Stray: A Cute Cat Adventure, in Cyberpunk Hell 

Cat There is a CAT in this game

I love the fact that none of them know that the cat can’t understand them. They just talk to it like a little man.

I love how the devs had cats in the office to “research”, definitely not just wanted to bring them to work

I love how the robots have no frame of reference for what an "animal" is, so they don't know that cats are just silly little guys who sleep, roll around, eat hot tuna and lie. it'd be like if we met an alien and we all assumed it was as intelligent as us, only to later find out that's it's, like, a space cow that the greeblegrobbles raise as livestock.

People are understandably focused on the cat, but the animation work on the robots is so good as well. They have such a jovial, emotional vibe to them and the expressions complete their almost cartoony charm.

Fun fact: when cats blink slowly it's the equivalent of them saying "I trust you" as in I trust you enough to shut my eyes around you. So as the cat left the city, they turned and said they trusted the Companions, or B-12. Either is cute

ok crying aside, i love that the reward for getting all the sidequest memories is just a shiny jacket that you get, then instantly lose bc it's endgame

Fun fact: I got the achievement for meowing 100 times within the first half hour or so of the game.

4:30 The bucket fills you with courage. You begin to feel like you and the bucket could accomplish anything, if only you’d let it guide you.

The fact that Doc has a child yet is a robot so can't reproduce,means that the robots adopt eachother and this makes me so happy Edit: or build eachother

I love how in just 2 minutes he was already more invested in the well being of this cat than the entire cast of the quarry

If it was realistic, immediately after finally making it outside the cat would paw at the door to be let back in.

I like how this game accurately depicts cats as menaces to society to be feared by the general populace

I love how all these robots talk to the cat like it’s person and not just a cat

They are definitely going to make religion out of the cat The cat has save the people of the city, fight against the scourge, fight against corrupt government, open the gate that pour light that cleanses the city.

“Uhh.. you guys aren’t allowed pets in the building” This studio : uhh no no! These aren’t pets! They’re ah… for research for our new game! “Oh uh… sure? Just keep them in here…” The studio : no problem :) … The studio : *fuck alright so we need to make a game about cats*

13:20 The robot smiles when you meow at him. My heart is going to explode from the wholesomeness.

“Another stealth mission, time to be careful” says RT as he immediately gets caught and shot at

I'd like to point out for everyone that missed it, at the end, the little flicker on the screens to the left is implying the "B12" didn't get deleted, he went back into the circuits but now has access to all of the city.

You know what's interesting? The characters don't seem to actually speak English to the cat: in fact it might also be just speaking in the language *for* the cat. The text must only be for us to read, but to the cat B-12 is basically translating in cat-tongue! Technology really has surpassed.

This game has a dedicated Meow button. 10/10, GOTY.

*alarms blaring as the cat just trots through the slums* The cat: "huh, I wonder who that's for"

Between this and goose game I think one of the most sublime gaming experiences is being able to interact with the world as a small bastard animal

living with cats just makes this game so much better. how the cat acts after b-12 dies is heartbreaking, the nuzzle and slow blink almost made me cry. that's a cat that truly loves it's human. i'd say the cat's love and loyalty to b-12 is really realistic, cats aren't as outwardly loyal as dogs but if i had a dollar for every time one of my cats has actively tried to help me i'd be a rich man.

The fact that the devs have a few cats in the office to study their movements is quite amazing like how in Ratatouille, they kept a bunch of rats in the office to look at how they move as well.

It's funny because RT has the personality of a chaotic cat, so this game is just perfect for him

4:32 “It was then Cat picked up a bucket. The cat felt an overwhelming wave of calmness wash over it. As if Cat could accomplish anything as long as it held the bucket.” “Cat! Cat? Why aren’t you listening to me Cat? It’s just a BUCKET. It doesn’t do anything!”

