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Edge article on Stray (lasts 8 hours on average, most convincing in-game animal ever seen, game is 'wide-linear')

cormack12

Gold Member
Source: Edge #364

You're instantly made to feel vulnerable. We're a short way inot the game, and our four legged hero has fallen into this place, seperated from family and friends as he seeks an escape route. [..] Looking ahead he doesn't notice the ominous red light of a CCTV camera.

"Obviously this place is supposed to be at least unwelcoming," producer Swann Martin-Raget tells us. "This is why we also developed an alphabet for the whole language for the game - to have players really feel they don't understand this place and they don't get all the codes fo the environment." Soon after, we see another notice, though this one's a little more clear: several letters on an extinguished neon sign suddenly spark back to life spelling out "HELP", with two arrows pointing to the right. A flickering TV screen beckons 'FOLLOW ME'.

The, suddenly, a jolt, a shriek, and an arched spring backward as a pile of electronic parts moves abruptly, revealing itself to be a dying robot with one arm and no legs.

BlueTwelve's approach to navigating this world reminds us, in fact, of another Naughty Dog game - or more specifically, a term used by Neil Druckmanm to describe it. "The term we use is wide-linear'," he said of Uncharted 4. "It's not open world, because we wanted to tell a very specific story, with very specific tension." Stray's opening is similarly heavily authored; indeed , there is a hint of Nathan Drake in the platforming, alebit without the crumbling handholds and flimsy masonry.

It's not really a platformer, in other words. "That's correct, yes," Martin-Raget says. We really didn't want to have that kind of challenge because we found out that being a cat really implies that every jump is super smooth and calculated, that you're jumping your way round really easily. And so these controls can do that and make you feel very fluid around the environments. If you can image a traditional platforming challenge where you have to control your jump and miss very often that wouldn't be true to life.

Martin-Raget leads us towards an area simply titled Slums, where the 'wide' part has been expanded to the point that 'linear' no longer applies. "We also have these bubbles that are way more of an open world thing," the producer says. Stray may not be an open world in the classic sense - given that its setting has been heavily inspired by Kowloon Walled City, you'd expect a few boundaries - but there are areas where the pace slows, and you can roam around more freely.
 

Dr. Suchong

Member
Certainly on my radar once I've finished Dread, Aria of Sorrow, Ori wotw, Frost punk, Returnal, R&C rift apart, Mutant year zero, and several billion other titles.
I'm going to do a comprehensive list of games to play before I die.
Temper my optimism lol
 

skit_data

Member
My SO has been obsessed with this game since it was revealed last year.

Graphics look pretty good, I’m a little worried about the gameplay though.
FPLfRpg.gif
 

jigglet

Banned
But can I be a female ginger? I know it's statistically rare, but fuck you all if you're going to deny me of my rights to be what I was born to be.
 

ckaneo

Member
Ive yet to play a wide linear game that didnt just feel linear. Nothing wrong with linearity.

GOW had an absolutely unbelievable (in a bad way) world and the back tracking sucked
 
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rofif

Can’t Git Gud
Most convincing animal for me was Trico. I need to replay that game.
Btw - shame Tokyo Jungle never came ot anywhere else
 
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ParaSeoul

Member
The Red Dead 2 horses are pretty good in terms of feeling like a separate entity you have to control,them freaking out over predators and gun fights and even the braver ones having their moments is a nice touch.
 

Handel

Member
Going to be hard to beat Trico in terms of best animal in gaming, but even being second best would be hype. Day one on PC.
 

sloppyjoe_gamer

Gold Member
I've been waiting for this since the first trailer! When is the release date?

Final boss is going to be you knocking everything off the table LOL
 
"Most convincing in-game animal ever seen" Absolutely laughable when Life of the Black Tiger exists.

Seriously though looks really intriguing.
 

DeepEnigma

Gold Member
I am looking forward to this one, but we shall see.

TLG's Trico was pretty damned convincing as well, even if a fantasy animal.
 
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Orta

Banned
43 replies and not one 'playing with pussy' gag.

Very disappointing.
 
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Nitty_Grimes

Made a crappy phPBB forum once ... once.
Dontcha wish your girlfriend had moves like me…

Giving me a b… bad neck just looking at it.
 
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