The animal kingdom is giving Stray multiple paws up
I'm not kitten you!
Stray has gotten off to an incredible start on Twitch and Steam, with player numbers skyrocketing since the game's launch. However, it turns out it's not just us humans that have fallen for this new release.
Our cats and dogs have also become enamored with the four-legged cuties on screen, with many owners now taking to the internet to share their pets' felines on the whole thing.
First up, let's give the cats their time to shine. It is, after all, the game of their kin.
"#Stray is a 100/10 game. This is priceless," wrote one fan, sharing a clip of their own kitty pawing playfully at the cats on screen.
"GOTY 2022, verified by my cat," said another, as their ginger ninja pounced endearingly towards Stray.
Meanwhile, one owner struggled to play the game at all, sharing a clip of their feline companion nose to nose with the game's ginger fluffball, all the while blocking the screen.
Here we have one cat lining up very nicely with Stray, giving an unexpected new dimension to the gameplay. How purr-fect.
Even Johnny's cat has been enjoying the action (although thankfully from a more respectful distance), with them sharing that Luna is "absolutely riveted" by the game.
So, there are the cats. It's safe to say this game is anything but a cat-astrophe for them.
But, what about the dogs of this world? Do they love it as much, given that they famously do not always see eye to eye with cats? Well, our own Matt Reynolds has informed me that Fenway gives Stray a canine out ten.
Thankfully, Fenway stayed further way from the television screen than our next pup.
"I guess we need to wait [until] the dog passes out before we play Stray. I wanted to get a video because she was watching the cats and then she just went for the tv," shared one player, before assuring us no TVs were harmed in the making of this video. Man's best friend indeed.
This chap was more placid when it came to watching Stray, but clearly no less intrigued.
Lastly, we have this little one, with the pertest tail wag I have ever seen. I think they like what they see.
So, to conclude, yes, tonight I will indeed be downloading Stray for myself and then seeing how The Captain reacts to it all. He is pretty docile when it comes to other games I have been playing recently, although he does have an uncanny knack of snoring and twitching quite loudly whenever I get to an emotional cutscene.
Saying that, he has also been known to muster up the speed of Mo Farrah as soon as my neighbour's cat sets one paw across our threshold. Basically, what I am saying is this is going to go to either one extreme or another. I will keep you posted.
In the meantime, do check out Eurogamer's guides on all things Stray. Here is one on where to find all the vending machines in the game to get you started.