good, although I kept having a really annoying bug that tabbed me out at random times, sometimes in the middle of combat.

Conclusion

Stray is a brilliant game. I haven't said much about it here because I don't want to spoil anything, but it's just a really great game with a solid art style and excellent level design all made for a cat. If you've ever wondered what it's like to be a cat, or you're just looking for a game that makes you think about the world in a different way, now's your chance.

More Pictures

I have more pictures and I couldn't decide which ones to include so I've added more...