Adventure games like Stray are our favorite kind; they perfectly blend action, platforming, narrative, and exploration. Plus, you play as a cute little animal or anthropomorphic character, which is fantastic!
An Overview of Stray
Stray is a fantasy adventure game where we play as a cat through circumstances beyond its control, not with its family. The third-person perspective allows greater appreciation of the cat’s point of view, plus players can see all the cat shenanigans.
The game challenges players to navigate the grim, depressing, beautifully designed, neon-lit city to find the cat’s family. The cat’s nimble and agile physical feats are marvelous to view in action, and the game’s puzzles require much thought.
Slowly through progression, our feline uncovers the mystery behind the city’s problems. Oh, and we befriend a loyal robot, our cat’s only friend in an otherwise hostile environment. Stray also has enemy encounters, which our cat can avoid if players are quick enough. Otherwise, our cat’s got claws to fight back.
The atmosphere in Stray is quite immersive, especially the soundtracks help build up a sense of hopelessness surrounding the city. The dimly lit areas around the neon city hide a lurking threat that pushes out of the shadows as you platform across the city.
Stray is a fun, exciting, innovative adventure game we can’t get enough of, so check it out. You’re in for a treat if you haven’t played Stray yet.
Other Adventure Games Like Stray
While waiting for our beloved cat’s sequel, look at other adventure games like Stray. Remember, the criteria we’ve selected is that the playable character must be an animal or an anthropomorphic character.
Let’s begin!
1. Biomutant
What happens when a mythical tree dubbed the tree of life starts bleeding? Why the death and destruction of everything else, of course! Which is where our furry hero steps in. Biomutant is a game with a lot of shine ( no, seriously, the graphics are eye candy!) and brilliantly innovative combat.
Players get to dive into a world and explore every nook and cranny of a desolate habitat. Mutations and unnatural life are sprawling, while the remains of the previous world are only remnants. The character customization is sublime, and on a scale that’s unprecedented.
The combat of Biomutant is where you’ll enjoy the game most. The weaponry, mutation powers, and melee attacks are interchangeable in real time and can be chained together to create devastating combos. Additional upgrades only make your mutated furry character even more overpowered, and you’ll crush any opposition you encounter.
How Is Biomutant Similar to Adventure Games Like Stray?
If you couldn’t tell, both games share a thematic similarity where the world around them is not the happiest place to be around. With Stray, the darkness and depressing atmosphere clue players in on the sad state of the city. Whereas in Biomutant, the planet’s destruction is apparent plain as day.
Another common theme between Biomant and Stray is that both games feature a strong character that rises to the occasion. Overcoming the mighty challenges, no matter how impossible they may seem, is present in both games.
From the mentioned similarities, it’s evident that Biomutant is one of the best adventure games, like Stray.
2. Ori & The Will Of The Wisps
Ah, Ori & The Will of the Wisps. What can we say about the game that people already haven’t stated? The creative direction of Ori & The Will of the Wisps makes the platformer, puzzle, and adventure game a crowning achievement. The game’s art style and aesthetic choice pull players into the deep, luscious, and rich world to embark on a grand adventure.
Don’t let the colorful visuals and innocent-looking character designs fool you into thinking this game has no stakes. The game’s story is an epic journey to rid the world of darkness and evil that’s spread across the forest world. The emotional core of the plot turns the edge lords into misty-eyed fangirls. Ori may be a small beansprout spirit, but the little one’s heart is bigger than the mountains.
The combat and exploration are major aspects of Ori & the Will of the Wisps gameplay. The enemies gigantic monsters of myth, which Ori must defeat using his small size to hit their weak spots. After each victory, new abilities open up, allowing Ori to backtrack and unlock previously unreachable paths.
How Is Ori & The Will Of The Wisps Similar To Adventure Games Like Stray?
Stray and Ori & The Will of the Wisps share many similarities. For one, both games feature protagonists with small-sized characters. Everything and everyone else towers around them, and there is a very heartfelt story at the core of both games.
