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We have been able to see unpublished material from Stray, the game starring a cat that will come to PS5 and PC, and we tell you our impressions.
One of the most anticipated games by PlayStation and PC users is stray, the famous game starring a cat that was presented during the PS5 PlayStation Showcase, showing a cinematic that stole the hearts of many feline lovers, wanting to know more about the proposal. However, little has been known about the title until finally Its release date has been announced for July 19, being seen in the latest State of Play. Nevertheless, we have been able to see its gameplay in depth.
Thanks to Annapurna Interactive and BlueTwelve Studio we have had the opportunity to attend a virtual event where we have been allowed to see unreleased stray material and the truth is that it aims to be one of those pleasant surprises that leaves the indie market, allowing all players to enjoy a warm cat adventure with all the peculiarities that this entails. These are the keys that you cannot miss if you are interested in Stray and you have it on your list of games for this summer.
Cat life in capital letters
If there was a question that flew over our heads when seeing Stray announced, it was how the treatment of cat life in this title and the truth is that this presentation has managed to dissipate them completely and with great success. The main cat is just that, a cat. He is not humanized at any time and behaves exactly as you would expect from a feline, so in this sense Stray will fulfill a thousand wonders. It can purr, meow, sharpen your nails, throw all the objects you find along the way and eat and drinkof course, just like a stray cat would.
In this way, Stray brings a sensational experience to the controls, where also will be powered by DualSense technology, being able to feel the cat’s purr through the microphone and the haptic vibration, as those responsible told us. Everything has been thought to make the title experience feel natural, tracing the attitudes and activities with which a cat could perform in real life, something that has a special merit, considering that no animal has been used for the capture of movements, but that all the development has focused on fixing the behavior of the cats of some members of the study and transferring it to the playable mechanics and the animations of the protagonist.
In fact, even with the addition of B12, the robot that accompanies the feline, that dynamic is not broken. The companion is mainly used to be able to communicate with the rest of the robots that are in the city and perform certain simple tasks, but it does not feel like it is a dominant part of the gameplay to do things that would be impossible for a cat. This care and respect for the protagonist and his natural attitude make Stray win over cat lovers.
An exploration adapted to the circumstances
With this in mind, the exploration of Stray also goes along the lines of the previous point. obviously there is a much more vertical dynamic than in any other title of these characteristics, but in keeping with the attitude of a cat, which can jump from ledge to ledge without any problems, given its elasticity and good balance. In this way, the city in which the game takes place has various puzzles that can be overcome by moving objects, either by pushing them from a high point or moving them with the mouth, again, without the intervention of B12 or external elements.
With that, scrolling through environments is much more natural than might be expected and the verticality provided by the cat allows the settings to be broader and more elaborate, allowing the protagonist to reach the roofs of the buildings or even sneak into them through doors and windows. In fact, in one of the scenes that we were shown, you can see how the cat is capable of scratching a door to attract the attention of the robots that are inside the building so that they open it and let it pass. All of these mechanics are very polished and well thought out so as not to break the core dynamic of the game, something we celebrate. However, it will be necessary to see how all this translates into the total experience of the proposal, which will have an approximate duration of 7-8 hoursas highlighted by those responsible in the presentation.
Moments of action with a certain measure
Where Stray’s proposal does present some doubts is in the action what you can contribute. We suspect that it is going to be a great cat simulation title, that it will have a large dose of exploration and a good handful of secondary tasks that enhance its world. However, we do not know how the action moments will be translated into the title or if there will be any type of combat or survival mode. At the event we were shown a level where the cat was chased by some creatures, but you could only run to escape themwithout taking any defensive action.
Will there only be chases of this type or even stealth phases? In the material shown in this presentation it gave that feeling, but luckily new material has already been released in which it is revealed that B12 will be essential in this regard and, if at first you can only escape from enemies, then yes they can be defeated with the buddy robot arts. In this sense, the inclusion of B12 seems necessary to give more dynamism and depth to combat, something that will surely be appreciated to have a scaled progression and new techniques to learn thanks to the help of the rest of the robots and their mechanical arts. .
At the moment we do not know if there will be many moments of action in Stray or it will be limited to offering more exploration phases and small brushstrokes of this action, although everything indicates that it will be this second case. Be that as it may, whoever approaches this title is probably not looking for an enormous depth of combat or very elaborate techniques, so it does not collide excessively if the action is left for the final bars of the adventure, as it seems to be.
Fantastic art style
In the aspect that stands out Stray is in the artistic one. In the images that accompany this article you can get an idea of how beautiful the title looks, but in motion it is another story. The work that has been done from BlueTwelve Studio is superb and, considering the small size of the study, it has incredible merit. It is no longer just that the cat behaves fantastically and its animations are taken care of to the millimeter, but the city also breathes wonderful cyberpunk atmosphere and that leaves landscapes that leave you with your mouth open.
There is no doubt that every little detail has been taken care of to the maximum, which is why the scenarios are not particularly large and, although some freedom is offered to move around them, it is noticeable that they are delimited in a certain way. However, this is not an inconvenience at any time, since its construction and vertical displacement that we mentioned before provides many more options than it seems at first glance.
Stray’s magic is being able to mix that good treatment with the cat and with all its actions and reactionsalways within technical limitations in which certain movements look somewhat rockier, with the environment of the city in which it takes place the adventure, knowing how to integrate both priorities well and combine them in a fantastic way, mainly with the union of the feline protagonist and his robotic companion. The lighting work, the use of the color palette and the level design all look fantastic. and they have little to envy to many other titles that have had more staff and budget for their development.
Candidate for one of the surprises of the year
Definitely, Stray looks great. We have been able to see little material so far, but everything indicates that it is one of those firm candidates to be the surprise of this 2022, standing out in the indie market, where a multitude of very varied proposals are received throughout the year. BlueTwelve Studio wants steal our hearts with one of the most common and adored pets in the world and the truth is that with what we have been able to see in this presentation, they have achieved it by far. Now it remains to be seen how the adventure will unfold in its entirety and if the good feelings that it has transmitted to us in this unpublished material translate into a constant experience during the 7-8 hours that they promise us. July 19 is already marked in red on our calendar and that is an excellent sign.
Related topics: advances
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