When we first saw Stray‘s first trailer last year — that was way back in June of 2020, if you can believe it — the game immediately got my attention. After all, it’s not everyday you get to play a game from the standpoint of a regular old housecat — usually there are mutant powers or alien genealogy involved. Between Stray‘s feline appeal and its cyberpunk-lite setting — it takes place in a city seemingly occupied solely by androids with computer-screen faces — there’s enough cuteness here to bat a curious paw at.
Originally slated for release sometime this year, Stray went dark for about 13 months, only to resurface today.
And, man, this game is looking just as incredible as before, albeit now with an early-2022 release date. But if developer BlueTwelve Studio and publisher Annapurna Interactive (or rather, Anna-purr-na… ’cause of the cat…) saw fit to delay it a smidge, hopefully they’ll make sure this is a polished gem when it finally does release.
With the new trailer that was true shown off during the Annapurna Interactive livestream earlier today, we get to see not only more gameplay, which is photorealistically stunning, despite the science-fiction elements of the game itself, but we also get a better understanding of what Stray entails aside from just running around as an adorable feline — which, let’s be honest, was already enough.
You will play as a cat, at first injured and alone in a strange world. As you get your bearings and find yourself on the mend, you will be tasked with solving environmental puzzles. All this happens while working toward the greater goal of reuniting with your family. This will require cunning and skill, as you’ll need to avoid a menacing race of little critters. Thankfully, once you weaponize the drone companion you meet on your travails, you’ll burst these critters like sacks of goo as they’re zapped with what looks like some sort of a UV ray.
Stray looks like it’s going to take full advantage of the processing power of the PS5, but it’s coming to PS4 and PC as well. While we await its early-2022 launch, you’d better believe I’m gonna be keeping my eye on this one.
You can check it the new trailer below to scratch the itch for adorable third-person — err, third-cat? — shenanigans.