"I love Stray because it has cat and cat is cute and I like cat." _- Geoff Keighley, Game Awards 2022_

as someone who has had a cat who fell from the 6th floor and had that exact same back leg injury as the intro... that hit a bit too cloose to home. at least she lived a good life after as well as before. edit: if anyone's wondering, no, it wasn't fixed with just a lick or two, her femur was pulverized

On my playthrough, I didn't find the memory that explained where the Zurks came from, so they were just this unexplained and absolutely terrifying horror element.

That slow blink at the very end had some extra effect on me. My cat does that often when I talk to her.

I really love how the robots love humans. It's a nice subversion from the usual robot stories where they rally against humanity for a plethora of reasons. It's also really cute that they like the cat.

This is just a game about the lengths a cat will go to to get outside

10:08 i like the detail of how fucking massive the cat’s pupils are because of the dark room

After finishing the game, I laid down with B12 for a full hour before getting up, I emotionally crumbled, and felt distraught, which isn't very common for me, which just shows the amazing writing of this game, they got me to care enough about a tiny drone in 4 hours to make me feel like I lost a damn loved one.

I'm glad they credited the cats. However, 23 cats in the office seems like an insufficient number of cats

The fact that the cat is smart enough to solve a puzzle without anyone training him how to really makes me wonder if all the cats we're seeing are actually humans transformed

When this game was announced I was hyped, but I kinda thought it would be a joke. Seeing this playthrough really just shows how much love is in this game. Not only for cats but for the work and gaming meowdium (I'm not sorry) as a whole. Genuinely a great game, an amazing story, and a lovely experience

I love at the end the cat just slowly blinks(the sign of love for cats) which shows that the animators and all the people who have worked on this game really put their heart and soul into it. The fact that they were able to patch plot holes SO well is absolutely amazing. this is an amazing game 100% 11/10. Also the first game that got me actually stressed on how it would turn out, and crying like a baby

At the beginning when you're being lead on by the computer screens, if you meow at the camera's they do a little wiggle at you in return. It's so cute.

I’m convinced that Stray is secretly a Kirby game or a game set in the Kirby universe for a number of reasons: 1) You play as a cute and lovable character that you would die to protect. 2) You get to meet a numerous amount of characters in the world with their own unique backstories and personalities. 3) You face against Cthulhu-esque monster and creatures for their sole purpose of making you their next meal. 4) You have a sidekick that helps you along your journey where at the end of the game, they either sacrifice themselves to save you and everyone or return to their own home. But regardless on what you think, this game definitely deserves GOTY for the sole purpose of having a dedicated Meow button 🐱

I can’t be the only one who noticed how close the “Neco” in “Neco Corp” is to “Neko”, the Japanese word for “cat”.

I love how at the end, when the cat looks at the camera, it does one long blink, which is a cats way of smiling, so its essentially thanking you for playing.

I love how everyone just assumes the cat is smart enough to know exactly what it’s doing

Now I know why cats like to knock things over an edge. They just wanted to press the triangle button to see what would happen.

I was not expecting this deep of a story line from a game that’s main mechanic is being a cat

Why indie devs? Why must you make me emotionally invested in these cute characters only to see them suffer? THEY CAN’T KEEP GETTING AWAY WITH THIS

Loyalty is actually a thing for cats. Most cats would get depressed if their owners went missing for too long. To the point of refusing to eat and eventually getting sick because of the stress if nothing is done. But yeah, some cats are little devils.

this game was directed by Larry the cat, Chief Mouser of the Cabinet Office of the United Kingdom at 10 Downing Street. A brown and white tabby, Larry directed the game as a metaphor for the current state of UK politics, as well as a representation of his own personal views on London city. An anonymous Member of Parliament purchased Larry a high end gaming PC so that Larry could play a role in the development of Stray from his residence at 10 Downing street. While Stray is his first title, Larry has always exhibited a passion for game design, and has expressed his joy at seeing his game on store shelves.

they captured the chaotic essence of a cat, with their ability to make things fall over and break. Also, those cats are meowing too much for the feral kind, makes me wonder if that is to imply they used to be pets, or i'm just overthinking it

Cats can be pretty loyal. Our dog got attacked by a couple cats a long time ago and our cat jumped in to help her. Likewise our cat would always accompany us when one of us would be doing things outside and attack thinks like snakes and rats when they got close. My cousins also had a cat who ripped out a pitbull’s eyeball (he got injured as well) when the pit bull mauled their little dog.

