Stray For Stress

Photo by Psfanatic.com

Within the world of things that provide decompression from modern stressors, did you ever consider a video game? Since popular entertainment is mainstreaming the video game genre, you might be familiar with a popular game or two. You probably didn’t know that these games are as effective in stress relief as other things we do for enjoyment, especially this lauded indie masterpiece that was nominated for six awards including Video Game of The Year at The Game Awards in 2022. Stray was developed and released in 2022 by a small independent gaming studio, BlueTwelve Studios. While barely losing to other triple A titles of that year, Stray has justified its fame since its exciting trailer release. 

Photo from newscientist.com

What’s so great about manning a ginger cat that traverses a dystopian cybercity? The story begins when your cat is accidently separated from its group of other stray cats, and ends up in the gutter of cityscape ruins, an era we are most familiar with. In the process of getting back to your clowder, you run into rogue bots that speak of stories of humans that used to run them. You are eventually saddled with tech and an A.I. that guides and squeezes you out of jams while exploring. 

Photo from psfanatic.com

Stray’s ambience of human vacant cities, cat paws skipping over wet city streets, and lingering rain drops from run down store fronts, create a mystifying and calming experience. If you are familiar with the new trending way to calm down by listening to “lofi” (low fidelity) instrumentals played over scenes like a sleeping city, you will definitely enjoy the scenery and music this cat hero encounters. Not only is this game all about piecing together the story of what has been, it is nuanced in its mundanity: you can voice a meow, sharpen your claws on desirable spots without disruption from a human, climb or knock over stuff, pat objects off things from high distances, or explore a paper bag with your head and hope it doesn’t stick.

Besides the intricate detailing of cat behavior and its physicality, the game provides an out of the ordinary context in comparison to typical game themes. Its wins are largely due to the immersive story surrounding this unique protagonist. The in depth exploration as a stray cat–intact with some of its basic natural instincts–makes this freeing piece especially satisfying. You can find this game on a PC game distribution service, Steam, or on the PS4 and PS5 consoles.