(Photo Credit: Stray Video Game)
In BlueTwelve Studio’s third-person perspective game, Stray, players navigate a cyberpunk dystopia as an orange tabby on a mission to find his way home. Critics have commended the creators’ realistic, detail-oriented portrayal of cats’ behaviors, attitudes, and sounds. And many players’ real-life felines have also given it their seal of approval.
Cats’ Reactions Go Viral on Social
Since the game’s July release, users have flooded social media. Posts show their feline friends seemingly fascinated with their animated counterparts. Many even meow or paw at the screen as their humans play. Naturally, a few kitties seem concerned that their humans are giving other cats too much attention and sit right in front of the screen to ensure they’re center stage.
Cats aren’t the only ones enchanted by the ginger protagonist and his kitty comrades. Humans are getting a kick out of it too. In the game, players get to mimic their four-legged friends, doing all sorts of typical cat things like knocking things over, rubbing up against legs, and walking on keyboards. There’s also a mystery to solve and plenty of adventure. The visuals are remarkable, as well.
Even Cat Behavior Experts Are Impressed
JoAnna Puzzo, a cat behavior expert and feline welfare manager at Battersea Dogs and Cats Home, filmed a video for GameSpot reacting to the game. Puzzo observed the protagonist and the fellow cats in his colony as they went about their day. She remarked how the creators portrayed the animals incredibly realistically, from their actions to their physical and physiological traits. As she watched, she also explained the motivation behind why cats – both virtual and IRL – do the things they do, including greeting one another with chirrups, grooming each other, and kneading furniture or trees.
“The game is really quite ingenious. Whoever made the game really picked up on a lot of natural cat behaviors,” she said.