Stray Review – Lost Cat Becomes Revolutionary Cyberpunk

Our Stray review begins by acknowledging the hype surrounding BlueTwelve Studio’s humble indie cat game since its announcement in 2020. The premise is simple yet compelling: a wayward cat is trapped within the walls of an underground city inhabited by robots. To find his colony, he must travel through the city, solve basic puzzles, and unravel the mystery that lies at the heart of this narrative adventure. Not an easy task for a creature that sleeps twelve hours a day.

It’s immediately clear that BlueTwelve Studio has gone to great lengths to ensure that Feel as if you were playing as a cat. Like a real cat, you can jump on surfaces and make objects fly, rip all kinds of upholstery and knock over paint cans with a movement of your paw. These feline idiosyncrasies are silly in the sense that to have to be, but they also function as mechanisms in their own right. Meowing distracts enemies from key positions, while scratching doors or curtains gives you access to hidden areas. During Tramp’s quieter moments, you can curl up in a pile of discarded pillows to take a nap, and even be rewarded for doing so when enough time has passed.

Okay, so the last one isn’t technically a mechanic, but it’s it is so cute.

BlueTwelve Studio may have outfitted its little protagonist with animations suitable for any setting, but to fully interact with everything in the walled city, you often need to summon your robot companion. Placed in a homeless person’s backpack, the B-12 can collect items, hack into terminals, and translate the language of robots into… the language of cats. The B-12 isn’t just a tool though, he’s a character in his own right. They have their own mystery to solve and their autonomy is reflected in the game mechanics; if you’re separated from B-12, you’ll feel that loss deeply in the Stray game.

Some may be disappointed to learn that the rogue walled city is not completely open world. Instead, the twelve chapters of Stray take place in different parts of the city, each with its own mood and class of robot society. But with this approach comes focus and conservation; It is clear that everything inside has been placed with the intention of making the tour of the walled city as exciting as possible, in the spirit of exploration and feline experimentation.

This conservation is particularly evident in the environmental markers of Stray, which is exceptional. Flashlights and emergency lights will glow neon to show you where to go next, and arrows on billboards often point to one of the many collectibles scattered around the world. Fortunately, signs are a natural part of any urban landscape, and the Walled City is so visually busy that these directions rarely seem awkward. Instead, you are gently guided to points of interest on a subconscious level.

Although at first glance they may seem like simple rusty buckets, the inhabitants of the walled city are both strange and surprisingly human. They wear flowery bucket hats and wrap themselves in blankets. Many of the game’s side quests explore the family ties between them: a robot known only as Grandma knits woolen items in his spare time; another mourns the loss of his father, leaning on the bar. In the walled city, robots mimic human emotions and social structures, placing the theme at the center of Tramp’s narrative.

Beneath the sheer joy of playing as a little orange menace lies an authentic cyberpunk narrative that captures the best and worst of humanity, including our inability to right our own wrongs. The walled city is awash in neon lights, as well as a large amount of garbage. The logo of corporate waste management company Neco Corp is displayed throughout the city. Their motto is “Don’t worry about waste, Neco Corp takes care of everything!” sounds hollow in a world filled with discarded beer bottles, cans, and garbage bags. Stray’s development includes a shocking dive into dystopian horror as a dark secret unfolds deep within the walled city.

Special mention deserves the dynamic soundtrack of The Tramp. It’s as much a part of the game’s atmosphere as its visuals, which are characterized by an ethereal fusion that alternates a little upbeat and a great deal of unsettling. Picking up a new item or clue to solve the mystery of the walled city often results in a smooth transition to another clue that deftly captures a parallel shift in the narrative, be it intrigue, mischief, or menace.

Stray is another golden feather in Annapurna Interactive’s hat, embodying what we expect from the games they publish: a polished narrative experience with an emotional and challenging foundation. Her casting choice feels more serious than unnecessary, and her world is a compelling character in her own right. Perhaps most importantly, Stray is BlueTwelve Studio’s first featured game that begs the question: what’s next?