Stray was one of my favourite games of 2022 with its hauntingly beautiful rendition of a post-apocalypse through the razor-sharp eyes of a lovable feline. Later releases of the game, particularly on Nintendo Switch, pushed the hardware to its limits, marring the true visual fidelity of the indie darling.
With its arrival on the Nintendo Switch 2, Stray from BlueTwelve Studio and Annapurna Interactive takes advantage of the beefier hardware, delivering an experience more in line with its initial release on PlayStation and Xbox. For those unfamiliar with Stray, the cat-focused adventure follows the titular feline on a quest to reunite with his clowder, ultimately getting caught up in a fight against waste-eating parasites and robotic humanoids in a short but sweet puzzle adventure game.
As players assume the role of a cat, Stray forgoes any spoken dialogue, relying instead on text and a well-realized cohesion of beeps and boops against meows and other, sometimes more sinister organic sounds. This interplay of excellent sound design paired with a believable gameplay loop of prowling around as a domestic cat gives Stray a grounded sense of place in an otherwise outlandish fantasy setting.
Disappointingly, Stray still targets 30fps on Nintendo Switch 2, but it feels much more stable and locked. Ultimately, the lower framerate cap isn’t the end of the world, as the game seldom features too many action-heavy sequences that rely on a more fluid render time. Instead, Stray’s main gameplay loop consists of environmental puzzles with context-sensitive jumping prompts that do not rely too heavily on reaction time. There are certain sections in the game that do pit players against more precarious situations, such as when running away from the parasitic Zurk. Still, these sections are few and far between and thankfully remain stable at 30fps.
The reliance on a lower frame cap also ensures some truly stunning visuals for the Nintendo Switch 2, with Stray’s environments looking as good as they’ve ever looked in 4k on Nintendo’s latest hybrid console. Draw distance and background elements, too, look quite stunning on the Nintendo Switch 2 version of the game, with fine detail looking sharp and on point, even under scrutiny. Foliage and hair, on the other hand, particularly on the cat, can look a bit aliased and rough, but for first-time players, this element is something that won’t really be noticeable. Compared to the Nintendo Switch release of the game, Stray on Nintendo Switch 2 is stunning and absolutely the cat’s meow.
“Compared to the Nintendo Switch release of the game, Stray on Nintendo Switch 2 is stunning and absolutely the cat’s meow.”
Stray also makes decent use of the Nintendo Switch 2’s HD Rumble features, paired with brand-new mouse controls that use the JoyCon 2s. Mouse controls are a nice novelty in the experience and feel akin to playing Stray on PC, allowing players to pan the camera with the right JoyCon 2 quickly, which feels appropriate for a puzzle adventure game that often requires the player to take a closer look at their environment. The sharper visuals afforded by higher-resolution graphics also make it easier to discern the path forward, thanks to smartly laid-out lighting and contextual cues in the environment (no garish yellow paint here).
As a free upgrade for owners of the original release on Nintendo Switch, Stray on the Switch 2 is a solid upgrade that puts it more in line with its other releases while being a huge upgrade over its last-gen release overall. The adventure game genre is a good fit for the portable platform, giving players that perfect middle ground between cozy and daring with a game that isn’t afraid to bare its fangs occasionally. If you missed out on Stray on other platforms, the Switch 2 release of the game is the perfect time to jump in.
“If you missed out on Stray on other platforms, the Switch 2 release of the game is the perfect time to jump in.”
Stray is best enjoyed in portable play on the Nintendo Switch 2, as that tends to hide some of the rougher matted spots of the game. By that, I mean the fur material on the cat, which can appear a bit too soft and pixelated when blown up, looks perfectly suitable when played on the go.
At the end of the day, Stray on the Nintendo Switch 2 is a meaningful upgrade over its predecessor. ultimately, Stray on Switch 2 favours stronger visuals than performance metrics, a sacrifice that makes sense for the slower-paced, point-and-click nature of the adventure game.