1:28:00 Small detail: That slow blink the Cat does into the camera; a slow blink is a sign of trust and friendship. Basically, they're saying thank you to you, the player

Even the sons name is a back to the future reference! In the third movie, Marty goes back to 1885 and meets his Irish ancestor, who’s name is Seamus. Really cool and sweet :) awesome play through ^-^

Exploration games are by far one of the best gaming experiences. Journey and Abzu are similar to this game and were also phenomenal. Also: Cat

Many indie studios have pets in their office, so I can just imagine the idea for this game went like this: "We're thinking of a game similar to Assassin's Creed but it needs to be distinct." *cat jumps on the table and pushes a clipboard off* "Ah Snickers get off the table... W A I T"

Cats slow blink to show their love to someone, so when stray slow blinked at the end at the city (b-12) he was saying love you to friend.

"There's three cats! Game of the year." Yeah rt has his priorities straight Edit: yeah four cats whoops lmao

Ah cats and psychological horror, my two favorite things in a game

The fall and the cat friends meowing is the single most heart breaking moment in all of gaming history... It always makes me get up and go cuddle my cat... I hope they are reunited at the end 🥺 Oh my god the ending 😭😭

Some of this game is much better when you can read cat body language. At the very end when the cat is looking at the camera in the direction of the underground city, he does a long blink, which is a cat's way of declaring love and trust for the person their looking at. He's literally saying I love you to the friends he made in the underground city.

I'm so happy you played this game 😭😭 my only criticism of Stray is that there's no cat customization. But an orange cat becoming the savior of a new civilization thanks to its chaotic cat nature is somehow fitting

I would’ve loved to be watching the sound booth for this game. Just someone recording cat noises for the dedicated meow button. Amazing.

This cat seems really evolved, understanding signs, solving puzzles, talking to people through the bot, doing missions... I fully expect that when he gets back to his pack, they'll return to a fully functioning cat city, with cars and everything :D

The relationship between b12 and the cat was actually very reminiscent of the relationship between me and my own cat, Ebony. She has saved my life twice at this point, like cat has for b12, so when b12 died and cat looked back with a sad face, I couldn't help but start crying. Hell, I'm still crying...

played this game the day it released, sobbed violently at the end

I've genuinely never been so emotional at the end of a game. this cat looks like my orange tabby and it's got me crying at how many friends he's lost along the way :(((

If I had a nickel for every game about a cat surviving in a post apocalyptic cyberpunk world I'd have two nickels, which isn't a lot but it's weird it happened twice.

I love how Doc and Seamus are just a huge homage to Back to the Future, with Doc looking exactly like Doc Brown and Seamus wearing the same orange vest as Marty. Even with the Defluxor being a reference to the flux capacitor and the 1.21 giggawatts.

The face of the kitty when they were about to fall made my heart crumble.

Chat going AAAAAWWWW everytime the cat did literally anything was so funny

You know what I adore about the ending? It's the slow blink. Cats usually do that to show their content and love to someone. So when it turned their head to the camara and blinked slowly, they either blinked at the player or at the very city they just left. I just find that very cute.

10:25 For most cats, yes, but ours for some ungodly readon loves being dressed up. She also loves baths, so she's just odd all around. Makes her perfect for us, then I suppose.

