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Cats are all over the internet. They are the subject of memes, card games and even have their own day. But in the video game world, cats are criminally underrepresented. There are very few projects with cats in the lead role, and those games have not really stood out until now.

“Stray” has captured the hearts of players and has emerged as the game of the summer. It is a third-person – or maybe I should say third-kitty – adventure game, in which players take on the role of an unnamed cat who has been separated from his friends after making a bad jump and into a mysterious underground facility called Walled City 99. has fallen.

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Robots in “Stray” take the cat for granted, and they take a close look at the little creature. (Annapurna Interactive)

AN EPIC JOURNEY WITH HELP
The cat’s goal is to return to his friends, but he’ll have to venture through the run-down streets and apartment buildings of the seemingly deserted city. All that remains are robots, which have a sense and act almost like humans, and cute but voracious creatures called Zurks. It’s a bizarre situation for the cat to navigate, but as players venture through the campaign’s 12 chapters, they’ll get help in the form of a drone called B-12.

With the help of the witty bot, they discover the secrets of Walled City 99 and the fate of the people who once lived there. It’s a six-hour adventure, but the developers at BlueTwelve Studio put so much care and style into the setting and storytelling that players won’t mind the short length.

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Walled City 99 provides a perfect playground for the cat in “Stray”. (Annapurna Interactive)

AN UNFORGETTABLE SETTING
“Stray” sucks players into its hypnotic cyberpunk world. The alleys, railings and balconies in the enclosed city are a perfect cat playground. Players can use the cat’s supernatural poise and agility to sneak through the maze of pipes or hop over air conditioners poking out of walls.

Traversal is not free and easy; instead, it’s built for a methodical approach that ties into the more cerebral gameplay. As the cat, players must help the robots that have managed to build a society underground. They discover side missions like finding sheet music for a guitarist or collecting flowers for a gardener. Those simple tasks reward the cat with badges that are displayed on the harness the cat is wearing.

These activities aren’t complicated or hugely rewarding, but they give players an excuse to explore the beautifully detailed world. That in itself is an attractive part of ‘Stray’. The rich environment is conducive to letting players imagine life as a cat, turning the game into a kind of cat simulator. Through the natural curiosity of players, they will discover that doors and benches can be scratching posts. They will find rugs to paw on and nooks to nap in. They’ll even knock pots and other items off the shelves, a devilishly fun activity in a video game, but a huge annoyance in real life.

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The cat in “Stray” encounters a bone called B-12, which has a fascinating history. (Annapurna Interactive)

THE STORY ELEMENT
While it’s fun to play as a bum, BlueTwelve gives the campaign a sense of urgency when the cat and B-12 find a group of robotic rebels called the Outsiders trying to get outside the walls. The main missions are related to this framework and they contain heavier puzzle and action elements.

The puzzles aren’t too hard to figure out and involve finding ways to enter a closed store or distract a store owner long enough to steal a coat. Often there is only one solution and the developers make it quite clear through an interaction.

Further into the campaign, the “Stray” gameplay evolves and offers players more action as they use a device called Defluxor to zurk the Zurks that threaten the cat and B-12. The fancy flashlight has a certain amount of energy, so players will have to eliminate a Zurk and run away for the device to charge.