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(100%/All Achievements Review/Essay)
Bits and Pieces
Through the deliverance of Stray, the developers at Annapurna Interactive unveil a feline-based, cyberpunk/post-apocalyptic, puzzle-platforming adventure that contemporaneously serves as a testament to the brilliance of cats and the ingenuity of artificial intelligence, all whilst acquainting you with nuanced themes concerning social commentary, particularly those relating to socioeconomic inequality/class disparity, autocratic conglomerates, mass-surveillance of an overcrowded populace, law enforcement allotted misconduct, and run-of-the-mill capitalistic greed. Stray is not an open-world game; it is instead linear, finite, and narrative-driven. Actions are manifested by the dint of context-sensitive button mashes rather than freeform movement, but it actually integrates swimmingly.
The current enactment of Walled City 99's bleak future (which appears to have taken inspiration from either the former Kowloon Walled City of Hong Kong, Tokyo, or both) takes place within a pocket-sized set of parameters that invoke claustrophobia when on the ground, in close proximity; but from an omnipresent perspective, this singular Walled City is an exemplification of many; the monolithic vastitude of greenery still subsisting beyond the combined hermetic fortifications that the masses are now imprisoned in. This specific conundrum reminds me of John Wheeler's theory that elementary quantum phenomena/states of matter do not exist until observed; although nobody but the Outsiders and wildlife are present to validate the corporality of a world outside of their edifice, nature flourishes indomitably.
Anyway, inside the industrialist-Brutalist structures, humankind has gone extinct. The remaining dynamism consists of a population of androids, now advanced enough to imitate human behavior and emotions. Mimicry goes as far as simulating social order, talents, hobbies (for example, a street musician called Morusque), activities like gardening, reproduction itself, and so on. The neon-bathed streets, alongside the verticality of the upper levels, co-opt a sundry of businesses (a laundromat dubbed Super Spirit Laundry, a tailor/open-air clothing market known as Grandma Clothing, a mechanical repair service deemed Elliot Programming, nightclubs, RAMen shops, and the list continues). Esoteric conspiracy theorists thrive, creating their own communities; Peacemakers/robocops christened as Sentinels abuse their power. Despite it all, individuality triumphs (in a game detail sense, not meta-socially).
What is my role here?
Simply put, you take control of a cat. Hailing from "the Outside" (which the denizens of Midtown and the Slums purport as mere fantasy), surrounded by participants of your species, a misstep during your stroll through the drably cinereal, vegetation-emblazoned embankment sends you blundering down the pipes leading to the caliginous gutter of the inner-city. You absorb the impact, and you endure. Stray is replete to the brim with adorable, accurately-scripted animations, permitting you to rub against people's legs, topple objects over, and trip robots (which is quite funny), along with fundamentally all domestic housecat mannerisms known to humanity. Scratching surfaces transfers claw indentations, and strutting through paint disperses paw tracks, both dissipating shortly after. Wreak havoc, and initiate the process of comprehending why cats do the things they do.
(Light spoilers below. Only integral to the plot, not the finale.)
Amid your perilous trek, danger awaits. The foreboding Neco corporation bioengineered flora that doesn't require sunlight, in juxtaposition to a more ominous invention, those being bacterial organisms responsible for waste management. Hundreds to thousands of years later, salmon-tinged, gloopy, flesh-like admixture congests every crevice of the blockaded rooftops. Light fixtures nestled within these globs are reminiscent of insect larvae. Antedating this, your passage to the Slums familiarizes you with dwarfish, albeit violently ravenous, critters labeled "Zurks." But don't worry; via your journey toward civilization, illuminated motifs guide you to an apartment housing a puny floating cyborg, who insists you refer to him as "B-12." Possibly an even more crucial character than yourself, B-12 exists to further the story, translate the robot's language, zap your enemies into ash particles, and so on. After this moment, you'll don a vest with a panel on the back, suitable for displaying technical prompts and transporting your new companion.
