"One of the best worlds in a video game" - Stray's first reviews have started to appear

The release of Stray will take place in just a few hours, but the gaming press has received early copies and has already given the first ratings. The story about a cat lost in cyberpunk sounded very intriguing in the trailers and, judging by the reviews of critics, it really justifies the hopes placed on it.

At the time of writing, Stray has the following statistics:

• The average score is 84 out of 100.
• 83 reviews were taken into account.
• 92% of critics recommend the game.

Some excerpts from the reviews:

The author of the VGS publication (rating 5/5) calls Stray one of the best games in Annapurna Interactive's catalog (that is, at the level of abstract fascination somewhere on the level of What Remains of Edith Finch, Outer Wilds and the very recent Neon White). Stray can be completed in a little less than five hours, but, they say, the surrounding world is so beautiful and interesting that for its sake you want to linger and explore every centimeter.

"Stray is a masterclass in environment design with one of the most detailed and immersive game worlds we've ever encountered. Like the protagonist, the world is small, but what you encounter there will stay with you for a long time. A must for introduction game"

• According to the reviewer in PC Gamer (82 out of 100), Stray could be better with more complex game mechanics, but the game manages to change ideas before they can torture you.

"Playing as a cat never gets boring. Perhaps the best compliment you can give Stray is that even the defenseless stealth sequences in the final third are not just great, they're actually very interesting. A first for a video game! Like so much else, these sequences come to life thanks to the main character. What it lacks in layering, it makes up for in flexibility and adaptability. Here's to more games with the same great instincts."

• Critic Dexerto notes the luxurious appearance of the game and even says that in terms of graphics, the game is often close to the heels of even The Last of Us Part II. But, according to the author, Stray lacks deeper gameplay: for example, jumps are tied to icons on the screen and do not offer risks with rewards, and gameplay situations are repetitive and do not develop.

"If you just want to see the world in motion and walk around huge cityscapes, then you'll be delighted with what Stray has to offer. But if you're expecting a detailed gameplay that demands a lot of button presses and deep immersion, you may be disappointed.

I'm somewhere in the middle: I appreciate the amazing look of Stray, but I wonder if anything could have been done with such an environment and attention to detail if the game wasn't built around a cat for gameplay systems)"

Stray is coming to PC (Steam) and PlayStation (including for PlayStation Plus subscribers of the "Extra" and "Deluxe" levels).