JOIN USBengaluru plays Stray, the viral cat video game
Bengalureans have caught on to Stray, a cat video game that went viral last month.
It is a roleplaying game where you play as a ginger stray cat in a post-apocalyptic city inhabited by robots. You have to traverse rooftops and alleys, shoot mutant bacteria, and solve mysteries with the help of a companion drone to reunite with your feline family.
Twitter account @CatsWatchStray is full of videos of pet cats watching the game cat keenly. Developed by BlueTwelve Studios from France and published by Annapurna Interactive from the US, the game has outscored the critically-acclaimed ‘God of War’ on the world’s leading PC game distribution platform. Indian gamers on Reddit have described the cat’s journey as an “emotional experience”. Tharun Shankar, 20, from Vijaynagar can relate. The 3D artist and avid gamer shares, “I used to play with two stray cats, while I was growing up. As a cat person, I had always wondered what it’s like to look at the world from their perspective. Plus, I have always loved technology. So Stray brought the best of both worlds together for me.”
Likewise, 21-year-old Suyash Chandra is an ardent gamer and cat lover. “I like the attention to details the makers have paid to build the cat’s behaviour,” he says.
Others have raved about the ‘meow’ button and sleep areas for the cat.
Not everybody is blown away with the feline adventure. Neha Hegde, a 19-year-old game art student, says, “It’s a decent game. Nothing special about it. I don’t know how it has gone viral.”
Despite hits and misses, reports suggest people are streaming their Stray game live for audiences to raise funds for cat shelters in New York City. This hasn’t happened in Bengaluru yet, informs Deepak Vasudevan, assistant manager at Charlie’s Animal Rescue Centre.
“Games have more impact than simple ads but their reach is lesser,” he adds. Sudha Narayanan, NGO’s founder, echoed similar sentiments: “This is an innovative way to reach younger audiences and sensitise them about the pain and problems stray animals face. We hope to play the game soon.”