The long-awaited release of the “cat simulator” strayed has surpassed the hype, shattered records for publisher Annapurna on PC and made a PlayStation Plus Extra subscription more attractive. strayed has won critics and fans alike despite its short runtime. It has even become a favorite among the mod community, with creative players replacing the protagonist with classic video game heroes like Spyro the Dragon.
From the moment it debuted at a PS5 reveal event, strayed stood out for its feline protagonist and caught the attention of the cat-obsessed internet. But what makes playing? strayed exceptional, even when the novelty wears off, is the setting. strayedThe post-human world gives the game a sense of mystery and melancholy. While it makes for a distinctive experience, strayed is not unique in gaming history. An exclusive PlayStation 3 called Tokyo Jungle has a similar, if not much weirder, take on playing as an animal in a post-apocalyptic world.
10 years earlier strayed hit two generations of PlayStation consoles, Tokyo Jungle was released for the PlayStation 3. The game is set in a desolate Tokyo, a decade after the mysterious disappearance of humanity. Replacing the bustling activity of a thriving human metropolis, this version of Tokyo is populated by a wide variety of animals. This urban animal kingdom ranges from escaped zoo animals like lions to wild pets like one of the game’s starting characters, a Pomeranian.
Tokyo JungleGameplay differs depending on whether players play as a carnivore or a herbivore. Carnivores, including the Pomeranian, must hunt for food and engage in deadly battles with other animals to claim territory. The tall grass allows them to use stealth to sneak past enemies or drop them before attacking. However, they are not as dependent on the grass as herbivores, which cannot fight and must instead use the grass to sneak past and evade predators.
Whichever animal players choose, the goal is the same: to stay alive long enough to mark their territory and attract a mate. This is easier said than done. Time is running out fast Tokyo Jungle, with years passing by in a matter of minutes. As players attempt to secure their territory and deal with predators, they must keep an eye on a constantly depleting hunger gauge, which predicts death if it reaches zero.
By finding a partner, players can pass on their skills to a new generation. Their heir will also walk with a pack, that is Tokyo Jungle‘s version of extra lives. Unlocking nests allows players to save – but in a move that shows how little the game cared about modern gaming conventions, nests are the only places players can save the game, and they can only be used once. Once the player’s animal and its siblings are dead, the game is over. There are no sequels, so determined players have to start over.
Tokyo Jungle is a difficult game to categorize. It resembles an unsentimental nature documentary in many ways, with its unwavering portrayal of the kill-or-be-killed reality of life in the food chain. However, it is not without a sense of quirkiness. There are multiple characters that players can unlock through gameplay and DLC, including dinosaurs, robot dogs, and even a Japanese payroll clerk. The animals can also wear clothes such as tracksuits to improve their stats. For a game focused on hunting, the fast-paced gameplay is different from the more intentional hunting modes in games like Horizon Zero Dawn.
Tokyo Jungle was made in collaboration with the legendary Japan Studio, who had a hand in everything from Bloodborne to the Team Ico games. Despite being published exclusively for PlayStation by Son, its indie roots shine through as it was developed by Crispy’s!, a small independent studio. It’s not the most polished game, but it’s hard to keep up with the occasional uneven execution against a game so fully committed to such a bold premise.
However, Tokyo Jungle wasn’t the runaway hit that strayed was going to be. It received solid reviews and was part of a physical compilation of PlayStation Network games, The Best of PlayStation Network Volume 1, which is almost as expensive as a current generation game on the secondary market. A portable grid-based version titled Tokyo Jungle Mobile was released on mobile phones and the oft-overlooked PlayStation Vita. The PlayStation 3 version was also added to PlayStation Plus in 2017.
After skipping a PlayStation generation, Tokyo Jungle is newly accessible on modern hardware, with a caveat. It is part of the newly introduced PlayStation Plus Premium tier. Unfortunately for players with a spotty internet connection, it’s only available as part of the PS3’s streaming library. Anyone who can reliably participate in game streaming would do well to give Tokyo Jungle an attempt as strayed got them in the mood for unique games focused on animals.
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