Stray, last year’s adorable game where you play as a cat in a cyberpunk world, looks to be pawing its way onto Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S in the near future.
The game – currently a PlayStation console exclusive – received a new Xbox rating by the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB).
Exclusive contracts with independent creators have been the focus of recent negotiations between Sony and Microsoft, and one such standout title from the PlayStation library appears to be nearing completion for Xbox systems.
Adventure game Stray, developed by BlueTwelve Studio and published by Annapurna Interactive last year for PC and PlayStation systems, may be coming to Xbox. The ESRB has rated the post-apocalyptic cat-starring adventure game for Xbox Series X/S and Xbox One, suggesting that a port may soon be published.
What is STRAY?
Stray, a brand-new IP from BlueTwelve Studio and Annapurna Interactive, will launch in July along with a number of other titles, including Bear and Breakfast, Digimon Survive, and Xenoblade Chronicles 3. By immersing players in a brilliantly realised robotic world populated by robots they see via a cat’s eyes, Stray distinguishes itself from many other games on the market. Either this concept is everything a player has ever desired in a video game, or it’s a rather odd gameplay structure requiring some persuasion to try out.
In the most recent State of Play, Stray was given an eagerly anticipated release date and the assurance that higher membership tiers will be able to download it for free through PS Plus. If any gamers were on the fence about the game, this is the ideal time to purchase it when it launches in July and learn more about Stray. They might be pleasantly surprised if all they expect is a game that allows them to explore and observe things from a cat’s perspective.
Exploring A Futuristic Environment
Initially, the demo called HK_Project tracked a cat around the beautifully lit streets and roofs of Hong Kong, eventually becoming known as Stray. It evolved into something much more complicated, but it still emphasises discovery as players move around a neon-lit cityscape and comes across various urban patterns. The main visual and focus of the game are players exploring a cyberpunk city full of sentient robots as they go about their daily lives, despite the fact that there are many diverse places with open-world features.
There are other components to Stray’s gameplay, but savouring the world’s design is a big part of what makes it fun. The sci-fi atmosphere, the beautifully designed streets and buildings, and the opportunity to view the vibrant settings from a fresh angle will all be available to players. After all, there aren’t many video games that let players control a cat, and that fact alone gives Stray major points for uniqueness, along with its fascinating and opulent environment and distinctive gameplay.
Platforming and Puzzles
The primary goal of Stray is exploration, but it’s also a third-person adventure with platforming and puzzle-solving components that take advantage of the titular cat’s agile and acrobatic moves. While this may seem a little restricting in the otherwise fluid traversal, there are some sections where players will need to utilise these prescribed movements in a flurry of activity that better suits this mechanic. Players will be able to leap about the environment in scripted sections and prompted instances.
The cat will be accompanied on its excursions by B-12, a helpful drone that assists players by gathering goods and supports them in avoiding bothersome opponents known as Zurks that will swarm and attack the feline protagonist. Although it would be awesome to watch the tiny cat battling enemies, there isn’t any combat in Stray. The goal is often to avoid conflict, but later in the game, B-12 can be improved to fight a few more modest robotic foes if necessary.
In addition, Stray will present players with a variety of physics-based environmental puzzles to solve. To assist with these, the fuzzy feline will be able to carry and hold objects in its jaws. Some tasks will require cooperation between the cat and its robotic companion, with B-12 triggering switches and assisting the cat in reaching areas that it would not be able to easily access. Stray will also have a lot of cat-like behaviour, such as rubbing up on robotic bystanders’ legs, which should interestingly (and adorably) increase the gameplay’s realism.
Latest Leak about Release of the Xbox
This suggests that Stray’s limited PlayStation exclusivity term is about to expire. Given that the game was initially only accessible through PlayStation Plus, it will be fascinating to see if it eventually makes its way to Xbox and the Game Pass collection.
ESRB Rating
The ESRB has given Stray an E for Everyone 10+ rating, as noted by Twitter user @MACOS380, noting that the game contains animated blood and fantasy violence. Players occasionally run upon parasite blobs or mouse-like bots that can harm or kill cats. According to the rating summary, the mice-like robots can be defeated by employing a UV light, which will cause them to burst and release colourful liquid splashes.
This new Stray rating doesn’t tell us much more than that, as neither a release window nor a date was provided. Maybe Playstation was the only console for a year? The game’s original release date was July 19, 2022, making July of this year seem like a viable candidate for the Xbox premiere.
In our review of Stray when it first came out, we gave it an 8/10 and stated, “By constantly capturing the player’s interest, whether through gameplay or its distinctive setting and atmosphere, Stray makes a very compelling case for itself, and for the player to stick with it beyond just the initial curiosity that the lift pitch incites. “A Cat in a cyberpunk city” is the basis of a genuinely terrific game with a lot of heart, not just a lame attempt to spark talk and interest.
Currently, Stray is accessible on PC, PS4, and PS5.
