For me, the most memorable scene wasn’t when I was running from a pack of parasitic enemies.
It’s the authentic feline moments that make the game special rather than its video game-y ones. For instance, one brief stretch of the game introduces a combat mechanic that disappears before it can really develop. Those ideas help bring some variety to the game, though they can feel a little obligatory at times. To widen out the list of actions players can do, Stray gives its cat hero a drone companion that handles the more basic adventure game tropes like trading items with NPCs. It’s the authentic feline moments that make the game special … There are a small handful of traditional puzzles that require brainwork, like using written clues to figure out safe combinations, but Stray doesn’t quite find as many ways to utilize the few skills players have as well as, say, Untitled Goose Game. Some of the charm gets lost in those moments, as I’d almost forget I was controlling a cat altogether once the adventure game auto-pilot kicked in. By the end of my journey, it felt like just about any non-platforming puzzle was solved by scratching or knocking something over. There are limits to what Stray’s able to do with its feline setup. Even totally optional interactions, like finding a good book nook to nap in, are joyfully clever. A stealth section had me jumping into boxes to hide from patrolling drones. For instance, scratching a door might cause an annoyed robot to swing it open, allowing you to dart inside. BlueTwelve Studio has a blast here figuring out how standard cat behaviors can twist into navigation tools. Separated from its family after dropping into a walled city full of sentient robots, the furry hero has to use its unique skills to solve puzzles and escape the mysterious slums. That premise allows for some creative gameplay decisions that are always a delight to discover. It’s your everyday pet that naps and scratches couches. The game’s orange hero isn’t some anthropomorphized, talking tabby running around on two legs. Stray has perhaps the easiest selling point in the history of video games: Live out your ultimate fantasy by controlling a totally normal cat.
Much has been made about the game’s adorable feline lead since the game was first announced, but Stray isn’t just a cute gimmick it’s a forward-thinking science-fiction game about our increasingly complicated connection with technology.īetween its clever (though limited) gameplay ideas and weighty social commentary, Stray is a special experience that works best as a futuristic mood piece. Developed by BlueTwelve Studio, the adventure game imagines a not-too-unbelievable future where humans have destroyed themselves, leaving overgrown plants, animals, and sentient robots to take charge of the Earth.
Stray explores that very intersection with a sense of cat-like curiosity.
0 kommentar(er)
