Stray represents one of those times that a game company just releases a good video game with absolutely no strings attached. And for that, I commend it, because it really is just a pure, fun game. The idea of “playing as a cat” probably enticed a good 80% of players to the game already, as long as it wasn’t offensively bad most people would enjoy themselves.

The visuals are genuinely really strong, while you begin in a lush expanse long forgotten by civilization, you eventually fall into where the remnants have hidden away. Deep in a largely withered city, you explore a world laden with unused pipes, fans, and steel beams, conveniently creating a path perfect for you to slink across. I love how color is used so organically, while you traverse a world of mostly dark blues and grays, electric lights provide a splash of yellow to brighten your path. Everything is laid out to show you the optimal path, and aside from some open town areas you mostly follow a linear story.

This is most exemplified in the gameplay itself, where platforming is much more cinematic, you can’t really miss jumps so much as them being impossible in the first place. It works well for the most part, keeping that fantasy of nimbleness alive as you slink through tough jumps with ease. There’s no legitimate combat present for the most part and puzzles are minimal, so it seems like you don’t get much in the gameplay department. However, the focus is much more on the exploratory storytelling and atmosphere which the cinematic platforming supplements well.

I was surprised by how much I enjoyed the story, while like the rest of the elements it’s quite simple in concept it executes it well, crafting an enjoyable post-apocalyptic story where you must rise further and further through the depths of this lost world to escape back to your family, and possibly, help others escape as well. I found the ending quite emotional and was pleasantly surprised at how well-written it was.

Overall, Stray is really just a good video game. Would anyone care about it at all if it wasn’t about a cat? No, probably not, but on that front they handle being a cat pretty well all things considered. It’s really easy to enjoy, and really easy to recommend to pretty much anyone.