Summary
The popular cat-led adventure gameStrayis coming to Nintendo Switch, but it doesn’t look nearly as good as its Xbox, PlayStation, or PC counterparts.Stray’sSwitch announcement came as part of June 18’s Nintendo Direct, which pleased fans with exciting new game reveals forThe Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom,Mario and Luigi: Brothership, and a long-awaited look atMetroid Prime 4: Beyondafter years of silence.
Straylets gamers play as a lonesome catwandering through a dystopian, cyberpunk city home to a population of human-like robots. The title made a huge splash when it was initially released as a timed PlayStation exclusive in 2022, going on to be nominated for Game of the Year at The Game Awards next to the likes ofElden Ring,God of War: Ragnarok,A Plague Tale: Requiem, Xenoblade Chronicles 3,andHorizon Forbidden West.Straymade its way to Xbox consoles in August 2023.
During the June 18 Nintendo Direct,Strayreceived a 30-second trailer announcing its upcoming arrival on the Nintendo Switch during the 2024 holiday season. While the title is a visual stunner on PlayStation, Xbox, and PC,Stray’s Switch port seems to have been hit with heavy graphical downgrades. AlthoughStray’s atmospheric lighting still looks excellenton Switch, the environmental textures shown in the trailer look flat and muddy, as does the main character’s fur. One shot in particular of the cat walking down one of the game’s main streets covered with bright lights and neon signs looks especially jarring.
Stray Looks Subpar on Nintendo Switch
It’s possible that, with the game aiming for a holiday release, developer BlueTwelve still has time to improve the Switch version’s graphics ahead of launch. However, expectingStray’s Switch port to look as good as other console versions isn’t realistic. The Nintendo Switch is seven years old and regularly struggles to keep pace graphically with PS5 and Xbox Series X and S. It’s for this reason thatNintendo fans have been speculatingabout the next generation of Nintendo consoles, and whether Switch’s successor, Switch 2 or otherwise, is going to be announced in the very near future. Thankfully, Nintendo has recently told fans to expect official information about its next console at some point this fiscal year.
Despite its graphical woes, it’s nice thatcat lovers on Nintendo Switchwill finally get to play one of the best feline-centric games ever made. WithStray’s Switch release targeting this holiday season, fans can expect a concrete release date at some point during the Fall. Switch gamers have tons more to look forward to for the rest of 2024, with a newZeldagame in September and a Mario and Luigi team-up in November.
Stray
WHERE TO PLAY
Lost, alone and separated from family, a stray cat must untangle an ancient mystery to escape a long-forgotten city.Stray is a third-person cat adventure game set amidst the detailed, neon-lit alleys of a decaying cybercity and the murky environments of its seedy underbelly. Roam surroundings high and low, defend against unforeseen threats and solve the mysteries of this unwelcoming place inhabited by curious droids and dangerous creatures.See the world through the eyes of a cat and interact with the environment in playful ways. Be stealthy, nimble, silly, and sometimes as annoying as possible with the strange inhabitants of this mysterious world.Along the way, the cat befriends a small flying drone, known only as B-12. With the help of this newfound companion, the duo must find a way out.Stray is developed by BlueTwelve Studio, a small team from the south of France mostly made up of cats and a handful of humans.
