Stray really disappointed me. I want a real cat game.

Gaming@beehaw.org – 108 points – 12 months ago

Just an open world survival game, only you're a cat, dealing with regular cat problems. You have to hunt, avoid larger animals, compete with other cats, figure out which humans are dangerous and which will give you treats, judiciously spray things to maintain your territory, maybe mate and reproduce (your sex and fertility status are basically difficulty settings), etc.

You start out as a housecat going on a spring vacation with your family, and that's the tutorial section. Then your humans accidentally leave you behind at their country vacation home, and then the difficulty is just the passing of seasons. See if you can survive winter and see your humans again next spring.

Genuine question: how much of the marketing material did you see? I thought it was always clear that it was gonna be an exploration/puzzle game in a cyberpunk world with a baddie.

I had the opposite reaction, and was surprised by how much I enjoyed the small things, like scratching a carpet!

I do hope you find something more like what you’re wishing for, though 🙂

The cat flopping over the first time he wears the backpack was spot on

I forgot about that but at the time I almost died because that was so real!

Yeah if OP went into stray expecting an open world survival game, that's on them. It's kind of silly to be disappointed that a game does not meet expectations fabricated entirely within your own head.

Have you considered becoming a furry

Not everyone can afford a fursuit capable of "judiciously spraying things to maintain your territory"... or be let anywhere in one 😄

I don't play many games, but Stray was one of the best that I've ever played, honestly. Not too long, emotionally satisfying with equally satisfying gameplay.

I agree, but I also agree with OP. went in expecting a cat game and it effectively was just a regular adventure game but you're a cat. Not the other way around.

The cat part is also almost entirely irrelevant to the game. Neither the story nor the mechanics really care that you're a cat. Sure you do more climbing than walking, but you do that in uncharted too. Linear combing sections are not what I imagine when I think "cat movement."

Yeah that's what I was trying to get at.

Although it features foxes rather than cats, Endling: Extinction is Forever ticks a lot of your boxes.

For something less survivally you could try Catlateral Damage: Remeowstered.

With the non-Steam version of Dwarf Fortress, you could edit the RAWS and make cats a playable race in Adventure Mode. The game simulates cats extremely well. So well, it was actually the cause of a "bug" at one point because the cats will lick themselves clean and would die of alcohol poisoning cleaning spilled liquor off their body after being in the dining halls.

That's... incredible actually. Every new bit I learn about Dwarf Fortress is genuinely fantastic.

You should try playing Cattails which is basically exactly that. You play as a stray cat living a regular cat life. You can hunt, socialize with other cats (some are nice, some not), etc. No humans, just cats. The start of the game you get abandoned by humans I think?

I second this game. The cat can also find a mate abd have kittens

You’re correct about the start of the game. They’re also planning a sequel!

I do like your idea but that doesn't mean I didn't like Stray. I finished the entire game and I loved it. The cat was adorable, the friends I made a long the way were interesting and I really felt for them despite their, uh, limitations. Just leaving it at that to avoid spoilers as I only saw that it was a cute cat game before I tried it and enjoyed being surprised by how it ended up.

But yes, I do think a game like you're describing would also be fun. Maybe not as a stray cat, per se, but maybe as a small breed of wild cat living away from humans so you don't have too much interaction with them and they're something you're inherently distrustful of.

What about Little Kitty Big City?

I have really high hopes for this. I don't think it'll be a "survival" game and more of a cute cat sandbox similar to Untitled Goose Game though.

I'm really looking forward to this! I was also let down by Stray, more because I didn't want to end up playing a stealth game, I just wanted to wander around as a cat

I’d been following the game’s development for years because I loved the idea of an open world where you’re a cat exploring Kowloon walled city, and was a little disappointed that it went in another direction. I did end up loving the game and I get that it became more, but I would have really loved something that simple. Like, I don’t need to save the world but I do specifically want to play as a cat in Kowloon walled city, you know?

I think if someone went all out with making some sort of bizarre simulator game like this, people would play it. Like, don't even try to make it fun or add a story or anything, just make it as real as you can.

I mean, maybe try to make it a little fun

Lol, I suppose that's fair.

But people play lawn mowing simulator, power washing simulator, and truck simulator mostly for the realism.

@Datas_Cat_Spot @MrJukes

Power Washing sim because its satisfying, dont own it myself but watched a buddy play for a good few hours

I have played a lot of powerwash simulator. It is very satisfying. Not quite as much as real powerwashing though.

So, maybe instead of Goose, Untitled Cat Game?

Little Kitty, Big City?

I'd play that.

This sounds amazing. One mode you can be a cat stuck in a house with 3 other cats that don't get along. You have to try to drop a deuce without getting attacked, you have to mark territory without making your "owner" upset about peeing in the house.

I've never owned a cat myself but I have watched enough internet cat videos to know why they're so popular. I plan to check out Stray at some point, but waiting for it to discount 50%+ before pulling the trigger.

Cattails is the closest I know.