Ever wanted to knock paint cans off a rooftop just to watch them fall? Stray, developed by BlueTwelve Studio and published by Annapurna Interactive, gives you that chance and more. At Player Opinion, we wandered through a decaying cybercity as an orange cat with no name, no dialogue, and no weapons—just instinct, curiosity, and claws. It’s weird, moody, short, and somehow still memorable.
Stray Game Review
Gameplay Experience: 16/25
Stray is easy to pick up and play. The controls are simple and just make sense—no tutorials needed. We played with a controller and didn’t have to think much about the buttons after the first few minutes. The game isn’t hard, but that’s fine. Most of it is slow and relaxed, which suits the tone. Playing as a cat feels different in a good way. It’s fun to explore, hop across rooftops, and do typical cat stuff like scratching walls or knocking things off ledges. There are no meaningful choices to make, but the game encourages you to talk to every NPC you see. That curiosity pays off, and while the progression is simple, it still feels rewarding. Definitely not deep, but it kept us engaged.
Presentation & Immersion: 19/25
The world of Stray is small, but it makes an impression. The art style leans into a sort of post-apocalyptic neo-Tokyo vibe—lots of neon, rust, and forgotten tech. It’s beautiful in its own way, and the shift from curious exploration to quiet isolation is well handled. The story is simple: you’re a cat, separated from your family, trying to get home. Along the way, you stumble into a city full of sentient robots trapped underground, haunted by something far worse. It’s weird, but it works. The HUD is minimal—only showing up when needed—and we loved how clean it felt. Audio is fine, nothing standout, though there are a few nice ambient moments. Overall, it’s the atmosphere that carries the experience, and it does a solid job of pulling you in.
Design & Technical: 16/25
From a design perspective, Stray does something fresh—it lets you explore like a cat. That means climbing, sneaking, scratching up furniture, and occasionally being a little menace. It’s well executed and definitely feels different from other games. That said, the content is limited. We wrapped up the entire playthrough in about six hours, and that was with plenty of aimless rooftop wandering. The AI is basic, but if you’re not paying attention, enemies will still take you down. Settings are minimal, and customization is pretty barebones. On the bright side, we didn’t run into any bugs or technical issues. It’s a smooth, well-polished experience, just not a long one. If you go in knowing that, it delivers exactly what it promises.
The Skinny About Stray
Final Considerations: 18/25
Stray (Steam Link) is a fun, memorable little game. It doesn’t overstay its welcome, and it wraps up with a clean, satisfying ending. There are no microtransactions, no bloat—just a short, focused experience that delivers exactly what it sets out to do. Replay value is limited, but that’s perfectly fine. Not every game needs to stretch for dozens of hours to be worthwhile. That said, the price point feels a bit high for the amount of content on offer. While we genuinely enjoyed our time with it, it is ultimately a brief experience, best picked up on sale or during a discount. If you’re in the mood for something quiet, strange, and genuinely different, Stray is worth checking out. Cautiously recommended.
Disagree with our take?
Score Stray yourself using our Steam Review Template. It only takes a few minutes—and at the end, just copy your results to clipboard and paste them into your Steam review. Easy.
Want more?
• Join the conversation on the Player Opinion Steam Community
• Developers: get noticed on our Steam Curator Page
• Or browse more reviews in our Game Reviews section
Player Opinion exists to make reviews better—for gamers, by gamers.