Summary
Straywas among 2022’s best gaming surprises. Seemingly coming out of nowhere, the high-fidelity, funky, feline-focused futuristic adventure won over countless gamers, despite some clear shortcomings and a brief runtime. WithStraycoming to the Nintendo Switch this November, it could be getting a second wind of sorts, and the creative minds behind it should ride this momentum.
Coming from French developer BlueTwelve,Straydemonstrates clear passion and verve, standing out even in a majorly competitive indie scene. While it certainly saw success, its premise is hardly what major publishers would consider a surefire hit: there’s no combat, no progression, and the game can be cleared in about five hours. In other words, its cultural impact was something of a surprise. But it shouldn’t be too shocking, asStray’s stunning art direction, unexpectedly impressive graphics, music, and undeniable charm make it hard to dislike. Having said all that, there’s a sense that BlueTwelve has a bit more up its sleeve, and one can only hope that the studio doesn’t take too long to reveal its next steps.
Stray Should Only Be the Beginning for BlueTwelve
Stray Is a Fantastic Debut from BlueTwelve
In an industry where games are often interchangeable and easily forgotten or replaced by something new,Strayhas lodged itself in the minds of many of those who played it. It has left fansclamoring for aStray 2of sorts, and while this prospect shouldn’t be totally written off, BlueTwelve also shouldn’t feel hogtied to its winning horse.
Straywas lightning in a bottle in some ways, breaking into a cynical gaming market inundated with live-service shooters, remakes, and shallow franchise fodder, serving as a charming, earnest breath of fresh air. These circumstances played a role in its success, though BlueTwelve’s talents do a lot of the heavy lifting as well.Straymakes excellent use of modern hardware, with photorealistic graphics, silky-smooth animations, and robust sound design, but its true appeal lies in the thumping heart of its development team.
Photorealism and sleek visual effects are leveraged not to create stock-standard human NPCs, but lanky cats and junk-punk robot denizens.Stray’s level design is dense and multifaceted, its streets and homes are dirty, worn-out, and lived-in. Moving through the alien world ofStrayis a uniquely immersive experience, not because BlueTwelve threw millions of dollars to make the game cutting-edge, but because it leveraged its creative vision to make something with real personality, more than just a pretty face.
Strayis getting an animated movie adaptation, which could expand on its unique world and grow the IP’s influence.
Stray Is Great, but BlueTwelve Has Room to Grow
Strayis certainly a lovely game, but it’s not perfect. For one thing, though it’s a visual and auditory feast, it’s rather shallow gameplay-wise, essentially taking the form of a cat-flavored walking simulator. Naturally,Stray’s lack of actionis part of its appeal, but there could have been other ways to better leverage interactivity, such as with more complex traversal mechanics or puzzles. There’s also the game’s short runtime. While not every game needs to be long, BlueTwelve could get more value out of its future interactive worlds by offering a meatier campaign.
Whether BlueTwelve wants to polish its style of game design through anotherStraygame or a brand-new IP, the company hopefully won’t sit on its next project for too long. Theshort and sweetStrayis a cutehors d’oeuvre, but it should lead to something greater from BlueTwelve, proving that the studio is more than a one-trick pony. WithStraycoming to more platforms, and possibly getting a new life with an animated film, the sky could be the limit for BlueTwelve. Hopefully, the team can take off with a worthy sophomore release.
