Stray (PS5) [2022] critique

“A cat has absolute emotional honesty: human beings, for one reason or another, may hide their feelings, but a cat does not.”
-Ernest Hemingway

They made an entire game about a cat that just wants to go Outside. I found this game to be incredibly human, despite humans never actually appearing on screen at any time, and it comes complete with a single fatalistic ending that cannot be changed. Thematically, it makes sense, even if I was screaming “NO” at the TV while it went down. Worthy of all of its many, many awards, Stray is an adventure of robots and killer boogers that boasts a compartmentalized science fiction setting mixing horror, ecology, dark comedy, and claustrophobia. Delightfully, it’s not just a game for cat lovers but also a game for philanthropists. I may be a cat person but Stray made me more of a human person. It is as emotionally manipulative as a kitten peeking through an open door that still comes back inside, anyways. Cats, amirite?

The 8-bit Review

Visuals: 8/10

Audio: 7.5/10

Gameplay: 6.5/10

Accessibility: 9.5/10

 Narrative: 10/10

 Themes: 9.5/10

Uniqueness: 8.5/10

Personal: 9.5/10

Aggregated Score: 8.6

Red formerly ran The Well-Red Mage and now serves The Pixels as founder, writer, editor, and podcaster. He has undertaken a seemingly endless crusade to talk about the games themselves in the midst of a culture obsessed with the latest controversy, scandal, and news cycle about harassment, toxicity, and negativity. Pick out his feathered cap on Twitter @thewellredmage or Mage Cast.