<s>
Stray	B-Application
is	O
a	O
2022	O
adventure	O
game	O
developed	O
by	O
BlueTwelve	B-Application
Studio	I-Application
and	O
published	O
by	O
Annapurna	O
Interactive	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
story	O
follows	O
a	O
stray	B-Application
cat	O
who	O
falls	O
into	O
a	O
walled	O
city	O
populated	O
by	O
robots	O
,	O
machines	O
,	O
and	O
mutant	O
bacteria	O
,	O
and	O
sets	O
out	O
to	O
return	O
to	O
the	O
surface	O
with	O
the	O
help	O
of	O
a	O
drone	O
companion	O
,	O
B-12	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
development	O
began	O
in	O
2015	O
,	O
led	O
by	O
BlueTwelve	B-Application
Studio	I-Application
founders	O
Koola	O
and	O
Viv	O
,	O
who	O
wanted	O
to	O
pursue	O
an	O
independent	O
project	O
after	O
working	O
at	O
Ubisoft	O
Montpellier	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Stray	B-Application
aesthetics	O
were	O
influenced	O
by	O
Kowloon	O
Walled	O
City	O
,	O
which	O
the	O
developers	O
felt	O
could	O
be	O
appropriately	O
explored	O
by	O
a	O
cat	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Stray	B-Application
was	O
announced	O
in	O
2020	O
and	O
became	O
highly	O
anticipated	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Following	O
some	O
delays	O
,	O
it	O
was	O
released	O
on	O
19	O
July	O
2022	O
,	O
for	O
PlayStation	B-Operating_System
4	I-Operating_System
,	O
PlayStation	B-Device
5	I-Device
,	O
and	O
Windows	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Stray	B-Application
is	O
a	O
third-person	O
adventure	O
game	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
player	O
controls	O
a	O
stray	B-Application
cat	O
,	O
leaping	O
across	O
platforms	O
and	O
climbing	O
up	O
obstacles	O
,	O
and	O
can	O
open	O
new	O
paths	O
by	O
interacting	O
with	O
the	O
environment	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
climbing	O
in	O
buckets	O
,	O
overturning	O
paint	O
cans	O
,	O
operating	O
a	O
vending	O
machine	O
,	O
and	O
clawing	O
at	O
objects	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Stray	B-Application
features	O
two	O
types	O
of	O
enemies	O
who	O
can	O
kill	O
the	O
player	O
:	O
Zurks	O
,	O
a	O
large	O
,	O
mutated	O
bacteria	O
that	O
can	O
swarm	O
and	O
devour	O
the	O
cat	O
;	O
and	O
Sentinels	O
,	O
security	O
drones	O
who	O
will	O
attempt	O
to	O
shoot	O
the	O
player	O
upon	O
spotting	O
them	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
While	O
a	O
group	O
of	O
four	O
stray	B-Application
cats	O
trek	O
through	O
the	O
ruins	O
of	O
an	O
abandoned	O
facility	O
,	O
one	O
becomes	O
separated	O
from	O
the	O
others	O
after	O
falling	O
into	O
a	O
chasm	O
leading	O
to	O
an	O
unpopulated	O
underground	O
city	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
cat	O
finds	O
a	O
lab	O
where	O
it	O
helps	O
download	O
an	O
artificial	B-Application
intelligence	I-Application
into	O
the	O
body	O
of	O
a	O
small	O
drone	O
,	O
which	O
calls	O
itself	O
B-12	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
BlueTwelve	B-Application
Studio	I-Application
founders	O
Koola	O
and	O
Viv	O
began	O
working	O
on	O
Stray	B-Application
in	O
2015	O
as	O
they	O
wanted	O
to	O
pursue	O
an	O
independent	O
project	O
after	O
working	O
at	O
Ubisoft	O
Montpellier	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
After	O
they	O
shared	O
some	O
footage	O
on	O
Twitter	B-Application
,	O
Annapurna	O
Interactive	O
reached	O
out	O
in	O
April	O
2016	O
to	O
publish	O
the	O
project	O
;	O
Koola	O
and	O
Viv	O
had	O
only	O
developed	O
some	O
early	O
scenes	O
,	O
but	O
had	O
a	O
strong	O
direction	O
for	O
the	O
final	O
project	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Stray	B-Application
was	O
heavily	O
influenced	O
aesthetically	O
by	O
Kowloon	O
Walled	O
City	O
;	O
Koola	O
and	O
Viv	O
liked	O
the	O
city	O
's	O
organic	O
construction	O
,	O
and	O
found	O
it	O
interesting	O
to	O
approach	O
as	O
artists	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
They	O
encountered	O
artistic	O
and	O
technical	O
challenges	O
in	O
balancing	O
interesting	O
game	O
design	O
with	O
