Summary
Straywore its gimmick on its sleeve of featuring a cat protagonist who actually behaved like a cat would—granted it did control how players wanted it to and listened to NPCs, which shows more obedience or compliance than a cat would ever willingly commit to. Gameplay was chiefly designed around straightforward platforming as players maneuver environments, even if it was meant to be cinematically engaging rather than interactively challenging. Now,aStraysequel or spin-offhas the opportunity to improve gameplay in exciting ways.
Straymay end up remaining a lone installment whose world is never continued or tethered to another and that would be all well and good, too. However, considering how unique it felt as an animal-centered game where the cat itself was a metaphorical fish out of water in the setting it inhabited, it would be a shame if Annapurna never followed it with a comparable game. to make it far more unique, though, aStraysequel should feature a new lovely animal to roleplay as.
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Dog
A dog would be the easiest choice in terms of animals fans might already find lovable and charming, but a dog would also be a bit more difficult to structure gameplay around.Stray’s adorable and immersive cat-centric interactionshelped it stand out, and yet it remained engaging because of the nimble platforming the cat was able to accomplish. Dogs certainly aren’t as light on their feet and while their interactions with NPCs and the world would surely be cute, the sequel would need to find a completely unique way to orient its gameplay around activities dogs could feasibly achieve with quaint platforming not being likely.
Mouse/Rat
Amouse or ratwould be great since it could take the premise of a small animal and make it even tinier, allowing fans to explore environments on a more granular level than before. Mice are extremely quick, can gain access to areas via the most narrow passageways, and could have enemies much larger than them attempting to stomp them or hunt them. This could even present a fun twist onStrayitself with a cat possibly appearing as an antagonist that players flee from. Rats are commonly perceived as diseased and unnerving, too, giving Annapurna a chance to flip that perception on its head or use it to its narrative advantage.
Bird
A bird would absolutely disregard platforming sequences, but it could still be interesting to explore areas while flying, especially if they are as dystopian and creative asStray’s setting is. Otherwise, fans could potentially play as a bird whose wing is damaged, rendering it unable to fly for at least a period of time in the sequel. Either way, bird gameplay could afford a more thorough approach to the verticality thatStrayexplored, althoughDeath’s Doormight have already cornered the market on adorable bird games.
Spider
A spider would have a similar issue, then, as a bird would in aStraysequel. Spiders are not commonly perceived as being cute, but that hasn’t stopped games from trying to subvert that perception.Webbedis an endearing indie game that lets players traverse andsolve environmental puzzles with web-slinging mechanicsand its leaping spider protagonist is also able to wave its legs to engage in a fun dance, for example, let alone ride a skateboard. More of the same in aStraysequel could be fun, yet it still wouldn’t feel as unique as it could be due to how many similarities it would have with experiences that came before it.
Squid/Octopus
A squid or octopus would present something opposite to a bird by letting players explore a dystopian underwater setting. It wouldn’t be out of the realm of possibility for humans or robots to have taken refuge in the ocean where the last remaining civilization might be and exploring that environment as an animal that could freely swim throughcoral reefs and deep, horrifying trencheswould provide an experience much more different thanStray, while still having fans play as an animal that could be considered adorable.
Strayis available now on PC, PS4, and PS5.
