Stray's Cute Protagonist Should Not Overshadow The Deep Story

gamerant.com:

Since Stray came out, it has hit the Internet by storm. It has become known as «the video game where you play as a cat,» meanwhile CNN has called it «everyone's favorite new cat-centric video game,» and even PETA wrote an article about how much the game gets right about cats. Even cat behaviorist Jackson Galaxy has picked up the game and shared some of his playthrough on social media.

However, this craze has missed the game's vital points. While playing a cat is wonderful, Stray is about much more than its furry protagonist. The game is packed with messages about police brutality, environmentalism, the pitfalls of capitalism, and what defines humanity. The level of attention this game has garnered seems to focus more on the cute cat rather than the story, and that is disappointing when its dystopian elements are so important.

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Stray gets deep into the effects of corporate greed. Neco is a corporation that had a hand in dooming humanity, and remnants like its logo can be found everywhere. They are the source of most enemies in the game, even after the extinction of humanity, having created the Peacemakers and Sentinals as well as the Zurks. Since it worked in waste management, it is hinted that Neco was partly at-fault for the environmental calamities that caused humanity to lock themselves in the Walled City. Neco profited from this as well, and likely made Stray's plague that killed humanity even worse.

Another big theme is police brutality. While robots have evolved in beautiful ways, such as having emotions, families, restaurants, fashion stores, and more, they have also picked up some of humanity's greatest vices — like using brutality to maintain a status quo. The