Stray, the catlike adventure game developed by BlueTwelve Studio and published by Annapurna Interactive is coming soon.
A captivating idea
Stray is a third “person” adventure. Indeed, the game’s protagonist is a cat who finds himself alone, wounded and lost in a mysterious cybernetic city. Only by exploring and solving the mysteries of this inhospitable place he will be able to find his way home.
The game was announced on June 11, 2020. It will be released for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 in summer 2022.
A new perspective
Players will have to deal with the challenges of this harsh environment from the perspective of the cat using its powers to solve puzzles and uncover mysteries along the way.
Experiencing the adventure in the shoes of a cat offers interesting level design opportunities, particularly in the platforming and puzzle elements.
The choice of the Unreal Engine 4 graphics engine allows for very high attention to detail. Thus, over the course of the game, animations appear sinuous, agile and elegant, honouring the feline nature of the protagonist.
Cat-friendly gameplay
A curious fact is that the gameplay experience is heavily inspired by the developers’ cats.
The Creative & Game Director of BlueTwelve Studio stated in the Playstation.Blog: Cats are always so playful, cute and lovingly annoying that it’s an endless stream of gameplay ideas for us.
Cats are known to be curious, crafty, cunning beings, always ready to do anything to get what they want.
These characteristics will also belong to the game’s protagonis. In order to achieve his goal, the cat will make the most of his wits depending on the circumstances. To be reunited with his family, he will have to do everything to survive, from making new friends to defending himself from various threats.
Friends and foes
During his journey the cat will encounter a small drone named B-12. This drone is able to interact with objects in this world and communicate with its strange inhabitants. Thus, together the two will discover the secrets of this forgotten community of human-like machines.
But the machines are not the only inhabitants of the town. Some encounters will not be as friendly toward the feline protagonist. Running fast, jumping and using your skills will therefore be crucial to avoid the dangers that threaten his survival.
A world reflected in the eyes of a cat
Stray promises to be an innovative game. Watching the trailer, it immediately jumps out how the choice of the unusual protagonist is a great device for a new kind of video game experience.
In fact, in addition to the remarkable animations, Stray comes across as a well-rounded and varied game of action and adventure, puzzles and challenges. The unique feline point of view allows the player to slingshot into this world, in human eyes hostile and desolate, in a joyful and calm manner.
This is perhaps the key to the game’s success. The fact that the protagonist is a cat allows for empathy, yes, but with a kind of substantial “limitation” in identification.
After all, the player is supposed to be a human, and no matter how hard he tries, he can never fully understand the feline disposition. Therefore, if the focus is no longer only on the character one directly controls, the protagonist of the game also becomes the world itself, its history, its inhabitants.
How did a cat end up in the maze of this decadent cybernetic city? Why do androids react to the feline’s effusions? Does humanity still exist in this place?
Friends of learning and sensual pleasure,
They seek the silence and the horror of darkness;
Erebus would have used them as his gloomy steeds:
If their pride could let them stoop to bondage.
William Aggeler, Cats, from The Flowers of Evil
