Three years ago, Untitled Goose Game propelled the genre into the fandom of video game. Its production values, accessibility, and unique sense of humor were a notable step up from the genre’s typical “failed barnyard animal” gimmick, and the result was a smash hit. At that point, one usually wonders: where else can video games with unexpected animal heroes go?
The answer, provided by stray this week, it’s pretty convincing. This brief but memorable adventure is a refined vision of the concept, as if it were made by an auteur film studio. The main character lands somewhere between the creepy, atmospheric exploration of the first Half-Life and the childish whimsy of a classic Studio Ghibli film.
Y is played by a cat: It’s not an unrealistic talking cat with googly eyes and Acme-brand hammers, but a cat that solves puzzles, takes naps and explores tiny holes that moves on all fours and almost always lands on them.
Crucially, the developers at the new BlueTwelve studio nail down an important contrast. The developer’s realistic vision of a domesticated virtual cat, both in its aesthetics and its controls, it somehow fits perfectly into a surreal underground world full of robots, neon lights and mysteries. In fact, this contrast helps the game bring out the humor one moment and the friendliness the next.
The real cats that inspired the video game Stray
The title of BlueTwelve Studio edited by Annapurna Interactive opens tomorrow but before the long-awaited day arrives, those responsible have wanted to offer us more details of their protagonist cat.
In a post published on the official PlayStation blog, you can read how Swann Martin-Raget, producer of the development team, reveals that the character who ventures into this cyberpunk world is based on a real alley cat. Although Stray’s has no name, the feline he is inspired by does: his name is Murtaugh.
This animal is one of the cats that the co-founders (Viv and Koola) have, and was found in the streets near the city of Montpellier, France, hidden under a car. He was picked up from there and is doing much better now, also nicknamed “The Boss” and having been very supportive during development.
However, the cat who helped the animators was not Murtaugh, but rather Oscar, the pet of one of the team members. They wanted the behavior resembles as much as possible that of a real catand for this Oscar was in the studio almost every day and it was recorded to try to replicate their attitudes within the game.
Finally, the BlueTwelve Studio team doesn’t want to say goodbye without mentioning another cat: Jun. This one too he was in the studio most days to help animate the cat protagonist of Stray.
Although, they define him as “the head, executive, president and director responsible for the study” in charge of making sure that the team works correctly.
In order for players to control the feline, it will only be necessary to go to the official PlayStation store, since Stray launches today, July 19 in pc, PS4 Y PS5although its physical editions will take a little longer to arrive.
Remember that, If any TechSmart reader is a PS Extra or Premium subscriber, the two new levels of the PlayStation subscription model, the game can be accessed at no additional cost from the service catalog.
