Stray Shows That Games Shouldn't Be So Obsessed With Combat
Stray is amazing. I’m only an hour or so into BlueTwelve’s feline adventure and I’m already engrossed by its rich dystopian world, inventive mechanics, and the most accurate depiction of a cat ever seen in video games. This cat cats like no cat has ever catted in the medium before. They’re a good little dude eager to scratch up carpets and nap wherever they like.
This game has captured the imagination of so many across the internet, combining a love for furry friends with an experience that doesn’t put violence at the forefront. Let’s be honest, most modern blockbusters involve murder and destruction, with narratives driven by bloodthirsty quests for revenge or gameplay that sees us traverse open worlds doing battle with whomever crosses our path. It’s par for the course, and while there’s nothing inherently wrong with how games and other media approach violence, it sure is getting tiresome.
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Stray is one of the biggest games in recent memory to combat that expectation. You’re a cat, and not one capable of defending itself against the obstacles it stumbles across. Often your only recourse is to run away, clambering atop obstacles or hammering a button to keep alien creatures and oppressive spotlights off your tail. It doesn’t have a sword or a gun, only its cute little legs that can carry it wherever the world dictates. This is so refreshing, and it’s easy to see why a community has fostered around Stray because of how fundamentally it subverts what we’ve come to expect from the medium. We need more games like this too.
It doesn’t stray (wahey) away from the threat of violence though, with this post-apocalyptic landscape clearly hiding several
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