Stray Cat Crossing
- August 28, 2015
- JetPackGone
- 3h median play time
Get on Steam"Stray Cat Crossing" is a horror adventure game with a single-player mode and an intriguing story. Explore a surreal world filled with bizarre creatures, solve challenging puzzles, and uncover heart-wrenching secrets about a little girl named Cat and her family. The game boasts splendid mechanics, wonderful visuals in 16-bit pixel art, and a great original soundtrack, with around 2 hours of gameplay.
PC
Windows
Reviews
- The art style is beautiful and unique, creating a captivating atmosphere.
- The soundtrack is haunting and fits the game's tone perfectly.
- The story is intriguing and emotional, leaving a lasting impact on players.
- The gameplay can be tedious, especially in the final act with repetitive tasks.
- Some puzzles are either too easy or frustratingly vague, leading to confusion.
- The game is quite short, leaving players wanting more content and depth.
- story313 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 47 % neutral mentions
- 4 % negative mentions
The story of *Stray Cat Crossing* is a complex blend of emotional depth and surreal imagery, often leaving players with a sense of intrigue and a desire for interpretation. While some praise its unique narrative and character development, others criticize its execution, noting disjointed gameplay and a lack of clarity in plot connections. Overall, the game is recognized for its beautiful art and soundtrack, but opinions vary on the effectiveness and coherence of its storytelling.
“The story is deep and contains a fair share of twists.”
“The story is wonderful.”
“The story is intriguing and the scenarios (with detailed decoration) follow it.”
“Stray Cat Crossing tries to tell a simple story, yet ends up bungling it so much throughout with random imagery, unnecessary sequences, and confusing gameplay elements that, by the end, I couldn't really tell you what the point was at all, besides some theories.”
“The game separates itself so harshly in terms of gameplay and story that any connection to the two is extremely shallow.”
“The story itself was fairly predictable, with no twists or turns to really speak of.”
- music162 mentions
- 64 % positive mentions
- 35 % neutral mentions
- 2 % negative mentions
The music in the game has received widespread acclaim for its atmospheric and enchanting qualities, effectively enhancing the overall experience. Many players expressed a desire for an extended soundtrack or additional content, particularly highlighting the hauntingly beautiful tracks that set the mood throughout the game. While some critiques mention inconsistencies in volume levels and a few less favorable tracks, the majority agree that the music is a standout feature that significantly contributes to the game's charm and emotional depth.
“The soundtrack in my opinion was absolutely amazing and was one of the big factors that made me play this game.”
“The music and story overall were just captivating and the ending leaves you with a sense of fulfillment but still makes you want more.”
“The soundtrack was hauntingly perfect and set the mood for everywhere the protagonist traveled, and as the plot unfolded before my eyes I was surprised in a bittersweet way.”
“Soundtrack was terrible.”
“I honestly found myself trying to get through puzzles as quick as possible just so I could leave rooms faster and thereby change the song playing in the background.”
“The volume levels of the music tracks are all over the place and you have no in-game way to adjust the volume.”
- graphics108 mentions
- 62 % positive mentions
- 35 % neutral mentions
- 3 % negative mentions
The graphics of "Stray Cat Crossing" are widely praised for their unique and beautiful pixel art style, which evokes a surreal and macabre atmosphere reminiscent of classic RPG Maker games. Reviewers highlight the game's stunning visuals and thoughtful character designs, noting that the art complements the emotional narrative and enhances the overall experience. While some critiques exist regarding specific character sprites, the overall aesthetic is considered a standout feature, making it a worthwhile play for fans of visually rich indie games.
“Aesthetic wise, this game is absolutely stunning with so many things for weirdcore horror fans to fall in love with.”
“It's surreal and strange but oddly beautiful in both graphics and sound design which perfectly complement the simple yet pretty emotional mystery.”
“The graphics are beautiful, the music fitting, and the characters all as weird as they are special.”
“My only critique of the artwork in this game is the main character’s sprite.”
“While this game does break convention on the usual sprite art style seen in RPG Maker games, I would argue that it doesn’t work for the main character.”
“It starts very good and the music and graphics are lovely, but sadly the later part of the game, which consists of doing the same scene over 5 times, completely ruins this game in my opinion, and there's no way around it.”
- gameplay75 mentions
- 19 % positive mentions
- 77 % neutral mentions
- 4 % negative mentions
The gameplay in "Stray Cat Crossing" is characterized by simple mechanics and puzzle-solving elements, which are generally easy to grasp but can become frustrating at times. While the game offers a short experience filled with imaginative storytelling and atmospheric design, many players found the gameplay to be repetitive and lacking depth, with some puzzles feeling arbitrary or drawn out. Overall, it provides a quaint indie experience that may appeal to those who appreciate narrative-driven games, despite its gameplay shortcomings.
“Multiple endings make for interesting gameplay, and puzzles are constructed in such a way that they're not overly difficult, even for players new to adventure/exploration games.”
“I really liked the puzzles, and the mechanics were very easy to pick up.”
“The gameplay has more variety than what I was expecting - one puzzle in the middle of the game was particularly interesting.”
“The gameplay is entirely puzzles, which would be fine if the puzzles were at all engaging.”
