Stray Beginner's Tips & Tricks You Should Know Before Playing

Stray is one of the best games of 2022 and BlueTwelve Studio's masterpiece is set to get a Nintendo Switch release later this year.

With a portable version of the game just around the corner, more players will be able to get their hands on Stray soon enough. Despite how cute the titular stray cat is, the game is actually a lot deeper than it first suggests.

This guide helps newcomers in the early stages and what they should keep in mind before actually diving deep into Stray's world.

Continuous Jumps

The saying that cats always land on their feet is even more accurate in Stray as the protagonist can bridge the gap between two objects using the "X" button (on PlayStation). If you hold the button, you will be able to chain your jumps together automatically, according to Kotaku.

Furthermore, the game itself will display a button prompt over any objects that you can actually jump to. This is an option that you can choose to deactivate in the settings but it makes Stray much more cinematic.

Talk With NPCs

In almost any RPG, NPCs serve multiple purposes, including a quick bit of dialogue and sometimes some useful information for the story or side content. In Stray, the second is true, which means that interacting with every NPC you see will pay off in the long run.

In this game, the majority of NPCs are robots called Companions and they almost always have something important to say to you. Some of the dialogue focuses on adding color to the game's already-realized world while others offer various hints.

Explore With Caution

There are a variety of locations you can visit in Stray and there are many interactive points that you can find. These mainly indicate one of three things. The first are objects that you can examine, add to your inventory, or hold in your muzzle, said GamesPressure.

The second is devices that can be attached or used and in this particular case, the B-12 drone that accompanies you will take over and perform the required interaction. The last is communicable robots, where the B-12 drone fills the role of a translator.

Think Like a Cat

Since in Stray, your character is a cat, one of the best pieces of advice is to actually think like a cat would and go from there. What this means is that normal level building logic no longer applies and you will be able to figure out solutions to puzzles that you were stuck in before.

At first, this can be both disorienting and frustrating because you have gotten used to seeing the world as a human being and not as a feline.

Take Things Slow

This is not a game that forces you to rush through and was designed to be taken at a steady pace. While there is an achievement that tasks players with completing the game in under two hours, this is best completed in a subsequent playthrough.

There are various napping spots available in Stray for a reason and you should explore everywhere you can before going back on the main path. More often than not, you'll find something worth the trouble, according to DualShockers.