the	O
open	O
world	O
,	O
as	O
typically	O
decorative	O
items	O
—	O
such	O
as	O
pipes	O
and	O
air	O
conditioning	O
units	O
—	O
are	O
explorable	O
paths	O
in	O
Stray	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
inclusion	O
of	O
robots	O
inspired	O
more	O
of	O
the	O
story	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
team	O
found	O
it	O
fitting	O
because	O
of	O
their	O
fascination	O
with	O
films	O
like	O
Blade	B-Application
Runner	I-Application
(	O
1982	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Murtaugh	O
,	O
a	O
former	O
stray	B-Application
cat	O
found	O
under	O
a	O
car	O
in	O
Montpellier	O
,	O
was	O
the	O
primary	O
inspiration	O
for	O
the	O
protagonist	O
,	O
while	O
Oscar	O
,	O
a	O
furless	O
Sphynx	O
,	O
provided	O
effective	O
reference	O
for	O
animation	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Stray	B-Application
was	O
announced	O
on	O
11	O
June	O
2020	O
,	O
at	O
PlayStation	B-Device
's	O
Future	O
of	O
Gaming	O
event	O
,	O
in	O
development	O
for	O
PlayStation	B-Operating_System
4	I-Operating_System
,	O
PlayStation	B-Device
5	I-Device
,	O
and	O
Windows	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
During	O
PlayStation	B-Device
's	O
State	O
of	O
Play	O
presentation	O
in	O
June	O
,	O
the	O
release	O
date	O
was	O
announced	O
as	O
19	O
July	O
2022	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
At	O
launch	O
,	O
it	O
became	O
available	O
for	O
the	O
members	O
of	O
the	O
Extra	O
,	O
Deluxe	O
,	O
and	O
Premium	O
tiers	O
of	O
PlayStation	B-Device
Plus	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Two	O
physical	O
versions	O
were	O
released	O
by	O
iam8bit	O
and	O
Skybound	O
Games	O
:	O
the	O
standard	O
retail	O
version	O
for	O
PlayStation	B-Device
5	I-Device
on	O
20	O
September	O
2022	O
,	O
featuring	O
six	O
art	O
cards	O
;	O
and	O
the	O
Exclusive	O
Edition	O
for	O
PlayStation	B-Operating_System
4	I-Operating_System
and	O
PlayStation	B-Device
5	I-Device
in	O
Q4	O
2022	O
,	O
with	O
an	O
additional	O
poster	O
and	O
embroidered	O
patch	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Highly	O
anticipated	O
following	O
its	O
announcement	O
,	O
the	O
game	O
topped	O
Steam	B-Application
's	O
wishlist	O
charts	O
before	O
release	O
,	O
broke	O
Annapurna	O
Interactive	O
's	O
record	O
for	O
concurrent	O
Steam	B-Application
players	O
upon	O
release	O
,	O
with	O
over	O
62,000	O
players	O
,	O
and	O
became	O
the	O
highest	O
user-rated	O
game	O
of	O
the	O
year	O
on	O
the	O
platform	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
July	O
,	O
it	O
was	O
the	O
most-downloaded	O
PlayStation	B-Operating_System
4	I-Operating_System
and	O
PlayStation	B-Device
5	I-Device
game	O
in	O
North	O
America	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
second-most	O
PlayStation	B-Device
5	I-Device
and	O
third-most	O
PlayStation	B-Operating_System
4	I-Operating_System
in	O
Europe	O
;	O
in	O
August	O
,	O
it	O
was	O
the	O
fifth-most-downloaded	O
PlayStation	B-Device
5	I-Device
and	O
sixth-most	O
PlayStation	B-Operating_System
4	I-Operating_System
game	O
in	O
North	O
America	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
fifth-most	O
on	O
both	O
platforms	O
in	O
Europe	O
;	O
and	O
in	O
September	O
,	O
it	O
ranked	O
19th	O
on	O
PlayStation	B-Device
5	I-Device
in	O
Europe	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Videos	O
of	O
cats	O
watching	O
footage	O
of	O
Stray	B-Application
went	O
viral	O
after	O
the	O
release	O
,	O
with	O
the	O
dedicated	O
Twitter	B-Application
account	I-Application
@CatsWatchStray	O
garnering	O
over	O
32,000	O
followers	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Stray	B-Application
received	O
"	O
generally	O
favorable	O
reviews	O
"	O
according	O
to	O
review	O
aggregator	O
Metacritic	O
,	O
based	O
on	O
99	O
reviews	O
for	O
PlayStation	B-Device
5	I-Device
and	O
41	O
reviews	O
for	O
Windows	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
VG247s	O
Kelsey	O
Raynor	O
described	O
it	O
as	O
"	O
a	O
touching	O
tale	O
of	O
loss	O
,	O
loneliness	O
,	O
