With the gaming scene dominated by expensive triple-A games, it can be difficult for smaller titles to get the attention they deserve. However, BlueTwelve Studio's Stray has been causing a buzz for all the right reasons. Letting gamers play as an inquisitive, orange cat, Stray takes players on a platforming, puzzle-solving adventure through robot-inhabited environments.
The strangeness of Stray's world leaves players with many questions, but perhaps the most pressing question concerns the fate of humans. It appears that the world the cat falls into is created by humans, but there are no humans to be found. The game does offer an answer, but it only leaves players with more questions.
The Fate of Humans in Stray
When the cat in Stray is separated from its fellow felines, it slips into a cyberpunk world filled with strange robot beings that are afraid of the cat at first but soon warm up to it. The robots are quite humanlike, as they are bipedal, and they have screens that help them emote. However, they speak a strange language, and they have metal bodies. It is difficult for the cat to make sense of its environment. Fortunately, it befriends a drone named B-12 which is able to translate the robots' language and remind the cat of its goals. In addition to being a good translator, B-12 can also illuminate dark areas, collect objects, and blast swarming enemies known as Zurks.
Helped by B-12, players discover that though humans built the robots as helpers, the robots have outlived humans, and they have inherited the world. The robots have some knowledge of humans, which they speak of in fond terms and sometimes refer to as the "Soft Ones." Although it is believed that all humans have been wiped out, some robots still hold hope that humanity exists in a place known as "The Outside," which refers to the world outside Walled City 99.
B-12 has a story of its own. The drone is missing plenty of its memories, and along the way, it slowly remembers who it is and what happened to the humans that built the robots. It discovers that it was once a human scientist and that humans were ravaged by a plague. Although humans created Walled City 99, no humans entered in time, though B-12 saved himself by downloading his consciousness to a computer.
Humans May Have a Future
Although it is clear that the plague was a terrible disaster that negatively impacted humans, it is not yet confirmed that humans were completely wiped out. Though Zurks are a problem, they are defeated by light, which means that living creatures that dwell in The Outside are safe, at least during the day. The ambiguity lining Stray, as well as its open-ended conclusion, leaves the door open for a sequel to answer many of the questions that remain regarding humans and the strange plague.
Stray is a surprise that has managed to capture the attention of the gaming world thanks to its adorable protagonist and its mysterious and immersive cyberpunk environments that beg players to explore them. In a game featuring cats and robots, it is natural for players to wonder what happened to all the humans. However, it appears that the developers have chosen to allow Stray's world to remain enigmatic, providing little explanation beyond a brief mention of a plague. The fate of humans could be explored in a future Stray sequel.
Stray is available on PC, PS4, and PS5.