Stray PS5 New Italian Video Game PlayStation 5 Sealed Cat Game

Stray starts with a relatively simple premise, but its strangeness and uniqueness begin to shine through once you start exploring the world.

It's an adventure game set in a cyberpunk world where we are an unnamed cat, stranded in this unknown cybernetic city full of robots.

From this four-legged perspective, we explore the world, try to figure out how to find a way back to our family, and perhaps help some robots along the way. Exploration is a fundamental component of Stray, both through rather linear paths that guide the main quest or force you to overcome a series of obstacles, and in larger hubs that allow you to slow down a bit and immerse yourself in the game world.

What's surprising about all this, especially if you've already seen some gameplay footage of Stray, is that so far all that's been shown is a cat hopping around the world, up and down machinery and architecture, going from one point to another. However, during our preview session, the developers made it clear that Stray is not intended to be a platformer. The jumping points, such as from one barrel to another, or even up the side of a building via air conditioners and fire escapes, are highlighted on screen with an indicator. As much as it might pose a challenge, the developers found during testing that having people constantly missing jumps or failing to find the right path didn't give the feeling of playing as a cat.

And so our adorable stray will jump with a certain confidence from one point to another, but much of the gameplay is built around cat behaviors (and in some places, you'll also have to choose which path to take, for those worried about excessive linearity). We have a dedicated meow button, because how could it be otherwise, but there are also a series of small interactions or puzzles to solve that are designed based on how a cat would act. In one puzzle I saw, the protagonist could knock a series of bottles off a ledge, which, in any other circumstance, would be a typical annoying cat move. Here, however, it helps you learn that you can also knock a can of paint through a window so you can descend into the apartment below and continue on your way.

Behaving like a cat also helps to show how the world is designed to allow us to reach places where, unlike the robotic inhabitants, we cannot. For example, climbing the thin branches of a tree to find access to seemingly out-of-reach locations. Furthermore, you can sleep in certain spots when you need a cat-like nap, which seems more like a cute mechanic than a real necessity. And, of course, you can use your claws to scratch various surfaces. Sometimes scratching is just about scratching the couch like any self-respecting cat would, but other times it can become a useful mechanic, like when you scratch a door and a robot inside opens it to investigate the disturbance. Although I didn't get to experience it firsthand, BlueTwelve explained that using the DualSense on PS5 will replicate the sensation of scratching, partly because this mechanic is handled through adaptive triggers.

One aspect we haven't seen in detail yet is combat, but that doesn't mean there won't be tense moments during the adventure. BlueTwelve showed us a chase sequence against hordes of rat-like enemies that in some ways reminded me of the escape moments in Crash Bandicoot. Furthermore, the developers hinted that there will also be stealth moments requiring you to hide under objects like cardboard boxes.

What struck me most about the demo and captured my attention the most is certainly the world that BlueTwelve is building around Stray. The use of lighting, colors, and the density of details make the world created by the small Canadian studio truly splendid to behold and also convey an unexpected variety. Ramshackle and dilapidated alleys give way to populated centers full of robots living their lives, while others have created a community in The End Village, a unique city built on a pile of garbage from which robots retrieve the resources they need.

I also caught a glimpse of a more structured city, with a myriad of dazzling lights, statues, and fountains dotting the streets. The world design created by BlueTwelve is both consistent and varied, with unique and original locations, so I'm truly curious how all these elements will blend into a unique experience that can be played without loading screens (except after a potential death, for example). All locations are designed to be explored: the team has hidden a series of collectibles, some of which are necessary to progress in the story and others that simply serve to better understand the context. Along the way, we met B-12, an adorable little robot living in a backpack that our cat will find at the beginning of the adventure. It will be of fundamental help in exploration, in the more interactive phases, in memorizing bits of data known as memories, or even in collecting objects and translating the language of robots (cats are intelligent, but they don't have an innate knowledge of robot language).

I saw many small things during this gameplay demo, as the protagonist and B-12 searched for clues, bringing them to the attention of one robot after another. However, BlueTwelve intentionally kept the story under wraps to avoid spoiling the journey in any way. I'm quite curious about what awaits us in this 7-8 hour adventure, but I'm quite convinced that the attention to detail and love for cats demonstrated by the development team will make the journey noteworthy. The cybernetic world conceived by BlueTwelve seems truly promising and well-executed, and until I get my paws on it, I'll continue scratching couches around.