Closing Remarks
Fortunately, I can say that the glitches in this game were incredibly scarce. Stray performs smoothly and executes that accomplishment attractively. Ray tracing, coupled with kaleidoscopic ambient lighting on the backdrop of captivatingly designed + interactive environments, makes for a comfortably alluring equation. With an i7-9700 Intel Core, RTX 2070, and 16GB of RAM, the sole bug I happened upon pertained to a fallen bucket freezing and infinitely playing rolling audio while coincidently having lost the ability to budge. Since the sounds in-game echo across the landscape, these interactions can be especially irritating, unless you physically tune them out or lower the settings a few clicks. Also, while I genuinely believe that the central plot is captivating in all the desirable ways (you wonder what'll eventuate next, you develop bonds with the fictional characters athwart your screen, etc.) I feel that for some, it may beget lackluster impressions or reactions. And that's okay too!
The game can be completed in 2 hours (which I know because there is a speedrun achievement dedicated to this), or you can take 10 hours to soak up thought-provoking dialogue uttered by the robots, scout out collectibles, or plainly put, assume the form of the aggravating prankster you've always wanted to be. Stray may recapitulate to nothing more than a walking simulator for some, it may linger in your memory for a considerable amount of time; but regardless, I've deduced that it is a positively well-made experience, on par with the quality of a few AAA games. It's gut-wrenching, brimming with light-hearted puns, and overall multi-dimensional.
Whether you prefer humanoid protagonists or are a cat fanatic, I'd say that it's worth purchasing on sale. Another plus is that the platinum is ridiculously simple to attain, mainly due to chapter select being reloadable on any occasion (besides the unskippable cutscenes, that, hopefully, they will eventually patch out). I'd even go so far as to recommend this significantly more, given that you do have a specific interest in cats—you'll appreciate it from a standpoint that not everybody gets to undergo. Stray would most likely be around a 7/10 for me; it's not too overbearing, not too simplistic, and I firmly adhere to the belief that more video games should permit you to play as animals, which primarily stemmed from Okami holding the championship belt for existing as one of my utmost cherished games of all-time.
(100%/All Achievements Review/Essay)
Bits and Pieces
Through the deliverance of Stray, the developers at Annapurna Interactive unveil a feline-based, cyberpunk/post-apocalyptic, puzzle-platforming adventure that contemporaneously serves as a testament to the brilliance of cats and the ingenuity of artificial intelligence, all whilst acquainting you with nuanced themes concerning social commentary, particularly those relating to socioeconomic inequality/class disparity, autocratic conglomerates, mass-surveillance of an overcrowded populace, law enforcement allotted misconduct, and run-of-the-mill capitalistic greed. Stray is not an open-world game; it is instead linear, finite, and narrative-driven. Actions are manifested by the dint of context-sensitive button mashes rather than freeform movement, but it actually integrates swimmingly.
The current enactment of Walled City 99's bleak future (which appears to have taken inspiration from either the former Kowloon Walled City of Hong Kong, Tokyo, or both) takes place within a pocket-sized set of parameters that invoke claustrophobia when on the ground, in close proximity; but from an omnipresent perspective, this singular Walled City is an exemplification of many; the monolithic vastitude of greenery still subsisting beyond the combined hermetic fortifications that the masses are now imprisoned in. This specific conundrum reminds me of John Wheeler's theory that elementary quantum phenomena/states of matter do not exist until observed; although nobody but the Outsiders and wildlife are present to validate the corporality of a world outside of their edifice, nature flourishes indomitably.
Anyway, inside the industrialist-Brutalist structures, humankind has gone extinct. The remaining dynamism consists of a population of androids, now advanced enough to imitate human behavior and emotions. Mimicry goes as far as simulating social order, talents, hobbies (for example, a street musician called Morusque), activities like gardening, reproduction itself, and so on. The neon-bathed streets, alongside the verticality of the upper levels, co-opt a sundry of businesses (a laundromat dubbed Super Spirit Laundry, a tailor/open-air clothing market known as Grandma Clothing, a mechanical repair service deemed Elliot Programming, nightclubs, RAMen shops, and the list continues). Esoteric conspiracy theorists thrive, creating their own communities; Peacemakers/robocops christened as Sentinels abuse their power. Despite it all, individuality triumphs (in a game detail sense, not meta-socially).
