Stray could have been game of the year, but it’s too dark and gloomy

A reader enjoys the indie hit Stray, but feels the joys of controlling a cat would have been enhanced if the game’s setting wasn’t so depressing.

When I finished Stray, I believed that what I had just experienced was one of the best games of the year. I loved the fact that you played like a cat, and I got a kick out of witnessing all his mannerisms and cuteness sprinkled with naughtiness. I enjoyed the game world and admired its unfathomable qualities and kept wondering about the history of Midtown and the cats, all the while galloping or otherwise briskly strolling the lit neon-lit streets and dark, suspicious alleys.

However, after some careful rumination, I feel like Stray is catching himself in a trap from which he couldn’t escape. I found that what I played, while polished and satisfying, was a stuffy, dirty and predictably triple-A video game, albeit one that takes two to four hours to complete, rather than the conventional 10 or more we’ve come to expect from major releases.

As mentioned, I really like some elements of Stray, especially the cat manners. It’s sweet to watch the cat scratching carpets, trees and other surfaces, and watching it use its paw to smash objects on the floor is equally cute and hilarious.

The absence of other ways such as licking the legs and paw behind the ear, coughing up hairballs, playing with yarn, chasing mice and cat fighting are all missing. You’d think a damp and dingy game where you play as a cat would have at least some catfights, but I admit this is all nit-picking.

What’s no small complaint, however, is that Stray is a game where you jump through exclusively dark environments. In a game where you play as a cat, you’d think there would be some brightness and glee to go along with those pretty frailties, but no. Clear blue skies, summery streets and snug, loving family homes aren’t what gamers want, they crave thrills and familiar thrills – and when you add a cute pussy to the mix, everyone’s heart melts, even if the substance is left to get shrapnel out. to retrieve from his abandoned backside.

Most of what you do in Stray is run, climb, escape, dodge and tear apart those parasitic Zurks. Yes, there’s a bit of puzzling, stealth, and a general sense of variety, but it all feels a bit like a textbook. The finnicky scrambling is also a temporary frustration every now and then. So what I’m talking about here is that while Stray does what it does well, it’s all pretty well known except for the obvious playing as a cat role.

I also get the wavering aroma of Uncharted and The Last Of Us in Stray. Whether it’s climbing, the environments, or the chapter diversity, it sometimes seems like a loose meow imitation of those Naughty Dog classics.

With all my criticisms that I have exposed I will reiterate that I love Stray it is a purring experience and of course it encourages a lot of cat puns but I feel it could have been much stronger if it wasn’t so dark and gloomy . We get enough dark and gloomy games as it is, it’s like having happy triple-A games is passé because now they’re either depressing, emotionally suggestive, or hard as nails.

I’m glad so many people love Stray. I really am, and if my words here get you stuck, don’t let them get to you, these are my jams, they don’t have to belong to anyone else. I definitely feel like Stray is still a breath of fresh air among a myriad of familiar triple-A releases. Most of us know that Elden Ring is licking its lips for plenty of Game of the Year nods this year, but for some, I’m sure Stray will be a better alternative – and that’s something I stand behind.

At least Stray dares to be something different than we’re used to, I just want it to spread its wings and fly – you know, like a cat pterodactyl hybrid so we can see Stray really mark itself as a real alternative to the triple-A standard.

By reader James

The reader position does not necessarily represent the views of GameCentral or Metro.