Board 8 > Stray Review Zone

(+) Yeah! (+)

https://opencritic.com/game/13386/stray

83% through 58 reviews thus far.

Reviewers praise the graphics and how well designed its environments and puzzles are. Platforming is a bit more hit or miss with reviewers and many lamented that it was a bit too short when they wanted more.

Guardian - 10/10
This is a stunning-looking game, whether witnessed from the ground or the rooftops I wont spoil the cats journey, but the developer wrings copious novelty and some impressively creepy moments from this shut-off city in the seven-ish hours it takes to play through. Its certainly far from twee, with the possible exception of the bucket-lifts that you can ride down from rooftops, paws and ears all poking out over the top and those are so cute that theyre instantly forgivable.

Game Rant - 9/10
It's true that some may be underwhelmed by how Stray handles its platforming and by how short it is, but these issues are easily overlooked because of the high quality found throughout the rest of the game. Stray is a genuinely unique gaming experience and is worth checking out for the cat alone. Stray looks great, plays great, and accomplishes exactly what it set out to do. It's a must-play, especially since it's available at a budget price and can be played in its entirety with a PS Plus Extra subscription.

Digitally Downloaded - 9/10
Anyone expecting Stray to be an action-packed stealth game as the promotional material tried to argue it is - might be disappointed as the game is more about the journey and the narrative than it is about skulking. What Stray does well is expressing a journey featuring a less-than-common protagonist, and while other games have covered similar themes its that unique perspective, from much closer to ground level, and the visual stimulating scenes that makes it ground well worth padding over again.

Easy Allies - 8.5/10
If it isnt obvious at this point, cat parents and cat enthusiasts are going to fall in love with Stray. Yet its appeal scratches deep below the surface by weaving a powerful story about the struggles of humanity, wrapped up in an alluring dystopian world. Stray excels at delivering simple pleasures that all add up to leave you with an overwhelming sense of fulfillment.

IGN - 8/10
Stray is a delightful adventure in a dark but endearingly hopeful cyberpunk world, and thats thanks in no small part to the fact that you are playing as an adorable cat the whole time. Its mix of simple platforming and puzzles with item-hunting quests is balanced very well across the roughly five-hour story and though I wished my movement was a little more nimble during that time, I still loved hopping across rooftops and scampering through back alleys to find its well-hidden secrets. The new ideas it introduces along the way help keep things as fresh as a new bag of litter, too, even if not all of those ideas work quite as well as others. But whether I was scratching at a carpet or curling up into a ball and taking a catnap, Stray does a great job of setting itself apart in a way that feels like more than just a novelty.

EGM - 8/10
Stray does a great job at letting you act like a cat, turning a wide range of true-to-life feline behaviors into clever gameplay mechanics. But its much less successful at making you truly feel like a cat, as the games more conventional approach to its gameplay and story routinely shatters your immersion in odd ways. If you can suspend your disbelief and look past the missed opportunity of a more cohesive experience, however, theres a lot to like in its moody cyberpunk world and varied challenges.

Attack of the Fanboy - 6/10
It's hard to perfectly encapsulate what Stray really sets out to do, as it is a jack of all trades, but unfortunately a master of none of them. Certain parts of this game are near masterclass, like its stealth sections, but it finds itself lost within its own identity too often, and misses the mark on more than one occasion.

I'll definitely download it via PS+ when it releases.

paperwarior posted...

I'll definitely download it via PS+ when it releases.

15 hours from now

and a reminder in case it wasn't clear, it's on PS++, not regular PS+

Reviewing a lot better than I expected it would. The reviews make it sound more interesting than the trailers did

SHINE_GET_64 posted...

15 hours from now

and a reminder in case it wasn't clear, it's on PS++, not regular PS+

Apparently they added a free 7 day trial period for extra and premium so you can literally play this for free even if you don't have the required subscription. And you should be able to get through the entire game in the trial period as it seems it is only 8-10 hours long

Wow, great scores
Surprising!

Skill Up likes it. I don't know how much weight his opinion carries here.

https://youtu.be/UQUB0bWg2-Q

swordz9 posted...

Reviewing a lot better than I expected it would. The reviews make it sound more interesting than the trailers did

Really? Because I thought it looked amazing, and so seeing someone rate it 6/10 is...not that.

Disappointing to hear of its length, though I guess I shouldn't have expected a stupendously long game of that style, especially from a smaller (I think?) studio.

azuarc posted...

Really? Because I thought it looked amazing, and so seeing someone rate it 6/10 is...not that.

Disappointing to hear of its length, though I guess I shouldn't have expected a stupendously long game of that style, especially from a smaller (I think?) studio.

you'd be hard pressed to find a game that no one gave a 6/10 to

now an 84 through 92 reviews

Surprisingly a lot of people in comments saying they're going to not play Stray because they won't be able to handle seeing a cat fall off a platform into a bottomless pit and "die"

Should be out on PSN by now

Checking the PS app on my phone though it doesn't seem so but the timer is at 0

SHINE_GET_64 posted...

Should be out on PSN by now

Checking the PS app on my phone though it doesn't seem so but the timer is at 0

Not seeing it on my PS5, it just lets me follow the game and add it to my wishlist, no download option yet.

Watch them force us to wait until all the other PS++ and PS+++ add-ons are up

Don't know why people are surprised this is reviewing well.

I assume they hate cats

SHINE_GET_64 posted...

Surprisingly a lot of people in comments saying they're going to not play Stray because they won't be able to handle seeing a cat fall off a platform into a bottomless pit and "die"

My wife had this legitimate concern about me playing the game especially because my 19 year old cat just passed away at the weekend.

Cat game is fun, played to just about the end of the first major hub. I don't think it's actually possible to fall to your death, because of the way the platforming works. However, you can be killed and your cat gets roughed up quite a lot in scripted scenes.

MacArrowny posted...

you'd be hard pressed to find a game that no one gave a 6/10 to

You'd have to be a game like ocarina of time

Aren't you a vet tech Ulti? It's so weird your stance on FIV is so different to mine

I work with like 6 different cat rescues and FIV is basically seen as a non issue and no problem for intermingling with other cats.

FELV is vastly different and a death sentence with no intermingling with non-FELV positive cats. But FIV+ is fine and is rarely transmitted between housecats unless they are fighting constantly

Shattered posted...

Apparently they added a free 7 day trial period for extra and premium so you can literally play this for free even if you don't have the required subscription. And you should be able to get through the entire game in the trial period as it seems it is only 8-10 hours long

The trial period is not available if you already have the regular PS+ though.

Game beated!

Really solid game with a surprisingly moving story. Just gotta knock out the speedrun for the plat.

Also...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wr7YvGtnyWU

The local news had a segment about Stray this morning, said how it's a good game according to GameSpot, and talked about a Twitter account of cats reacting to it.

Yeah I came across a subreddit of cats watching Stray and there's a lot of posts! One of my cats is interested in it and the other two haven't paid much attention.

Favorite part so far: flopping after putting the backpack on and then walking around weird for a minute.

My cats were strangely interested for a few minutes when I started jamming the meow button. They seem disinterested now.

I'm really tempted, but I want the physical edition too.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wr7YvGtnyWU&feature=emb_title