Stray has depression and despair everywhere around the neon-lit city, and a similar vibe overshadows the forest in Ori & The Will of the Wisps. Both games have excellent ambiance, and the sound design and musical scores enhance the enjoyment tenfold.
The sweet and lovable protagonist of Ori & the Will of the Wisps is like the cat from Stray. Their journey for a noble cause of reuniting families makes Ori & The Will of the Wisps a fantastic adventure game like Stray.
3. The Last Guardian
A timeless classic that sure took its sweet time getting released but more than delivered on the hype is The Last Guardian. The game instantly takes you on a long, dangerous campaign with a sweet boy and his mammoth hybrid pet. The pet in question is named Trico, the heart and soul of The Last Guardian, possessing traits of a bird because it can fly, a cat’s mischievous nature, and a dog’s playfulness.
Most of the gameplay requires the players to control the boy and Trico as they navigate the mysterious world. The platforming sections require a strong bond between Trico and the boy; otherwise, players will have a hard time. There are moments in The Last Guardian where you’ll have to play with Trico and discipline it, which is necessary to get the creature to focus. A good balance is key.
The game’s story is another aspect where The Last Guardian excels at giving players sweet and loveable moments. The boy has to take care of Trico, feed it when it’s hungry, get through narrow spaces when Trico can’t fit and pet it to calm the creature’s rage. Trico, on the other hand, defends the boy against guards and helps him reach new areas. The angle and dynamic of co-dependency between the boy and Trico gel everything brilliantly.
How Is The Last Guardian Similar To Adventure Games Like Stray?
The cooperation between Trico and the boy in The Last Guardian parallels the bonding between the cat and robot companion in Stray. The interaction between both pairings is a rare and genuinely sweet development in bleak worlds with sadness and misery everywhere.
The Last Guardian and Stray prove that artistic direction can draw players into the world, and character interaction can carry a powerful message. The themes of coreliance might seem simple, but they’re effectively executed in the same way in both games.
With so many commonalities between the two games, it’s safe to say that The Last Guardian is a fantastic adventure game like Stray.
4. Ratchet & Clank (2016)
Ratchet & Clank is a classic game from our childhoods, from the PS2 era days. When the series’ reboot got announced, we were understandably nervous about whether it could live up to the legacy. We’re thrilled that Ratchet & Clank (2016) over-delivered and cemented its place as the definitive way to remake a beloved franchise.
Ratchet & Clank (2016) game has all the action, adventure, and platforming from the original games, with modern updates. The traversal movement is much more fluid, the colors and environment are more vibrant, and the combat is more open-ended. The platforming is interactive and complex. There are nods and easter eggs to the classic games for fans to discover.
Players play as Ratchet, the anthropomorphic wombat engineer. He is armed with a wrench and a slew of other gadgets and weapons that unlock through progression. Along the way, our hero, who self-tasks himself with saving the galaxy, teams up with Clank, a sentient robot with sass and a handy jetpack. Together they go on an epic sci-fi trip to various planets to defeat an evil business tycoon.
How Is Ratchet & Clank Similar To Adventure Games Like Stray?
There is a buddy cop feel to the Ratchet & Clank (2016) game. The core gameplay revolves around working together and solving puzzles to unlock the path ahead. Stray has a similar gameplay element, with the robot companion and the cat. Both games feature a protagonist way out of the league of their situation but somehow overcoming their challenges.
Both games have plot twists that catch players by surprise. Ratchet is a naive wombat, similar to how the cat in Stray is, but they push forward in their singular aim and achieve results. The platforming sections and well-crafted puzzles keep players thinking about the solutions; some are obvious, and others aren’t.
Ratchet & Clank (2016) provides an excellent alternative for players looking for a game with similar vibes to Stray. The common elements shared by both games indicate that Ratchet & Clank (2016) is similar to adventure games like Stray.
Conclusion
We hope you enjoyed going through our list of adventure games like Stray. We know we’ve missed many great games that should be on here. The problem is, when shortlisting games, we only select the ones that profoundly impact us. Let us know your thoughts in the comments; we always appreciate your feedback.
In the meantime, check out other game lists, Top 5 Split-Screen Co-op Games Like A Way Out.
