Stray in the TEST: Harmonious cat adventure in a cyberpunk setting
Stray is this perfect game for cat lovers and proves to be more than that successful hit full of atmosphere. In this game for PS4, PS5 and personal computer you slip into the role of a little kitten with orange fur and explore an interesting cyberpunk town while meowing. You can find out what there is to discover on four paws in the PlayCentral test.
Stray in the test: on four paws through the cyberpunk city
At the beginning you still live your carefree cat life and stray through the wilderness with your velvet paw friends until you suddenly fall into the depths after a failed jump. Alone you end up in the isolated cyberpunk citymore precisely in their Slums the lowest level.
The way back up to the surface is difficult for a meowing feline. Because in the course of the adventure there are a number of easy puzzles to solve, to explore your surroundings and to avoid numerous dangers.
Explore an interesting cyberpunk town
The city is enlivened by robots, who have long outlived their human builders and now take their place. So you can encounter the AI tin cans in normal everyday life, whether in the bar or cleaning the floor in front of their dwelling.
You’ll soon meet the little one Drone B-12who will join you on the adventure. He not only acts as your interpreter with the robot residents, but probably has some very dusty circuit boards. Because he can hardly remember the past. Here’s how to help your mechanical buddy with his amnesia and get his memories back.
Your paws can explore all corners of the city and that’s what the game is all about: You explore the cyberpunk city, whose corners and corridors offer a wealth of details. In this way, various objects such as Sheet music for a street musician find or just memories for your partner. Also hide codes for door locks and safe and many a robot resident turns to you with a small request.
As you can see, being a cat can be quite busy. How good that you can simply follow your kitty instincts to just have a nap to keep or yours Sharpening claws on furniture and carpets. The story is usually more of a minor matter.
Smart Kitten: In “Stray” it applies now and then some easier puzzles to solve, which integrate beautifully into the cat gameplay. You shove a bucket into a fan to stop the rotor blades or knock over leaning boards that then serve as a bridge. And of course some boxes and other things want to be pushed off shelves. Where do cats get this annoying tic from?
The zurks and the problem with jumping
Especially the slums area offers many roofs that you can jump on. However there is no freely usable jump button – rather, ledges, edges and the like will show you that you can jump on them. Sometimes, however, there are some problems with this, so that the jumping point is not displayed directly or only after more precise adjustment with the cat. This isn’t too bad for the city’s exploration areas, although it does make up for a faltering animation of the cat and a small immersion fracture cares.
However, the game occasionally sends you into chases with hostile little critters called Zurks, who want to jump at you and eat you en masse. In these sequences you can only run away at first and every second counts. And that’s when the jump mechanics can become unnecessarily nerve-wracking. After all, later in the game you will get a weapon with which you can defend yourself against the Zurks, but this will only be able to help you for a short time.
We didn’t find the chases with the Zurks to be really appropriate atmospheric exploration gameplay. There is too much rush in these sequences and they sometimes degenerate into Trial & error.
atmosphere to purr
Otherwise, Stray is just bursting with one gloomy post-apocalypse atmospherewhich thanks to their many neon signs around the city, friendly robots and above all atmospheric soundtracks somehow contradictory but interesting.
In the course of the game, your paws will take you to a wide variety of locations, which sometimes look nicer and sometimes more musty, but can all score points with their atmosphere. Some areas are more spacious, while other environments, such as the sewerage system, are more straightforward, but in return, for example, give rise to feelings of horror.
Except for the chases with the Zurks, there aren’t really any fighting fights – you’ll get some for that stealth sections offered that we really liked.
Technically well implemented
Graphically, “Stray” is absolutely thrilling, even if it’s not an AAA title. the Animations of the cat are buttery soft for the most part and fun to run around the city streets with. Motion capture wasn’t even used for animation. the performance We never noticed negatively on the PS5. Some shortcomings such as minor camera problems, clipping errors or the jump mechanics can also be forgiven in this small title.
DualSense Features: On the PS5 he takes care of it DualSense controller for even more immersion. The shoulder buttons offer their own resistance when you sharpen your claws somewhere and a soft purr can be heard from the controller speakers when you lie down with your four-legged friend.
Reference-www.playcentral.de