Stray Reviews
Stray delivers on its adorable cat adventure premise, but its excellent atmosphere and strong sci-fi storytelling are what elevate it.
Stray merges feline mayhem with a classic cyberpunk setting, inviting you to explore its neon dystopia while never taking itself too seriously.
I’m very high on Stray overall, as you can probably tell by now. It might not quite have the substance and complexity in design to elevate the experience to genre-leading heights, but there’s so little to fault and so much to love about it that I’m certain, cat lover or not, it shouldn’t be missed. Stray is a superb achievement for a debut project from a studio in BlueTwelve that I cannot wait to see more from.
Despite the odd slip-up, Stray is a (mostly) relaxing game that takes clever cat interactions and turns them into a compelling adventure. The 8-10 hour story (on a completionist’s run) will certainly tug on the heartstrings in places but will not overstay its welcome. The gameplay is simple enough that it can be enjoyed by all ages although the younger children may find the Zurk imagery a bit scary. Those playing Stray on PlayStation Plus should definitely give this one a go, while those looking to buy the game on release should not have much hesitation.
Stray does a great job at letting you act like a cat, turning a wide range of true-to-life feline behaviors into clever gameplay mechanics. But it's much less successful at making you truly feel like a cat, as the game's more conventional approach to its gameplay and story routinely shatters your immersion in odd ways. If you can suspend your disbelief and look past the missed opportunity of a more cohesive experience, however, there's a lot to like in its moody cyberpunk world and varied challenges.
Stray is a wonderfully crafted game. It not only manages to successfully immerse you in the role of an adorable cat, where exploration is key, but it also tells an engaging science-fiction story along the way.
Even though Stray from BlueTwelve Studio has been out for a year, it’s still a joy to play on the Xbox Series X. The story is still a wonderful journey, the gameplay is still easy-peasy, and the visuals are still out of this-world gorgeous.
What's the secret of earned success? A cat + cyberpunk. A small adventure game from a small developer dazzled the whole world and it doesn’t seem that the spell will break anytime soon. Stray really is an incredible game.
Review in Polish | Read full review
Stray's strength is delivering a fun gameplay experience in playing as one of the world's most adored animals. While its story isn't going to be attempting to say anything new about the world, it's hard to pass up the opportunity to play as a cat.
Stray is an adorable game that has you playing as a cat that fetches things for robots in order to get outside of a large underground shelter. You run away from Zurks and security droids as the villains in this game with very smooth controls other than it not having a dedicated jump button.
A lusciously dense world of natural beauty colliding with cyber-future grimness is ready to be explored from a uniquely tiny perspective. Stray tells a surprisingly emotional tale that instantly grips during its opening moments and doesn't relent until its closing scene. A standout release so far this year, Stray proves to be so much deeper than just a cat adventure game.
Stray is one of those rare games that manage to be narratively intriguing, dynamically fun, and addictively replayable all at once. If you like cats, or even if you just like great adventure games, this is a must-play.
B-12's memories are a kind of collectible you'll have to search for, and a few optional side-quests require scrounging up assorted bric-a-brac, but Stray doesn't make you wander about examining every nook and cranny for something you may or may not actually need. That's a good thing for a videogame, but if you were hoping to really just play as a cat doing cat-like things, "pointlessly searching for stuff you don't need" would be exactly what you wanted. The cat game might be less about the cat and more about the existential crises facing mankind and the artificial intelligences that will be left behind, but at least there's a dedicated meow button.
Stray is a brisk and relentlessly charming adventure that offers a very unique window into a gorgeous sci-fi world. It won't challenge your mind or your reflexes too much but it'll absolutely delight your senses. Importantly, it's a video game with a dedicated 'meow' button, and what could possibly be better than that?
Stray somehow manages to endear at the same time it feels like it's overstaying its welcome. At the end of the day, though, this cat-lover was won over by its sheer charm.
Overall, Stray surprised me in how well it wears its features and themes on its sleeve and how well crafted said features are. It's a game created for cat lovers by cat lovers, but with features and mechanics everyone can enjoy irrespective of age or pet preference. It's just too bad that the journey you'll go on, while memorable, is incredibly short, at only about eight hours long.
Stray is at its best when it lets you do the things you'd expect from a cat – sleeping on cozy pillows, meowing, or scratching sofas – but fails to build consistently compelling gameplay around these flavorful bits. Although it creates a believable world, I found it hard to connect with the robots you encounter across its forgotten city, making the game's admittedly grand climax feel hollow.
Stray is a game oozing with charm and can be considered a must-play for cat lovers looking for something new to pounce on and sink their teeth into.
Stray is a short and sweet game, with a unique and immersive adventure from a cat's point of view under a beautiful cyberpunk vision. The story of this lonely city and stray cats will still linger on.
Review in Chinese | Read full review
Stray reminds of the good old adventure games with puzzles and little sandbox sections. Besides the cute protagonist, you're gonna love the other characters and their stories.
Review in Italian | Read full review