“Let's get the negatives out of the way first -- it's short, it has some issues with crashes (they don't stop you from completing the game), and gameplay is limited to fetching things and chatting with things, with attempts to add variety missing the mark.”
“Stray Cat Crossing's gameplay feels like a sequence of arbitrary puzzles—some challenging, others not so much—that in the grand scheme just don’t match the rest of the game.”
- atmosphere74 mentions
- 57 % positive mentions
- 39 % neutral mentions
- 4 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its captivating blend of beautiful art, haunting music, and a surreal, creepy ambiance that enhances the storytelling. Reviewers highlight the game's ability to evoke a sense of suspense and emotional depth without relying on jumpscares, creating a unique experience that feels both magical and unsettling. Overall, the atmospheric design is considered a standout feature, making it a compelling choice for fans of atmospheric horror and puzzle games.
“The character/creature designs, environments, atmosphere, and art style are really well-made, especially when you compare it to what was the standard at the time.”
“Everything asset in the game has been wonderfully drawn to establish the atmosphere of a Ghibli-esque nightmare that obscures a deeper and more emotional story about overcoming past trauma underneath.”
“The game does a very good job building a creepy yet alluring atmosphere using art, music, and surreal imagery.”
“It starts out really good and interesting but halfway through the backyard level it starts to bare out its flaws (lousy puzzles, little interaction, no real threats, etc.) and the creepy/bewildering atmosphere really begins to wear down, and it's downhill from there. By the time you reach the attic, the characters and setting start to go all over the place and many things go unresolved; it's as if the game itself is dying to get its act together by throwing the twist at your face and making its symbolic nature painfully obvious so you can stop caring about the world of the game and just concentrate on watching the end.”
“Sure, the atmosphere is quite gloomy but I honestly could not have felt any true horror.”
“The frustration also just ruins the atmosphere for me, personally.”
- emotional36 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The emotional aspect of the game is highlighted by its ability to evoke deep feelings, with many players noting the profound impact of the story, particularly its ending, which resonates with themes of guilt, love, and overcoming past trauma. While some critiques mention a lack of character investment due to the game's brevity, the overall narrative is described as touching and beautifully crafted, often leading players to tears. The surreal and artistic presentation further enhances the emotional experience, making it a memorable journey through complex feelings and memories.
“I will admit, I found the ending very emotional, able to feel the character's guilt with that final scene punching me right in the gut.”
“There are no words to describe the emotional roller coaster this game will put you through, and I have nothing else to say other than it may very well be one of the best story-based games I have played in a long while.”
“With emotional lines and capturing the feelings of love between family members and friends, Stray Cat Crossing has a theme of love and never forgetting your past, even if it gives you some of the greatest pain you can ever endure.”
- grinding19 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Many players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious, particularly in the final act where puzzles become repetitive and lengthy. While some enjoy the overall experience, they note that the linear design and reliance on fetch quests can detract from the enjoyment, especially as the game progresses. Overall, the game is seen as fun but marred by moments of frustrating repetition and a lack of engaging storytelling towards the end.
“The game itself can get a bit tedious near the end, but I still think this game is worth your time.”
“This breaks down at the end - the final puzzles are tedious and require a lot of fetch quests and rewatching cutscenes over and over without the ability to skip through them or speed up dialogue.”
“Level design can be repetitive and tedious at times; prepare to rinse and repeat quite a bit.”
- character development15 mentions
- 53 % positive mentions
- 27 % neutral mentions
- 20 % negative mentions
Character development in the game is highly praised, with reviewers highlighting the unique and symbolic character designs that enhance the overall experience. The art style, influenced by Japanese aesthetics, is described as colorful and engaging, contributing to the game's atmosphere and charm. While the character designs are celebrated, some players express a desire for more gameplay to further explore these well-crafted characters.
“The character designs are not only interesting, but hold lots of symbolic weight.”
“It is unique and colorful with stunning character designs.”
“Everything about this game - character design, environment, music, and the overall tone of the story - has the most unnerving, creepy charm.”
“Depressing but love the character designs in it.”
“Instead, it feels more like an original setting, with its Japanese influenced art and cartoonish character designs.”
- humor7 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is described as a blend of hilarity and horror, with players finding the bizarre and creepy elements more amusing than frightening. Many reviews highlight its unique ability to mix funny moments with emotional depth, resulting in an experience that is unintentionally hilarious rather than genuinely scary. Overall, the game successfully employs humor alongside its RPG tropes, creating a memorable and entertaining experience.
“This game has the perfect combination of creepy and weird mixed with humor and reality.”
“It's bizarre, funny, heartbreaking, and overall a fantastic game.”
“Unintentionally hilarious rather than scary.”
- replayability4 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 25 % neutral mentions
- 75 % negative mentions
The game offers minimal replayability, with players expressing that while the initial playthrough is enjoyable, there is little incentive to revisit it afterward. Some found it more engaging after the first act, but overall, the consensus leans towards a lack of replay value.
“Overall, it was well worth the playthrough, though I don't think it has any replayability.”
“--Replayability: little to none”
“I'm not sure what I think about the replay value yet.”
- optimization1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 100 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game's optimization has received mixed feedback, with some players expressing dissatisfaction that affects their desire to replay it, while still recommending it to others.
