Stray for PlayStation 5

While being quite a short experience in terms of a modern game, what is packed in more than makes up for it. A simple but engaging plot that definitely hooks you with it's characters and environments, all while you roam around as the cat. The gameplay is also quite simple but it doesn't need to be complicated, making it easy for anyone to pick up and play. One thing the game achieves quite well is making you want to explore, by all means you can play through the game and not do everything in it and still have a satisfying experience, if you take that extra step which believe me, you will be encouraged too, there's definitely some rewards there. I also appreciate the gameplay in terms of how accurately the game portrays the behaviour of well a cat. there are many points of interaction where you can quickly distract yourself from the main plot and just behave like a cat, whether it be napping, scratching, etc.There are a couple of aspects about the game that personally I didn't have issues with but I can see others feeling otherwise. The game is quite easy overall, with very few actual moments that have challenge, so people might get bored of that, on top of that there are definitely glitches in the game, although most of them don't seem to be game breaking, rather just little quirks that make for a good laugh, although people have had issues with playing, for instance I had my game crash on me once which was a bit annoying. Luckily the game has an autosave system, although there's no manual saving, so if you wanted to save before you stop playing, you'd either have to progress the story a bit or find a spot that does it for you, that would have to be my only real gripe with this game.Even with that all on top, I still think this game is an absolute gem that is fully deserving of a playthrough, and again it isn't long so you could easily finish it in a session or two depending on the type of player you are. It also isn't too steep of a price either, I do think you're getting your money's worth, and hey if you don't like it, you can always return it. Highly recommended, took me about 4.5 hours to complete!

In this game, you play a cat from a feral colony, who is separated from his companions due to falling down a hole into a large underground city, and must find his way back home. Sounds simple, but...The game takes place thousands of years in the future, long after the fall of humanity, and the city you fall into is populated by intelligent robots who have taken on many of the personalities and characteristics of their long-gone human creators that they idolize. But the robots are facing their own problems, and your cat character has to help them in the process of helping itself.The game is about 55% exploration, 40% puzzle-solving... and, strangely, 5% survival horror. That last part sounds weird, and it is somewhat at conflict with the Myst-like atmosphere of most of the game, but it works. Quite simply, there are occasional moments in the game when you must evade things that are out to kill you, and (most of the time) you have very little recourse to fight back; your cat can die (causing a reversion to a checkpoint save), though for the faint-of-heart there's an option in the Settings menu to not show the actual cat death.I was surprised, however, at about the point to have invested maybe 8 hours into the game, to discover that I was something like 70% of the way through it (as per the PS5 home screen). Thus, it is an extremely short game by modern standards. My first instinct was to be annoyed (after all, it was just so delightful that I didn't want it to end so soon!), but after a few seconds I realized that I felt some relief that I wasn't going to have to spend the next few months of life grinding through a game that had become tedious due to its obscene length. This game is a pleasant reminder that a game doesn't have to be long and life-consuming to be good.I spent just under 12 hours on it, but keep in mind that I have a very completionist, explore-every-corner style of game play; even without hints, a determined person could probably get to the end in well under 9 hours - but why would you, when it's first-and-foremost a game focused on exploration and story-telling? I could probably choke down a 6oz filet mignon in 90 seconds too if I really wanted, but why would I? This is a game to savor.The ending is maybe a tiny bit sad, but they drop a hint in the very last two seconds that possibly mitigates it, and potentially sets up for a sequel in the process.

So happy I could get a physical copy of this in case it ever disappears from online stores. One of the most thought-provoking and beautiful games I’ve ever played. Not very difficult and very simple mechanics, but it sticks with you long after completing it. The story relies on the emotions it elicits rather than explaining everything through dialog. It was haunting, cute, funny, and sad. I couldn’t put the controller down and I still think about it to this day. I recommend this game to anyone who wants an immersive experience. Truly a masterpiece in gaming.