environmental	O
destruction	O
"	O
,	O
and	O
Ars	O
Technicas	O
Sam	O
Machkovech	O
declared	O
it	O
a	O
blend	O
of	O
the	O
"	O
eerie	O
,	O
atmospheric	O
exploration	O
"	O
of	O
Half-Life	B-Application
(	O
1998	O
)	O
and	O
the	O
"	O
childlike	O
whimsy	O
of	O
a	O
classic	O
Studio	O
Ghibli	O
film	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Alyse	O
Stanley	O
of	O
The	O
Washington	O
Post	O
described	O
Stray	B-Application
as	O
"	O
a	O
master	O
class	O
in	O
environmental	O
story	O
telling	O
and	O
level	O
design	O
"	O
,	O
lauding	O
the	O
subtle	O
directions	O
provided	O
to	O
the	O
player	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
NMEs	O
Jordan	O
Oloman	O
considered	O
the	O
worldbuilding	O
the	O
strongest	O
element	O
,	O
though	O
noted	O
it	O
failed	O
to	O
reach	O
levels	O
of	O
intelligence	O
or	O
subtlety	O
like	O
Nier	B-Application
:	I-Application
Automata	I-Application
(	O
2017	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Club	O
felt	O
the	O
concept	O
of	O
the	O
underground	O
city	O
populated	O
by	O
robots	O
felt	O
like	O
a	O
"	O
Lego	B-Language
stack	O
of	O
ready-made	O
video	O
game	O
tropes	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Kotakus	O
Sisi	O
Jang	O
found	O
Stray	B-Application
a	O
troubling	O
example	O
of	O
techno-orientalism	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Keza	O
MacDonald	O
of	O
The	O
Guardian	O
considered	O
Stray	B-Application
"	O
an	O
excellent	O
example	O
of	O
how	O
a	O
change	O
of	O
perspective	O
can	O
enliven	O
a	O
fictional	O
setting	O
to	O
which	O
we	O
've	O
become	O
habituated	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Hardcore	O
Gamers	O
Kyle	O
LeClair	O
felt	O
Stray	B-Application
has	O
"	O
a	O
terrific	O
story	O
with	O
profound	O
themes	O
to	O
uncover	O
and	O
great	O
emotional	O
beats	O
along	O
the	O
way	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
original	O
score	O
received	O
praise	O
,	O
and	O
was	O
described	O
as	O
among	O
the	O
year	O
's	O
best	O
by	O
Ars	O
Technicas	O
Machkovech	O
,	O
who	O
compared	O
it	O
favourably	O
to	O
Half-Life	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
gameplay	O
sequences	O
involving	O
Zurks	O
—	O
compared	O
by	O
several	O
critics	O
to	O
the	O
headcrabs	O
from	O
the	O
Half-Life	B-Application
series	O
—	O
were	O
positively	O
described	O
as	O
"	O
more	O
authentically	O
cat	O
"	O
by	O
Electronic	O
Gaming	O
Monthlys	O
Harmon	O
,	O
while	O
GamesRadar+s	O
Loveridge	O
found	O
they	O
added	O
balance	O
to	O
the	O
calmer	O
moments	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Webster	O
of	O
The	O
Verge	O
similarly	O
felt	O
they	O
added	O
necessary	O
tension	O
,	O
likening	O
them	O
to	O
the	O
swarms	O
of	O
A	B-Application
Plague	I-Application
Tale	I-Application
:	I-Application
Innocence	I-Application
(	O
2019	O
)	O
,	O
but	O
wrote	O
they	O
could	O
become	O
frustrating	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Stray	B-Application
won	O
PlayStation	B-Device
Game	O
of	O
the	O
Year	O
at	O
the	O
40th	O
Golden	O
Joystick	O
Awards	O
and	O
Most	O
Innovative	O
Gameplay	O
at	O
the	O
Steam	B-Application
Awards	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
From	O
PlayStation	B-Device
Blog	O
,	O
Stray	B-Application
won	O
Best	O
Independent	O
Game	O
of	O
the	O
Year	O
and	O
ranked	O
fourth	O
for	O
Best	O
Art	O
Direction	O
,	O
Best	O
Use	O
of	O
DualSense	O
,	O
PS4	B-Operating_System
Game	O
of	O
the	O
Year	O
,	O
and	O
PS5	B-Device
Game	O
of	O
the	O
Year	O
,	O
while	O
the	O
cat	O
was	O
runner-up	O
for	O
Best	O
New	O
Character	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Stray	B-Application
won	O
Best	O
Sound	O
Design	O
for	O
an	O
Indie	O
Game	O
at	O
the	O
21st	O
Annual	O
Game	O
Audio	O
Network	O
Guild	O
Awards	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
led	O
the	O
nominees	O
of	O
the	O
23rd	O
Game	O
Developers	O
Choice	O
Awards	O
with	O
six	O
nominations	O
(	O
tied	O
with	O
Elden	B-Application
Ring	I-Application
)	O
,	O
including	O
Game	O
of	O
the	O
Year	O
,	O
and	O
won	O
Best	O
Debut	O
.	O
</s>
