BlueTwelve Studios and Annapurna Interactive’s Stray is an adventure game that puts players in the shoes (or paws) of a cat trapped within an underground cyberpunk metropolis. Upon its long-awaited launch on July 19th, 2022, the game was met with critical and commercial acclaim, eventually becoming the highest-rated game on Steam. While Stray‘s surprise success is ultimately the result of multiple well-crafted elements coming together to deliver a quality experience, the game’s lovably lifelike feline protagonist quickly became its most highly praised element.
Following Stray‘s unprecedented success, many animal-loving gamers have started wondering what other animals would make for good video game protagonists. While some creatures will probably never land a starring role in a game of any genre in a non-anthropomorphized form, many well-known and beloved animals could serve as the protagonists of Stray-inspired story-driven adventure games.
While so-called “animal simulators” have become increasingly popular over the last few years, the sheer effort that Stray puts into replicating the behavior of cats and modeling its gameplay and story progression around their capabilities and limitations elevates it above the vast majority of its competitors. As cats are the most popular domesticated animal in the world, it’s only natural that many would gravitate toward a video game that gives them the chance to accurately experience the world from their perspective, especially when that world is a neon-lit city inhabited entirely by robots.
Having proven that a video game doesn’t need human or humanoid protagonists to deliver a satisfying experience, Stray could become a source of inspiration for developers looking to create video games that feature other animals as the main playable characters. Given the sheer diversity of life on Earth, the animal kingdom is home to a nearly limitless host of unique creatures that could serve as excellent protagonists for an equally wide variety of video games.
As the world’s second most popular pet, dogs (and wolves) are naturally the first animals that come to mind when pondering potential video game protagonists. Although many games have featured dogs as companions or enemies, few give players a chance to take direct control of them. Even the best examples of this thin collection, like The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess and Okami, don’t put nearly as much emphasis on recreating the experience of being man’s best friend, with players instead having to use Link’s human form or Amaterasu’s magical abilities to progress the games’ stories.
However, both games do incorporate their canine protagonists’ powerful sense of smell and ability to dig up hidden treasures as gameplay mechanics. This offers a glimpse at what a fully-fleshed out “dog game” could look like if the developers put in the same attention to detail that makes Stray‘s titular feline so endearing.
In terms of pets, many non-mammalian animal companions would make for excellent video game protagonists. With their respective abilities to fly and stick on walls, a bird or a gecko could work well as the protagonist of an exploration adventure game. I Am Fish proved that even a goldfish can be a fully functional playable character under the right circumstances.
As popular as pets may be, they only make up a small fraction of the animal kingdom, and there are plenty of iconic wild animals that animal lovers would love the chance to play as. While it may lack the inherent charm of Stray, a game that allows players to take control of a predatory creature like a lion or a bear could provide an engaging and exhilarating experience. On the other hand, a game that places players in the position of a vulnerable herbivore could be a tense and thrilling horror experience that could make players appreciate the company of their real-world animal companions more.
For one reason or another, animals have always possessed a unique ability to coax out humanity’s most primal and powerful emotions, and their different ways of navigating and perceiving the world present many unique opportunities for game designers. While Stray may be a stand-alone success at the moment, it has the potential to usher in a golden age of animal-themed video games.