LogFAQs > #970778947

27. Stray (2022)
https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/5/5/1/AABKTfAAEFHv.jpg

Being a cat in Stray feels good. Jumping is awesome. Moving around feels like you're a cat who's walking/running. There's a meow button, which I pressed all the time. You can run into people's legs and trip them. You can go to sleep in random places. You look adorable when you carry things in your mouth. Just playing as a cat is the highlight of the game, and it might've been a better game if it were just a big open area where you got to just run around being a cat and doing cat things. The game's a bit hit or miss when you're not being a cat, unfortunately. Most of the game functions like an adventure game - you walk around talking to people and finding items, which you use to solve puzzles and help people in various ways. I'm not a big fan of adventure game puzzles, and while these are competent enough, I found some of them frustrating. For example, one task was to disable a security camera, which was easy, but I couldn't see the camera so it took me forever to complete.

There are also some action/stealth sequences, where you have to avoid being caught by various enemies. These are generally solid, if not exceptional. Running at full speed as a cat feels good, and figuring out your way around enemies can be fun. Meowing to attract attention is a neat trick. The best part of the game (other than just being a cat) is the world. The backstory of everything is pretty good, the characters you encounter are interesting, and the post-apocalyptic society that's evolved is mostly unique and compelling. The city's designed to be fun to traverse as a cat, too. Early on you get a companion who spends most of the game with you, and that companion adds some fun spice to the game. There are some solid emotional scenes too, though nothing hit me as hard as the incredible intro sequence, which threatened to make me cry.

The graphics are also excellent, and the music is great. The creators clearly felt that greater fidelity would enhance the sensation of feeling like a cat, and I think they were right. I've seen some people complain that the game is too short, but I definitely didn't feel that way at all. In fact, it could've benefited from being even shorter - less adventure game stuff would enhance the 'being a cat' part of the game even further. Still, I enjoyed the experience. I wonder how future cat games like Little Kitty, Big City will match up?

Next game hint: this game was a nice reversal after all those Touhou games I played ten years ago.