PLATFORMING GAMES have stuck with the tried and tested formula of putting you in the shoes of a two-legged humanoid for the better part of four decades of gaming, but BlueTwelve Studio puts you in the shoes (or paws) of an adorable orange stray cat.

Without spoiling too much of the story, the premise of Stray is that you are on a journey to reunite with your family in a dark and dreary sci-fi world.

Stray does an excellent job in making the platforming genre feel like a fresh batch of catnip. By putting you in control of a small but agile feline, the energized mechanics of the game will have you wholly embracing your furry form as you easily maneuver through gaters and make impossibly long jumps as a cat and so much more.

And ues, there is a dedicated "Meow" button in this game and it's absolutely awesome.

The world of Stray is a mysterious look into a dystopian future where humans are nowhere to be seen, robots are ubiquitous, and your meows do wonderful things. The world has an eye-catching aesthetic and the music adds a beautiful layer of atmosphere throughout the short journey. (The game lasts around four to six hours.)

In this world that features great verticality, you get to explore the setting and uncover lore bit by bit as you explore everywhere from the cesspool of the city to the penthouses at the peak of the highest skyscrapers. Since you are a cat, the otherwise dangerous and daunting world gets a sprinkle of adorable lightheartedness.

The game even allows you to do cat-specific actions (on top of the dedicated Meow button) like scratching rugs as fast as you can and fitting yourself in a bucket to traverse a zipline. I literally had to stop playing several times in the game to say "Aww!"

I also let a bonafide cat lover play the game and got her opinion as well to see if the cat realism would hold up. She thoroughly enjoyed herself. The cat's motions and actions throughout the game feel very realistic, said this cat owner.

Even the cats' interactions with each other also felt very true to life, snuggling with one another with affection or arching their backs when they feel endangered. Even the sound effects your character makes when leaping or making an effort will sound familiar to anyone who hangs around cats.

For my cat consultant, the only unrealistic thing for the cat was staying absolutely calm while moving up and down or ziplining in the bucket ,because cats hate it when something doesn't feel balanced.

The protagonist cat of Stray is actually inspired by Murtaugh, a stray found in the streets of Montpellier, France, that was adopted by the founders of BlueTwelve Studio. When I found this out, I couldn’t help but love the developers of Stray even more.

If you love cats, this game should be at the top of your must-play games of 2022. If you’re on the fence about picking it up, Stray is a short and sweet story about a cat finding his way home in a cyberpunk world.

While the adventure is mostly a linear affair, the term ‘open-world’ gets as stale as rotten fish when you hear it tagged in every other game today. The end-to-end experience of Stray gives the game more life and panache while the story manages to touch you in the heart, and the gut, despite the lack of spoken dialogue.

Our verdict? Stray, available now for the PC, PS4, and PS5. is a memorable game at a very affordable price and is more than worth your time.

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