Stray is a cyberpunk adventure platformer game from BlueTwelve Studio. I’ve played about two hours of the game so far and am a little over halfway through the campaign. In this game published by Annapurna Interactive, you play as a cute stray cat that is separated from its family. Being put into the role of a small cat provides a new and unique experience I haven’t had in a game before. This perspective elevated my experience playing the title and made everything from exploring the world around me to solving puzzles feel slightly fresh. These minor puzzles include opening a safe, obtaining an item for someone, and more. Surprisingly, they are all precisely balanced between being too difficult and being too easy. A dopamine rush and a feeling of satisfaction follow solving them. These puzzles are currently my favorite part of the game, along with the world design. Although this is a platformer game, I wouldn't consider it one because jumping is only a matter of pressing X when the prompt appears. I didn't like this at first, but over time I grew to like it. The enemy interactions I've had so far have been a welcome change of pace for the gameplay loop. While the gameplay as a whole isn’t the best, the story and exploration are both wonderful. Due to spoilers, I won't go into the story beyond describing the main plot, but I was pleasantly surprised by how engaging the narrative would be. Your attempt to escape the abandoned cybercity you are in and get back to your cat family is the key objective of the story. With its neon-lit alleyways and homes inhabited by a friendly robotic population, this cybercity looks fantastic. The murky environments of the world's underbelly are also finely realistic and beautiful. Exploring all of these detailed locations through the eyes of a cute cat is always a joy, and it feels very exciting when you find a hidden secret. It would be remiss of me not to highlight that, as the cat in this game, you get to perform some characteristically feline actions, such as clawing a sofa or rug, playing with a toy, and knocking stuff over leiges. Stray is a game that executes on a great core idea to create a wonderful short-but-sweet experience that I can’t recommend enough. Stray is available on PS4, PS5, and PC and is also free for PlayStation Plus Extra and Premium members.

Quick Play is this section of What Ya Playing where I share some of my short thoughts on games I’ve been playing lately. 

OlliOlli World. While I haven’t played any of the other games in the series, I decided to give Olli Olli Worlds a try and I’m glad I did. It’s a fun 2D skateboarding game, full of flashy tricks, that introduces new mechanics at a steady pace. If you have PlayStation Plus Premium, then you can play a one-hour chunk of the game included with your subscription. I’ll no doubt come back to Olli Olli World later this year, and I’m glad I gave it a fair shot.

As Dusk Falls. I finished the first chapter of the game and had a great time. While the gameplay and visuals of this title aren’t great, the story is incredible and surprised me many times while playing. If you’re a fan of Telltale Games’ titles or are looking for a game with an exceptional story, look no further than As Dusk Falls. 

We didn't receive any community submissions this week, but you can send your submissions to our email: contact@elevategames.net. I may also ask what games you’ve been playing recently on my social media accounts and on my Discord that you can join here. You can either submit the name of a game/s you've been playing or a bunch of text explaining what you enjoy (or don't) about that/these game/s. I look forward to hearing about what game/s you've been playing. Thanks.

This has been this week's What Ya Playing Wednesday. I'll see you all in two weeks for another article about what games you and I have recently played and/or enjoyed.

Thanks for reading and Game On!!