What is my role here?
Simply put, you take control of a cat. Hailing from "the Outside" (which the denizens of Midtown and the Slums purport as mere fantasy), surrounded by participants of your species, a misstep during your stroll through the drably cinereal, vegetation-emblazoned embankment sends you blundering down the pipes leading to the caliginous gutter of the inner-city. You absorb the impact, and you endure. Stray is replete to the brim with adorable, accurately-scripted animations, permitting you to rub against people's legs, topple objects over, and trip robots (which is quite funny), along with fundamentally all domestic housecat mannerisms known to humanity. Scratching surfaces transfers claw indentations, and strutting through paint disperses paw tracks, both dissipating shortly after. Wreak havoc, and initiate the process of comprehending why cats do the things they do.
(Light spoilers below. Only integral to the plot, not the finale.)
Amid your perilous trek, danger awaits. The foreboding Neco corporation bioengineered flora that doesn't require sunlight, in juxtaposition to a more ominous invention, those being bacterial organisms responsible for waste management. Hundreds to thousands of years later, salmon-tinged, gloopy, flesh-like admixture congests every crevice of the blockaded rooftops. Light fixtures nestled within these globs are reminiscent of insect larvae. Antedating this, your passage to the Slums familiarizes you with dwarfish, albeit violently ravenous, critters labeled "Zurks." But don't worry; via your journey toward civilization, illuminated motifs guide you to an apartment housing a puny floating cyborg, who insists you refer to him as "B-12." Possibly an even more crucial character than yourself, B-12 exists to further the story, translate the robot's language, zap your enemies into ash particles, and so on. After this moment, you'll don a vest with a panel on the back, suitable for displaying technical prompts and transporting your new companion.
Closing Remarks
Fortunately, I can say that the glitches in this game were incredibly scarce. Stray performs smoothly and executes that accomplishment attractively. Ray tracing, coupled with kaleidoscopic ambient lighting on the backdrop of captivatingly designed + interactive environments, makes for a comfortably alluring equation. With an i7-9700 Intel Core, RTX 2070, and 16GB of RAM, the sole bug I happened upon pertained to a fallen bucket freezing and infinitely playing rolling audio while coincidently having lost the ability to budge. Since the sounds in-game echo across the landscape, these interactions can be especially irritating, unless you physically tune them out or lower the settings a few clicks. Also, while I genuinely believe that the central plot is captivating in all the desirable ways (you wonder what'll eventuate next, you develop bonds with the fictional characters athwart your screen, etc.) I feel that for some, it may beget lackluster impressions or reactions. And that's okay too!
The game can be completed in 2 hours (which I know because there is a speedrun achievement dedicated to this), or you can take 10 hours to soak up thought-provoking dialogue uttered by the robots, scout out collectibles, or plainly put, assume the form of the aggravating prankster you've always wanted to be. Stray may recapitulate to nothing more than a walking simulator for some, it may linger in your memory for a considerable amount of time; but regardless, I've deduced that it is a positively well-made experience, on par with the quality of a few AAA games. It's gut-wrenching, brimming with light-hearted puns, and overall multi-dimensional.
Whether you prefer humanoid protagonists or are a cat fanatic, I'd say that it's worth purchasing on sale. Another plus is that the platinum is ridiculously simple to attain, mainly due to chapter select being reloadable on any occasion (besides the unskippable cutscenes, that, hopefully, they will eventually patch out). I'd even go so far as to recommend this significantly more, given that you do have a specific interest in cats—you'll appreciate it from a standpoint that not everybody gets to undergo. Stray would most likely be around a 7/10 for me; it's not too overbearing, not too simplistic, and I firmly adhere to the belief that more video games should permit you to play as animals, which primarily stemmed from Okami holding the championship belt for existing as one of my utmost cherished games of all-time.