Thanks to Stray’s adorable feline protagonist and endearing narrative, it’s fair to say BlueTwelve Studio’s breakout indie hit has gone down well online. Reinforced by its debut on the recently rebooted PlayStation Plus, all signs point to the game being one of 2022’s underdog success stories. Over the last few weeks players have gradually been getting to the cyberpunk-inspired game’s credits, which should keep it in the spotlight for some time to come.
While there’s no guarantee that Stray will get a sequel, and BlueTwelve Studio is hopefully too busy soaking up its success right now to be looking into the future, there’s definite scope for even more cat adventures. Across the game’s roughly 4-6 hour single player story, the indie studio did a remarkable job building out its world and supporting cast. So much so that, based on the game’s closing moments, it’s already possible to imagine some of these narrative seeds blossoming further down the road.
Spoiler Disclaimer - this post contains plot details from Stray’s ending.
Stray’s Cat Protagonist
Due to Stray’s fully-realized dystopian world, it’s sometimes easy to forget the plot points that kicked off its story. Even though the player spends most of the game trying to guide their cat protagonist back to its home on the surface, it’s easy to get swept up in the lives of the robots that pop-up along the way. To the point that, at the game’s conclusion, an argument can be made for their stories being the real point of the journey. In some respects, BlueTwelve Studio’s design decisions on this front suggest it has a bigger plan in store for its feline main character.
At the end of Stray, even though the game’s cat protagonist is able to open the subterranean city, its story is left noticeably unresolved. That’s mainly down to the fact that the cat’s primary objective of reuniting with its fellow felines isn't shown on screen. While other plot points and characters are hinted at, the cat simply walks off into the unknown. Thanks to well-established sci-fi and storytelling tropes, that leaves the door wide open for more adventures to be shown off in a potential sequel. Having been the star of the show in so many respects, a case can be made for the cat being more than worthy of a happier ending.
Based on the narrative threads that Stray explores throughout its story, a theoretical sequel set on the surface of the planet would have a lot of potential as well. Considering humanity has seemingly been absent from the world of Stray for some time, it’s easy to imagine the surface now being filled with mysteries and danger for the cat to contend with on its journey home. Navigating these dangers while crawling through the remnants of the human race would likely result in the creation of a unique yet compelling follow-up story.
B-12’s Fate
As has been discussed, while Stray’s feline hero has gained a dedicated fan-following, there’s plenty of other characters and plot threads that could pop up along its theoretical journey home as well. Several story beats that were planted during the original game, aren’t given concrete resolutions either. Some, such as B-12’s ultimate fate, have seemingly been left deliberately up in the air by BlueTwelve Studio. While the human-turned-robot was shown sacrificing itself, it’s inferred during the game’s conclusion that B-12 isn’t as dead as players first thought.
This was most likely a deliberate plan by the studio to help create a more memorable story. B-12’s fate and future have likely lingered in the collective mind of Stray’s fan-base long after most players have rolled credits on the game. There’s also a chance though that BlueTwelve Studio hasn’t committed to a definite resolution to its story so that it can bring the adorable robot back in a potential sequel. With the cat having helped B-12 to restore its memory, there would be something undeniably heartwarming about it returning the favor. Considering the surface world is likely overrun with technology and life, the cat could do with all the help it can get.
One of the hallmarks often associated with a great science fiction themed mystery is the plot details and threads it leaves ambiguously up in the air. While there’s a chance that BlueTwelve Studio could undermine the success it’s already achieved on this front with a sequel, it’s just as easy to see these narrative loose-ends coming together again to make a compelling sequel. With its cat and robotic companions needing a true ending to both of their respective journeys, the perfect set-up has already been put in place for a Stray 2.
Stray is available on PC, PS4, and PS5.