Stray delivers players an endearing and genuine cat-like experience. As they progress through the game, the perks of being a cat soon become clear.

Carpet scratching simulator Stray has burst onto screens worldwide due to its compassionate storytelling, gorgeous world-building, and compelling characters. Stray puts its players in control of an unnamed cat, who seeks to return to their family after being separated from them during the game's opening sequence.

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The studio behind Stray's development, BlueTwelve Studio, crafts a uniquely cat-like experience for their players. Being a cat in this game isn't just a neat marketing tactic or silly gimmick. There are distinct advantages to feline life that other inhabitants of the universe simply can't take enjoy. Perhaps that's why players quickly become known as everyone's furry little friend.

In a dystopian, cyberpunk landscape, food is always a rarity. Despite being a living being, Cat in Stray can sustain itself and stay alive on puddles of water alone. Whether it's dripping from a strange hole in the ceiling, or has been stagnant for possibly thousands of years, the Cat will drink it.

This is an almost overpowered advantage considering how much climbing, sprinting, and meowing the Cat performs over the course of the bite-sized journey. It seems perfectly satisfied to lap up water from the odd puddle now and again, rather than seek any real sustenance.

From a cat's perspective, being able to find a satisfying scratching post isn't a need, it's a must. Luckily for the Cat, there's a whole range of post-apocalyptic furniture for them to scratch and leave a lasting impression on. Nobody even seems concerned with the Cat's destructive tendencies.

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It isn't just furniture that the Cat can scratch. The Cat can go up to closed doors and scratch them obnoxiously until someone responds or opens the door to let them in. This small skill doesn't seem important at first, but it's a surprisingly sincere form of communication.

In Stray, the Cat outruns every single being in the game with ease. Whether it's the Sentinel drones, the robots, or even the villainous Zurks, nothing can catch up to the tiny protagonist. Not only is this great from a gameplay point of view, allowing the player to relax a little and have some space to think, but it also shows the sheer difference between biological and artificial beings.

As a species, cats typically aren't the fastest beings around, so the Cat definitely has a distinct advantage in-game. It's undeniably fun to zip around the mysterious environment, especially when that zipping around helps the player trip up some robots.

In Stray, the Cat can only traverse upwards and downwards in certain spots. While some players have criticized the game for this lack of free parkour, the developers have done a phenomenal job displaying the Cat's vertical agility and freedom. If anything, entirely free parkour in Stray could feel overwhelming.

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The Cat can go almost anywhere the player wants to, leaping between buildings and jumping down into hidden areas on a whim. The Cat seems especially adept at parkour, able to use even the smallest perch or ledge to move to another area.

Due to the Cat's small frame, it's able to go places many of its robot allies can't enter. Sneaking into apartments to find journals, cheer other robots up, or participate in some good old thievery is as entertaining the last time as it is the first time.

This adds even more positives to the Cat's already high levels of maneuverability, as they're not constricted by size, height, or speed. This trifecta of skills means adventuring in Stray remains both fun, exciting, and free of unnecessary constraints.

The robots of Stray live in complete fear of a small, fleshy species called Zurks, who mutated from bacteria humans left behind before their extinction. Originally created to consume trash, Zurks evolve to consume metal and flesh, which poses an obvious and terrifying threat to the sentient robots.

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The Cat becomes the robots' saving grace, being the only living thing around that's able to outrun and outsmart the Zurks, allowing it to pass through their territories with minor effort. Thanks to this, the Cat can reunite multiple robots with each other, pass along messages, and, eventually, introduce the robots to the now repaired outside world.

One of the Cat's greatest perks is the ability to get away with repeated nuisance behavior. Not only can the Cat rudely interrupt a mahjong game by jumping up onto the board, it can also push a crate of beer onto a robot's head, push tins of paint off of surfaces and walk through it, and jump up onto a sleeping robot to get a nap of its own.

The Cat's cuteness, however, keeps nearly all the inhabitants of Stray's unique world from holding a grudge. Even the robots who get in trouble after the Cat makes them drop a tin of paint openly blame themselves rather than their furry friend.

With a dedicated meow button that allows the Cat to let off as many stereotypical cat noises as it would like, it's no surprise that each robot in the game reacts to these strange little noises coming from this unusual creature. Most robots in Stray love hearing the Cat meow. Their faces, which are typically TV screens or some other sort of display, will light up with a smiley face or love heart when the cat meows.

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Even sweeter, some robots react with surprise, showing a shocked face instead, while still being curious as to the Cat's absolute cuteness. The same effect can be achieved if the Cat rubs up against the robots' legs too, and most robots love it when the Cat shows them affection.

Throughout the game, players will stumble across interactive areas that'll send the Cat into nap mode. This nap mode will pan the camera out as the Cat curls up. Becoming somewhat more cinematic, the camera will reveal more of the surroundings as the protagonist gets some much-needed sleep.

Every single one of these nap spaces, no matter how big or small, is incredibly cozy. It's hard not to feel jealous watching the Cat find solace in these spaces, especially the one in Clementine's apartment, which is the epitome of comfort. The best nap spot, however, is on the stomach of a napping cowboy robot, who barely objects when the Cat jumps up to join him.

The absolute best thing about being the Cat is being accompanied 24/7 by the lovable and personable B-12, the one who enlists the Cat's help in the first place and is the reason they're still alive. B-12 not only understands the Cat, but they help the Cat understand others too, providing the basis for the very human interactions at the heart of Stray.

The relationship that forms between the two despite the lack of words is heart-warming and sends a message to anyone playing the game that friendships form in the most unlikely of places. While being the Cat is tons of fun, the greatest advantage is having B-12 by their side.

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Jasmine is a lists writer for CBR based in the United Kingdom. When she isn't figuring out Top 10s or watching hours of anime, she's an avid writer, gamer, napper, and wannabe chocobo breeder.

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