What it is
Stray is a 2022 adventure game by BlueTwelve Studio where players control a stray cat navigating an underground city populated by robots. The city, built by humans who have long since disappeared, is a walled enclave sealed off from an overgrown, nature-reclaimed surface world. Through the cat's journey upward through layers of the city, the game reveals a story about community, memory, environmental collapse, and the persistence of both nature and compassion in post-human spaces.
Why we picked this
Stray is solarpunk adjacent in a way that surprises players. The surface world, where nature has reclaimed human infrastructure, is presented not as apocalypse but as beauty. The robot community underground has developed its own culture, art, and relationships. The game's emotional resonance comes from its quiet thesis: even after humanity's failures, life (biological and mechanical) finds ways to create meaning and community. The cat's perspective strips away human ego, letting the player see a post-human world with fresh eyes.
Key takeaways
- The overgrown surface world where nature has reclaimed human infrastructure is presented as beautiful rather than apocalyptic, reflecting solarpunk's framing of rewilding as positive.
- The robot community underground has developed art, religion, music, and social structures, exploring themes of community and meaning that resonate with solarpunk values.
- The game won multiple Game of the Year awards and introduced millions of players to themes of environmental reclamation and post-human ecology through an accessible, emotionally engaging format.