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Stray 2022
Stray is a 2022 adventure game developed by BlueTwelve Studio and published by Annapurna Interactive. It features a stray cat who descends into a walled city filled with robots, machines, and mutant bacteria. The cat seeks to return to the surface using a drone companion named B-12. Gameplay uses a third-person view where players navigate by jumping between platforms and climbing obstacles. Interaction with the environment opens new routes. Players use B-12 to store collected items and hack technology to solve puzzles. During gameplay, players must avoid hostile Zurks and Sentinels who try to eliminate them.
Development started in 2015 under the leadership of BlueTwelve Studio founders Koola and Viv, who pursued an independent title after working at Ubisoft Montpellier. The game's visual style drew inspiration from Kowloon Walled City, a setting they believed could be explored by a cat. Gameplay concepts were shaped by studying their own cats, Murtaugh and Riggs, through images and videos for reference. They discovered that playing as a cat offered unique level design possibilities but faced difficulties balancing design with gameplay mechanics. The choice to fill the world with robot characters affected both story and background elements.
Stray was revealed in 2020 and gained significant attention. It launched on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and Windows in July 2022, followed by releases on Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S in August 2023, macOS in December 2023, Nintendo Switch in November 2024, and Nintendo Switch 2 in May 2026. Critics responded positively overall, appreciating its artistic design, feline gameplay, narrative, original soundtrack, and platforming features. However, reviews were split on combat and stealth sections. The game earned awards at the Game Awards, Game Developers Choice Awards, and Golden Joystick Awards, and appeared on numerous year-end lists from major publications. A film adaptation is currently in development.
Trailer
Plays from YouTube only after you click.
Crew
- Director
- Koola and Viv
- Designer
- Mathieu Audrain, Alexandre Brodu, Hugo Dunas-Wald
- Programmer
- Rémi Bismuth, Sores Hatipoglu, Antonin Ferret
- Writer
- Steven Lerner
- Producer
- Swann Martin-Raget
- Music
- Yann van der Cruyssen
Details
- Developer
- BlueTwelve Studio
- Publisher
- Annapurna Interactive
- Platforms
- PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, macOS, Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2
- Modes
- Single-player
- Engine
- Unreal Engine 4
