Robots, machines, and mutating bacteria—not traditional playmates for a flamboyant little feline pal, are they?However, in 2022 stray Manages to make the relationship between cats and robots and what it shouldn’t be somehow incredibly sweet. The critics agree: a game for everyone, a brilliant platforming experiment from the cat’s point of view, full of charm and enthusiasm. Sadly, anyone without a PlayStation or PC never got a chance.
Well, now, a year on, things are looking a little more promising for cat lovers on the Xbox side of the console rift. Stray – which has been a PlayStation console exclusive since its launch on July 19, 2022 – has now received a new Xbox rating from the European Software Rating Board (ESRB).
Twitter user @MACOS380 Discovery Stray has been rated E for Everyone 10+ by the rating board. As with the previous version, the ESRB noted that Stray features animated gore and fantasy violence.
Sharing the rating will draw attention to the various plot points and dangers that can be encountered when guiding stray cats home, and this is not a spoiler. “Players will sometimes encounter parasitic blobs/rat-like robots that can attack and kill cats,” it emphasizes. “Players can use ultraviolet light to defeat rat-like robots, causing them to explode and spew colored liquid.” It’s exactly what you’d expect from a cat simulator–but I still think it would be better if it were dogs.
Not only is the game a triumph for Sony for an interesting and unique indie franchise, but it’s also a headliner for PlayStation Plus. At launch, Stray will be available to members of PlayStation Plus’ Extra, Deluxe, and Premium tiers — an important announcement meant to highlight the launch of Sony’s revamped Game Pass subscription service. Does this mean it’s possible we’ll see Stray join Xbox Game Pass? It’s not impossible.
So when will we finally be able to enjoy this third-person adventure game and the company of our eponymous stray cat on Xbox consoles?Nothing has been confirmed just yet, but these console deals typically come with around a year of enforced exclusivity for their platforms – meaning we’ll likely see Stray coming to Xbox or around July 19, 2023 (Though, take with a pinch of salt).
Stray has performed extremely well with players and critics around the world. It managed to attract over 62,000 cat lovers on Steam within a week of its release alone (those players thought it was better than God of War, for God’s sake). If you’re an achievement hunter tasked with channeling your inner cat to get all the sweet spots, and getting it from someone who’s done it on PlayStation, this is one of the funniest lists you’ll get this year.
When the game launched for PlayStation, we heard that it helped save real-life homeless cats–we hope BlueTwelve’s wonderful little adventure gets new life again this year.
iGamesNews