Stray

Stray tells the story of a stray cat that falls into an underground city inhabited by robots and must find a way back to the surface. The player controls the cat directly, with everything that entails: leaping across ledges and air-conditioning units, squeezing through narrow crawlspaces, sleeping on warm pipes, knocking over cans, and scratching carpets. Along the way it's joined by a small flying droid named B-12, who translates the local inhabitants' language, carries objects, and handles the things a cat's paws simply can't. Progression alternates between calm exploration of the streets, simple puzzles built around vertical movement, and a few tense chases where you must flee from parasitic creatures.

The game's greatest strength is its setting. The neon city, hemmed in between walls, is packed with detail — makeshift shelters, flickering signs, and robotic inhabitants who have built their own imitation of human life. On PlayStation 5 the game runs smoothly, with a crisp image and convincing lighting that turns the narrow alleys into the title's strongest visual moments, and loading is nearly instant. The controller's haptics convey both purring and impacts on metal, and the button dedicated to meowing has become a small legend. The soundtrack blends electronica with meditative pads, making the city feel both cozy and melancholy at once.

The game was received exceptionally warmly, praised for its atmosphere, its original perspective, and for not overstaying its welcome — a full playthrough takes one long evening session. Criticism focused on the simplicity of the puzzles and the fact that the second half is more linear than the opening. The title's influence can be seen in the renewed interest it sparked in smaller, atmospheric games built around an unusual protagonist. Today Stray feels like a precisely measured experience that can be recommended even to people who don't normally play games, one that got far more out of a cat's-eye view than mere cuteness.