In a digital event last night that showed off the next chapter for Horizon, cars looking sexier than ever in Gran Turismo 7 and a brave new world for Spider-Man, let’s be real: Stray was the star of the show. Now I’m not just saying this because I love cats, Annapurna Interactive’s unique output and fancy visuals but…Actually stuff that, all of those elements are exactly why I want to play the game.
In case you need a reminder, here’s last night’s trailer for the game:
Stray is currently being developed by Montpellier-based BlueTwelve Studio, with a focus on mixing fast-paced action with good ol’ puzzle solving from a cat’s perspective. BlueTwelve’s crazy pitch first found its origins in humanity’s greatest source of inspiration: The pub. “I remember that I was having a pint of fresh beer with BlueTwelve co-founder Koola, on the Place des beaux-arts in Montpellier, France,” Creative & Game Director at BlueTwelve Studio’s Viv explained.
The summer sun was shining and we were thinking about a cool game idea to pursue as independent developers after working at Ubisoft for long time. We wanted to find an original idea, interesting enough to keep us excited throughout the years of development. Kowloon Walled City kept coming up in our discussions. Such a unique, organic place was fascinating to us. We thought it was a great basis for a universe, but it really clicked when we realized: “What a better playground than Kowloon for… a cat!”
The concept was crazy enough for us to move forward, so we rented a flat together and started working on what was called Project_HK at the time.
From there, BlueTwelve had an idea, a goal and a passion to create the most unique adventure game that they could:
Our goal is to create a unique experience playing as a cat. We are inspired everyday by Murtaugh and Riggs, our two cats. Most of the team are cat owners as well, giving us all a lot of helpful first-hand references. Cats are always so playful, cute and lovingly annoying that it’s an endless stream of gameplay ideas for us.
It is also a very unique point of view for an adventure game. Exploring the strange world we are building feels really fresh when you’re sneaking under a car, or walking the rooftops with the inhabitants below unaware of your presence. Or if you want them to be aware, you can just meow endlessly to annoy them.
It’ll still be a while before Stray hits the big time with its virtual zoomies in 2021, but it’s already the kind of game I can’t wait for: Artistic, atmospheric and oh my gosh look at that little kitty backpack!
Last Updated: June 12, 2020
Llama In The Rift
June 12, 2020 at 14:16
Why does this remind so much of that one episode in Love, Death and Robots?
Loved that episode.
Original Heretic
June 12, 2020 at 14:40
Loved ALL of that series.
That one on the space station, where their ship had gone off course and ended up much further away than they thought?! Daaaaaaamn!!
The D
June 12, 2020 at 15:04
Nightmares for days!
David Scott Duncan
June 12, 2020 at 15:06
As a cat lover, this looks really cool
Name
June 13, 2020 at 19:21
Day one puuuurchase for me ⭐?⭐