- Stray Review -

Stray was one of my highly anticipated games of the year however once I finally got to play it I wasn't as thrilled. I'm a huge fan of games that step out of the typical boundaries with animal mechanics like Snake Pass, Maneater, Untitled Goose Game and even Jaws Unleashed. We don't see too many that can successfully execute the feeling of playing as the animal in question. This is where Stray most definitely hits very well at all angles. Unfortunately the game surrounding these mechanics is where the game suffers and the best parts of the game only has two sections leaving linear paths that offers very little engagement most of the time.

Starting with the positives, the game is beautifully immersive with that lived in feeling and the exploration for the most part is well executed with proper consistency of aesthetic findings. I really enjoyed the moments with a particular security type enemy that had the strongest obstacles in the game which was the most memorable for me. The attitude of a cat is well captured however very little is involved with the charming feline mechanics. The open segments of the game are really fun at first but grows old too quickly due to the mundane platforming.

Unfortunately that's really all of the positives I can give the game. Like I said at the beginning I feel that the cat mechanics are great. If the game allowed free style jumping then the level design would have to be significantly different to complement that freedom so I understand the restriction. The Last of Us series works well with prompt jumping because the game doesn't require platforming to be a strong game due to the zombie/human encounters being the entire focus of the game design with it's stealth/full throttle style level design. Free style jumping is proven to be pointless for this series with it's implementation in The Last of Us 2 where it has little to no purpose so prompt jumping would have sufficed once again. The reason I bring this up is to demonstrate the importance of having primary mechanics and either using them as something purposeful or completely useless.

An example where prompt jumping wouldn't work is in a game like Super Mario Bros. Imagine not having any timing or precision like pressing jump at Goomba when the game tells you to. In my opinion that would be a very mundane experience for a game built to be a platformer and this is something I feel is missing in Stray, you can play as a cat so why not have require the player to feel engaged as one fully with consequences if you poorly calculate a jump?

Jumping in Stray is it's primary mechanic yet feels so bland so what is the dominating aspect that can engage players to play multiple times? It's not the puzzles because they're extremely elementary and it's not the enemies because of their straight forward solutions. I think it's simply due to the atmosphere of the game which is the strongest aspect in my opinion so really everything can apply technically if someone is looking for a consistent experience. If that's want you prefer in a video game then Stray is definitely for you. When you play Stray you're getting a specific vision where everyone that plays or even watches a play through of it will receive the same experience every time but that couldn't be the reason why I didn't care for Stray. Resident Evil 7 is one of my favorite games of all time yet it's a consistent experience.

I think the difference is simply that I find Resident Evil 7 thrilling and suspenseful thanks to it's well designed atmosphere and scenarios. In terms of consistency Stray and Resident Evil 7 are very similar in design it's just one is a light hearted puzzle game and the other is a terrifying puzzle game.

I supposed this is more of an essay figuring out why I didn't like Stray more than a review. I was really excited to play this game when it was announced however I think overall the level design doesn't pull me in as something vastly replayable. The atmosphere is fine but not fully encapsulated to the point where I'm intrigued deeply with the world. Personally the game felt more like a tech demo of something bigger in the future and perhaps that's where the concept of Stray will stretch it's full potential.

Do I recommend Stray? Personally I don't suggest paying full price for it. It's great for one play through but after that you may want some of your money back.