Despite the mammoth success of games such as Elden Ring & Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga, the cat is out of the bag as Stray is officially the highest-rated release of 2022 on Steam.
When small indie studio BlueTwelve released the trailer for Stray, I’m sure they didn’t expect the internet to go into such a frenzy.
In a game that blends dystopian themes with vibrant cityscapes and utilizes a furry ginger feline as the protagonist – is it any wonder that the game became so highly anticipated?
Stray follows a cat protagonist who ends up in an underground city as a result of a pretty unfortunate fall when exploring with its family and covers their journey to escape the shut-up city and make it back to the outside world.
Throughout the game, the cat befriends the robot locals who have long outlived the human population and the story blossoms from simply escaping the oppressive underground city into freeing all of its computerized inhabitants.
Despite only being released on July 19th, the game currently is the highest-rated release of the year and peaked at a whopping 62,963 players on its first day.
Reviews are raving about the game, which currently boasts a 10/10 rating on Steam
Furthermore, the internet has collectively agreed that this cat might just be the most adorable protagonist of any game. I might have made that one up based on my own bias. I’ll admit it.
Of course, as the game is new and doesn’t have the same quantity of reviews as other big titles released earlier this year, it’s not quite a fair comparison yet.
However, this is a massive success for the game and the small developer behind it, BlueTwelve Studio.
Stray is officially rated higher than the fantasy epic Elden Ring as well as the PC port for 2018’s God of War.
The game is admittedly adorable and charming, but what exactly was it that drew in such a crowd?
To be honest, it’s quite a genius premise, and very internet-culture compatible:
A dystopian storyline about an oppressive regime? Check.
Post-apocalyptic Earth that hits home a little too closely? Check.
Stunning neon visuals of a hellish (yet entrancing) urban landscape that you explore as an adorable little cat? Double check.
Perhaps one of the best aspects of the game (in my opinion) is the mechanics that playing as a cat offers.
Being a quick, dexterous little furball made traversing the city a dynamic experience and allowed for a deeper sense of exploration – nowhere felt inaccessible, which made the short game feel huge.
Also, I have to say, the cat simulator mechanics in the game – rubbing up against the robots and having their faces light up as hearts – scratching every surface possible and of course, the ultimate cat move – knocking everything you possibly can off a ledge?
All of these small touches made the game incredibly charming, and the surprisingly moving storyline just added to the overall experience.
It was a strangely touching and hopeful game, so despite people going in because of the cute cat and stunning setting, people are staying because the game has an emotional pull that I don’t think anyone was expecting.
If you haven’t heard of Stray, you can watch the trailer below and see what all the fuss is about – there’s a reason it’s doing so well!
