STRAY Game Review Cat Cyberpunk for Everyone
A rare game can boast that from the very announcement, it has experienced exceptionally warm feelings. No scandals, controversial decisions, questions about style… This feline “cyberpunk adventure” is full of interest and tenderness.
It seems that the developers from BlueTwelve Studio did not set themselves the goal of making a “cyberpunk dream” come true, but simply to create a relatively small, good, and cozy game for almost everyone. Especially for lovers of clever and cute kittens.
One way or another, the game was very much expected, and the wait was worth it.
The future has come. For some, it has become rather sad, but our little hero does not lose heart, wandering around the world in the company of friends. However, the initial fun and sincere joy of the player are soon replaced by completely different feelings: we suddenly find ourselves on the other side of the world and heat, in a world of robots and creatures much more dangerous.
In such a difficult situation, an ordinary person and even a rather skilled robot would quickly give up, but the hero of Stray is not a timid one. If you know that your path lies only forward, and somewhere in front of you, besides, beckoning lights flash, then you are on your way! As quickly or calmly as possible, contemplating the familiar-strange world around, jumping from place to place and finding a lot of interesting things.
For example, soon the B-12 robot will join our ginger, which will help the hero interact with the environment (although we will often help him too – because he does not have sharp claws and such observation!) and simply communicate with other robots. By the way, the language here is not at all the one we are used to, and even time goes differently.
If everything is clear with the goal of our hero – you need to return home, to your loved ones, then sometimes they amuse, and sometimes touch the desires of those we meet on the way: romantics and pragmatists, musicians, street dancers and brave adventurers who wish, like we, a better life somewhere up there.
According to rumors, somewhere high, high, there is an Outside – although not the promised land, it is good, light, and beautiful there. And what sunsets there, what beaches! As in a fairy tale: “You stand on the shore and you feel the salty smell of the wind that blows from the sea. And you believe that you are free, and life has just begun … ”
And someone’s dreams are much simpler: that robot wants to find a father (yes), they don’t like Big Brother watching them, and the other just loves music and wants to learn new melodies on the guitar. Let them be robots, but they are very similar to us. Not in everything, of course, but still … Talking with them thanks to the B-12 is sometimes very interesting.
No, there are no characters on the level of Red Dead Redemption 2 or The Last of Us, and there is no dialogue system here either. But the developers managed to create cute or repulsive images that in most cases will cause an emotional reaction. You listen to that musician and think: “ Yes, he plays, of course, terribly! But how hard he tries! “.
Ultimately, the game does not force (or rather, does not always force) to help everyone you meet, but in the end, you yourself want these robots to do well.
There are also those who are not particularly happy with our voyage through the depths of human civilization. Biological life here is represented by a kind of head crabs, nicknamed Turks. Alone or in pairs, they pose no threat. When there is a couple of dozen of them… Well, running away in this situation is quite a reasonable decision.
Zukas is responsible in the game for the player to feel the adrenaline rush. Yes, sometimes it will be possible to escape from them, although what chases sometimes happen here! Yes, sometimes they can be deceived, and sometimes they can be defeated – and yet this or that dirty trick, no, no, but sticks to our hero, depriving him of mobility … And other Zurkas are only happy to help him deal with the uninvited cat as soon as possible.
Sooner or later you get used to enemies, and even new enemies do not seem to you, such as dangerous opponents. But the journey from the fear of the unknown to the feeling of superiority is beautiful (after all, cats are much smarter than they seem!). Moreover, on the way between this or that “safe zone”, we will still see something reminiscent of Resident Evil or The Evil Within a couple of times.
But despite some horror elements, Stray is a game about exploration. The Stray universe is full of mysteries and questions, and not all of them are answered. On the one hand, it’s sad that this sudden thing appears in the game for only a few seconds – so little for so much! .. On the other hand, the developers retain a huge potential to talk about it sometime in the future.
Stray hardly requires the player to make quick decisions, although there are some very dynamic scenes, and sometimes you expect it to start now! .. Sometimes it starts, and sometimes it doesn’t. And because of this, it may seem that the game is too calm and does not throw a challenge that could satisfy the thrill-seeker.
If you tune in the right way and accept that the developers have properly invested in the stylistic design of the game and the narrative through the environment, you can get real pleasure in the most dynamic and calmest moments. We can leisurely run through the streets of the city, notice the air conditioner, jump on it, jump even higher, and again and again, and then find ourselves on a seemingly inaccessible roof, finding an unobvious secret …
Moreover, from the very first seconds of the game, it is clear that the developers love cats with all their hearts. The authors have created so many actions that are completely unnecessary for the passage, but allow you to convey the characters’ characters. Our hero can make a dirty trick and “knock down” a random passerby, and here he will find a wonderful place to sleep and purr, and he will like this robot so much that he decides to rub it against his leg.
Given that such a small but rich-in-detail game was created by a rather small studio, one can only imagine what would happen if the team had a large budget and opportunities. There would be no bugs (which are more likely to amuse than interfere with the passage), and strange physics (for example, our super cat can make everything that is not screwed almost fly). But I want to believe that the problems found will be fixed – or they will leave something as a fun feature.
European developers often delight us with beautiful and good games, and Stray in this regard (and in some ways in terms of gameplay) resembles A Plague Tale: Innocence, which pleasantly surprised many three years ago. You, your parents, and your children may like these adventures of a cat – they will definitely be delighted with the main character. And with fairly simple riddles, they can do even better than you!
Ultimately, Stray, while not claiming to be the greatest video game of all time, the best game of the generation, or just the game of the year, may well compete for at least the last award, as It Takes Two successfully fought before. This adventure gives bright and positive emotions, leaving after passing the desire to learn more about both the hero and the game world.
About localization
The text in the dialogues, the description, and the environment necessary for passing is well translated into Russian. The voice acting of robots and cats is excellent.
Verdict
A wonderful adventure, the authors of which love both their creation and their hero. Such sincerity towards life cannot but bribe. So it’s really hard not to fall in love with Stray!
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