Stray, which we analyze today in review, is certainly part of that long list of postponed games that the public could not wait to try for themselves. The reason is obvious: a game with protagonist a cat it's not an everyday thing, although this time we're not going to impersonate the usual anthropomorphic animal (the videogame universe is full of them, after all), but a "real" four-legged feline engaged in a somewhat heroic mission. The title developed by Blue Twelve Studio, a small studio in Montpellier, has in fact put on the plate a project that - however small - has really gone to the utmost to get it out in the best way.
The stray and his friend
Let's start from the basics, that is, from the plot that is the background to the main story: Stray will put us in the shoes (if we can define them so) of a agile stray cat, in a world of clear cyberpunk inspiration. The cat is lost and alone, as he apparently has unfortunately lost his family. His task, therefore, will be to walk the length and breadth of the alleys and roofs of this much larger city, trying to find his way home while revealing some mysterious secrets.
The game, not too surprisingly, is set up as a third person action adventure really very particular: the small and furry protagonist will be able to interact with some elements of the city, especially the robots that are found along the neon streets, droids that will often be more than useful to steal information about our goal and beyond.
In fact, exploration is a key component of the game, a detail on which Stray bases much of the charm of the experience, although we are certainly not talking about an open-world, sandbox or free roaming that is. The scenery that we are going to cross are all rather linear, although from time to time we may deviate from the main route.
To this is added another key piece, namely an adorable robot named B-12 and lives in a backpack: he is able to communicate with the robots present in the city, allowing the cat to perform actions that would also be impossible to perform. Over the course of the adventure B-12 will become more than fundamental, giving us a way to approach the action in a way that is always varied and fun. This is because, and it is an important point to make in review, Stray it is certainly not just any platformer starring a cat: jumping around the game world, walking on all fours on futuristic architectures and machinery, is often quite a simple undertaking.
For example, in the event that we are called to arrive on the top of a building, we will have to do it using it wisely air conditioners and fire escapes, which will be highlighted on the screen with a indicator. Making the wrong jumps or not finding the right path is therefore almost impossible. If on the one hand this thus nullifies the challenge rate, on the other hand it will make our raids feline fluid and never slowing down whatsoever, including the total absence of frustration from sudden deaths.
The gameplay, therefore, is almost entirely focused on the skills of the cat: yes, not even one is missing button dedicated to the meow, also because emitting verses will sometimes serve to solve some small ones environmental puzzles. Just as behaving like a cat also implies a whole series of actions typical of our four-legged friends, but at the same time very dangerous, such as climbing a tree or jumping from one ledge to another with the all too concrete danger of falling. in the void.
In addition, we will also be given the opportunity to perform real ones paws, useful not only to scratch a door, but also to emit sounds and noises useful to disturb a possible opponent (in this regard, the use of the Dualense on PS5 will return a very realistic scratching feel, thanks to the sensitivity of adaptive triggers).
A mancare almost entirely, they are i fighting: BlueTwelve has in fact preferred to avoid who knows what clashes, preferring chases and escapes against enemies very similar to mice, thus giving greater prominence to the stealth element (see the ability of our cute feline friend to hide under objects such as some classic cardboard boxes , in perfect Solid Snake style).
At the level technical, BlueTwelve's small but talented Canadian team has set up a gem to be admired: the world of Stray is in fact a truly beautiful cyberpunk fresco to see, a world in which the use of lighting and colors, as well as the density of lights and much more, give back a feed that is at times sensational, especially if you is lovers of the genre. L'almost total absence of uploads it also helps to dive even deeper into the adventure, which - alas - will come to close really too soon: they will in fact 6/7 hours of gameplay required (and we are keeping wide) to reach the end credits, a really too low duration despite the undoubted quality of the production.
Review
- Stray7.5Voto Finale
Stray, net of the brevity of the experience, is a game undoubtedly able to stand out from the crowd: BlueTwelve has created a truly surprising four-legged cyberpunk adventure, in which attention to detail and a certain love for felines will make the trip truly one of a kind. The cyberpunk world set up by the developers - experienced by the eyes of a cat and its cute droid in the backpack - will undoubtedly make you want to jump from roof to roof, as well as scratch sofas around for the next few weeks. .
