7 Essential Tips Before You Start Stray
A dystopian setting is a recurring theme in video games. Most of the time, these games are usually centred around survival and life after earth as we know it. Games that come to mind are Cyberpunk 2077 and the Fallout games.
One thing that both of these games have in common is that they revolve around the human species. However, with Stray, famous indie developer Annapurna Interactive made a cat the central figure in a dystopian world. This is honestly a bold risk and we love when developers take chances like that.
While Stray has attracted all of our eyeballs, the game itself is relatively new and its concept untouched. Therefore, a lot of players will be heading into this game blind and thus we’ve taken the liberty of listing some essential tips for your Stray playthrough.
Let’s get started!
1. Interact with Everything
Do you know the saying “curiosity kills a cat”? Well, that adage doesn’t apply in Stray. In this game, you’ve got to think like a cat and interact with everything around you.
Be curious and be as mischievous as possible. Always look to knock down pots and bowls as they will unveil hidden stuff that might have gone unnoticed.
Besides disrupting unanimated objects, be sure to also interact with all the dystopian creatures around. Most of them have interesting flavour texts that will give you insights into the game’s lore and background.
Also, sidequests in Stray do not have an indicator. This means you would need to talk to everyone if you want to complete all the sidequests. So strut your stuff and start meowing!
2. Running in a Zig-Zag Manner
As you are a cat, most of the time you are pretty defenceless. Contrary to popular belief, you don’t have 9 lives in this game. Run when you encounter danger!
Deeper into the game, there will be Zurks looking to capture you and you will need to do some cat parkour to safely avoid them. One of the more efficient ways to do this is to run in a zig-zag style.
By doing this, you can sometimes make the Zurks latch onto something—hindering its movement for a span of time. This might seem insignificant, but that short amount of time you’ve brought yourself can mean life and death for the kitty.
3. Hit and Run
We did mention that for a large part of the game, you will be defenceless. However, during the latter part of the game, you can actually combat the Zurks!
That said, do not expect your kitty to transform into Puss in Boots as your fighting capability is still very limited. All you have in your arsenal is the UV light which you can use to damage the Zurks.
Luckily, the UV light you are using is pretty powerful and can pretty much kill any Zurks it touches. The only downside here is that your UV light is susceptible to overheating.
Use it conservatively and rely more on your movements. Constantly look to move around and only when you have a clear chance should you use the UV light.
4. B-12 Is Your Best Friend
Getting lost in a dystopian environment is not uncommon. Adding to the fact that there are just so many things to do, it is pretty easy to lose track in Stray.
Fortunately, accompanying our kitty is none other than B-12, a drone that will offer assistance whenever you need it. So if you have a problem or are stuck in a puzzle, do not be shy to ask for help from B-12 as it will provide you with some tips and prompts to help you out.
Plus, you don’t need to worry about B-12 spoiling the fun for you. As much as B-12 offers the best assistance, it doesn’t directly tell you the answer to a puzzle. Ultimately, you’ll still need to figure out the solution yourself.
5. Vending Machines Provide Currency
In Stray, physical cash is a thing of the past. The current medium for transactions has evolved into can drinks—yes we are not pulling your leg about this.
Hence, make sure your kitty interacts with every vending machine it encounters. Stock up on these energy drinks as they can be used to trade for collectables from the Barterman.
If you are a completionist, this is definitely a must-do, but we also recommend casual players pick up the habit of checking vending machines. Doesn’t hurt to unlock miscellaneous items on the way right?
6. Boxes Can Be Used for Hiding
One of your biggest foes in this game is aerial drones. These drones will stop at nothing until they discover the whereabouts of this kitty venturing about.
Not only are there drones seeking your furry tail out, Zurks are also loitering around looking for you! As such, hiding is essential for you to avoid all of these hazards. To hide, you will need to look for empty boxes lying around. Get inside these boxes and wait until the coast is clear before emerging into the streets again.
The hiding gameplay might need some getting used to, but after a while, it will become second nature.
7. Know the Colours of the Meshed Zones
While hiding inside boxes seems like a solid plan to avoid drones, it will also do you well to know what each colour emitting from the drones means.
Here is what each colour indicates:
Blue
The aerial drone is unaware of your presence.
Yellow
The aerial drone is aware of your presence but is unable to pinpoint your location.
Red
The aerial drone has spotted you and knows your location. Go into hiding immediately!
With this information in mind, you can safely gauge whether you should attempt a risky manoeuvre or not. If it is blue, you might as well do it but if it’s red, it’s much better to run and find a box somewhere!
Hey! We’ve made it to the end! We hope that these tips will help you navigate through the dystopian universe better as a kitty. And if you are looking to purchase Stray on your PS console, be sure to check out our PlayStation Store Gift Cards here!