“THIS IS HUMANITY AFTER THE META VERSE” IM SOBBING

Random theory, but do you think the other robots could've been humans once, too? B-12 says that they didn't used to act so human, or mimic humans like this by 'eating' or caring for plants. They could've all forgotten their memories like B-12

as cute as the "i'll keep you in my ram" at the end was, it also implies that she is going to forget you if she ever turns off because the ram doesn't store anything without power well now i've made myself sad again

"Humanity is dead yeah it's only cats now" Sounds like an improvement tbh

In terms of cat loyalty, I once had a cat that would get jealous lol. If he didn't like someone I was hanging out with then he would wedge himself between us. Like he was never mean, but any time someone sat next to me he would wedge himself between us and push them over. I actually had a breakup once cause the guy I was dating kept getting blocked by my cat ahhaha

Game of the year: Cat game. Absolutely beautiful story and atmosphere AND with cats. Loved watching you play this!

The dead city and the flat’s architecture looks so much like Hong Kong. With all the neon lights scattering the city and the bamboo scaffoldings, I find it very cool.

People say cats aren't loyal, but I was attacked by a possum once and my cat charged in and murdered it despite it being three times his size. RIP Tiger, the most good boy

20:43 "So anyway, i said to the chef, 'you mean a shrimp fried this rice?' and then he said-" My raycons: Low Battery The fucking timing on this was amazing.

1:15:30 "This bit is actually not too accurate for a cat" The battery needed to run the train is still in the B12's digital storage, and the train wouldn't work without it. Little did we know that the cat broke out B12 purely because he needed the battery.

Murtaugh and Noomi are grade A cat names and I hope they get unlimited kibbles and catnip. Fuck it, I hope all of the cats get them. Everyone on the team too sure. RIP Oliver, Riggs and Ivy.

{ 4:37 } The bucket spoke to the cat. "No, take me to the fan! Go to the fan" The cat of course listened, as the bucket has spoken "Drop me into the fan cat, now!" The cat listened of course, but doing so murdered the bucket! How could you??

Oh wow if there were anymore cats then three then this would be an even bet- HOLY

That one cat at the start that fell really just went "fly, you fools"

The voice actor for the main cat is named Lala, with her meows and purrs recorded for the game.

I don't know why, but RT exclaiming "Oh my god, it's Hatsune Miku!" followed by "My favorite Vtuber," cracks me up so much

I always loved how sympathetic humans are towards animals when it comes to works of fiction. Mostly because animals can’t speak their mind and are generally less sentient than we are. Knowing that makes it hurt much more when bad things happen to the animal and they don’t know why.

Game: *_Meows_* x7 RT: "Incredible"

Cats are almost perfectly adapted to survive after a human extinction event. They are cunning, resourceful of modest size so energy requirements are low. While still being incredibly agile and efficient hunters. And if there are other sentient creatures they can integrate themselves into their lives. Just as they did with humans. Cats affectively domesticated themselves rather than being domesticated by us. So unlike many dog breeds they don't need humans to survive, they rely on us because it's easier. Not because it's necessary

One of my cats left home recently and haven't returned yet. Watching this has given me hope that they are gonna be ok and gonna come back home soon.

So far, this reminds me of Rain World: an animal trying to survive in a dead place that they don't belong in. Granted, I've only watched 6 minutes of the video, so we'll see.

i hope RT knows that there's an achievement for napping one hour on the robot at 1:02:50 edit: well on the robot or anywhere that you can nap, i don't remember

did not think this game would make me feel like crying- that poor little drone man... the music that one robot was playing was oddly beautiful tho, almost haunting but serene, really fits the basically post-apocalyptic world they're in

Why is this game so good!? I thought it was a meme, a gimmick game. I did not expect such a high quality AAA cat based game in 2022 but here we are

Before my stepdad moved in, he had a cat named cat. He gave cat to his neighbor since she liked cat more than he did really.

2:09 "Hold RT to Ninja run and clear obstacles with ease"

As a cat person, I very much had to fight the instinct to meow back at the cat every time I pressed the meow button. This game proves that I am dramatically more emotionally invested in cats (and robots) than people. Every time I saw the cat limp or yeowl with pain, I felt like my heart was ripping in half! ... Here's hoping this becomes a series - or better yet, a genre. We need more cats in our games. We need more cats in general.

Within the first two minutes, there is a scratching tree quick time event. Game Of The Year. Makes you really feel like spiderman. 10/10