Stray Gameplay Trailer Is Cyberpunk With A Crime-Solving Cat
If you're looking for the "purrfect" addition to your PlayStation 5 catalogue, then boy, do we have a game for you. For those who might've ever imagined what the world would be like if you were a crime-solving cat, wonder no more. BlueTwelve Studio's Stray is here to bring a new genre of cat simulator games into our lives, and safe to say, we're completely sold on the idea.
Unlike Tom Hopper's 2019 Cats with its CGI bumholes, cats and video games go together hand in paw. Alongside Blinx the Cat from Xbox's forgotten franchise, there's a hidden island of cat-like critters in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, and the fact the upcoming Ghost of Tsushima Director's Cut will let you pet cats.
Aside from Blinx, it's rare that a cat actually gets its own video game. Thanks to BlueTwelve, all that is about to change.
What does the Stray gameplay trailer reveal?
While we still think BlueTwelve missed a trick by not calling the main cat Purrlock Holmes, Stray looks like a beautiful experience that has the right balance of gritty and kitty.
Our first glimpse at Stray came last year in a glossy cinematic trailer, but with the gameplay trailer, players get a better look at what they can expect.
Patrolling the streets of this Cyberpunk-inspired city, Stray follows this unnamed cat as it tries to get back to its family. Unlike CD Projekt Red's colourful Night City, Stray's backdrop is a much more dismal affair. In the trailer, Stray's city is described as an "unwelcoming environment", which is emphasised by the eerie robots that populate it.
Using your best puzzle-solving abilities, you make the most of the cat's skills to navigate the city. The Stray gameplay trailer highlighted a particular scene where gamers have to stop a fan using a tin can. Elsewhere, you drop a paint can through a pane of glass to gain access to the next area. Thankfully, the cat isn't completely alone. Playing out like a bizarrely realistic Ratchet & Clank, you'll be helped by a hovering drone called B-12.
What else do we know about Stray?
Friendly robots are all well and good, but with Stray's strange city being a place forgotten in time, there are enemies aplenty. There's a tense sewer scene where the cat has to run away from some alien rat creatures, suggesting not all life is artificial in Stray.
Importantly, there's plenty of humour to break up the grim aesthetic of Stray. We especially liked the scene where the cat got to curl up next to a robotic busker. Much more than just a standard platformer, Stray adds something new to the mix and looks like it will be a beautifully crafted game at the same time. We're just hoping there won't be another Cyberpunk situation where the PS4 version is called out for subpar graphics.
If you're already shouting "shut up and take my money", the trailer confirms Stray will be coming to PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 in "early 2022". The devs say they can't wait to show us more, suggesting that we've only just scratched the surface of what's to come from Stray. I don't know about you, Miss Kitty, but I feel so much yummier.
