Stray
| Video game fandom | |
|---|---|
| Name | Stray |
| Developer(s) | BlueTwelve Studio |
| Publisher(s) | Annapurna Interactive |
| Release date | 19 July 2022 |
| Platform(s) | PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, PC |
| External link(s) | https://stray.game/ |
| Related articles on Fanlore. | |
Stray is a third-person adventure game in which the player plays as a cat (sometimes referred to by fans as the "purr-tagonist") that has fallen into a walled city and needs to return to the surface. They are aided by a drone companion, B-12, and need to avoid Zurks (deadly bacteria) and Sentinels (security drones). The dystopian world of Stray is populated by robots that the player can interact with.
Fandom
The game was well-received with fans creating fanart, gifsets and memes based on the game as well as meta about the game's themes and message. Playthroughs and Let's Plays have also been created and shared to Youtube, providing an additional avenue of interaction and discussion. A popular category of mods for the game are ones that change the color of the player character to resemble people's own cats, or famous cat characters. [1]
Fans have drawn comparisons between the game and Untitled Goose Game as both games have an animal player character which is notorious for causing chaos. A few days after the game's release (23 July, 2022) Stray was listed as the #1 trending tag on Tumblr, with Untitled Goose Game at #8,[2] seemingly prompted by Stray's popularity. Another game mentioned in the same context is Goat Simulator, a 2014 game in which the player controls a goat.[3]
Fanworks
Fanart
- let. the cat. PLAY!!!, Archived version by jukeboxindie: fanart recreating the Woman Yelling at a Cat meme with characters and situations from Stray
- I don’t know why I’ve put so much effort into this meme but here you go, Archived version by cardo-de-comer, 2022 -- fanart calling back to the Lion King meme of Rafiki holding up baby Simba.
- “so I believe in a universe that doesn’t care and people who do”, Archived version by misohunk, 2022 -- the cat and environment in the game
- some cats and robots, Archived version by rrrrunk, 2022
Cosplay
- From our ex-Stray to all of yours., Archived version by cat-cosplay: a cat cosplaying as the cat from Stray
Meta
- I can't believe there are people out there who did not grasp the backstory and meta of Stray., Archived version by persephinaw: meta about the robot characters in Stray and what they mean for the world of the story
- In one point of Stray a mural says “It’s been 2544875556 days since robots gained their Soul”., Archived version by recently-diagnosed-lady-knight, 2022
- Translated the alphabet used in STRAY, Archived version by jmerlins: meta about the alphabet used in-game along with translations of a number of words and phrases
- There have been a lot of animated cats in games and movies and what have you but Stray? That is a cat!, Archived version by lady-byleth, 2022 -- praising and analyzing the character animation of the cat
- Underrated thing I love about Stray: it solves the core “narrative distance problem” you have in almost every other video game ever., Archived version by secretmellowblog, 2022
Other
- STRAY ・ B-12, Archived version by leopardmuffinxo: a gifset featuring Cat and B-12
- Pick of the Litter, Archived version by SpaceD0lphin: a mod that changes the cat's fur colour to different breeds
References
- ^ stray modders making the playable the playable cat look like their cat, Archived version, twitter thread, with tumblr post followups including a mod that makes the player cat look like Garfield. Posted 24 July 2022. Accessed 4 October 2022.
- ^ Perma.cc link displaying Trending Tumblr topics on July 23, 2022.
- ^ Tumblr post by kaidansalenkos, Archived version, July 21, 2022 (Accessed July 23, 2022).