Stray - Story Explained

Hello everyone, and welcome to the next installment of Lore and Order, where I unpack game lore and stories from games. In this one, we look at the new feline inspired adventure from BlueTwelve, Stray.
CHAPTERS
Intro - 0:00
Plot - 0:48
B12 - 7:43
The City - 8:39
Neco Corp - 11:31
Companions - 13:09
ATTRIBUTION
INTRO SONG - ‘Dark Matter’ by AleXZavesa
pixabay.com/music/ambient-dar...
‘The Baddy’s Plot’ by Sign of Angelo
www.pureunderscore.com/produc...
ALL OTHER MUSIC IN THIS VIDEO FROM EPIDEMIC SOUND
ALL GAME FOOTAGE IN VIDEO CAPTURED BY MYSELF ON PS5
Please enjoy, subscribe, and leave a like/comment!
Check out some of my other Lore & Order Videos:
Ghostwire: Tokyo - • Ghostwire: Tokyo - Sto...
Dying Light 2 - • Dying Light 2 - Story ...
Layers of Fear 2 - • Layers of Fear 2 - Sto...
Dying Light - • Dying Light - Story Ex...
Mothered - • Mothered - Story Expla...
Join this channel to support my work:
/ @gamingharryyt
DONATE - streamelements.com/gamingharr...
PATREON - / gamingharryyt
Equipment;
PC Specs (for those that are interested):
- CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 3800X (8 Core)
- GPU: AMD Radeon RX 6700XT (12GB)
- RAM: Corsair Vengeance RGB Pro (32GB - 2x16GB)
- Elgato 4k60 Pro Mk. 2
- Built by PC Specialist in the UK
#gamingharry #Stray #bluetwelvestudio

[@lizabee484]

Love the fact that the last shot in the game is the cat slow blinking at the camera, and therefore, presumably, at the player themselves. In case anyone reading isn’t aware of the meanings of certain parts of feline behavior, the slow blink is often considered to be how house cats visually communicate love and trust to those they co-habitate with, particularly their owners. Essentially, the cat, in the last moments of the game, is trying to thank the player for their help, and saying that they love and trust them. They’re happy, and, presumably, they’re bidding you a fond farewell. And I am absolutely not crying right now, I’m just allergic to virtual cats.

[@stuartclifton4764]

I'm not crying you're crying

[@perfect10bagfumbler]

I'm not crying. I'm really not

[@yujukiyuuki7203]

I not fricking crying trust me guys.

[@TheValkyre0]

Apparently this allergy is contagious...

[@yujukiyuuki7203]

@@TheValkyre0 it not contagious and i not crying!

[@simonwoods2169]

I actually find wholesome that a robot can miss humans.

[@EvripidouM]

I love it that for once its not the robots that were the threat

[@deathnote2261]

I think the robots are human in robot bodys

[@EvripidouM]

@@deathnote2261 it's a theory but personally im not convinced. Plus I think the robots evolving their own consciousness makes for a better story

[@LuigiCotocea]

​@@deathnote2261Didnt B-12 stated he is last human and he wanted to carry the humanity memories, in chapter 12 at control room when he got to disable and open the city's roof?

[@WinkuzzVids]

It's worth noting that the scientist tried to upload themselves into a companion robot. These pods are strewn throughout the world, so it is safe to assume, that humans have uploaded their consciousness into Companions, which is the reason why the ones in the lower parts of the city are self aware, while the ones near the control room remained "regular" robots. It makes it also so much sadder to think about the fact, that some of these human-personality carrying companions have been wiped by the Sentinels. The human part of them literally got erased, it's scary to think about.

[@hieioni3354]

I think it'd be cool to call the memory erasure "the Digideath"

[@baosia]

Are there more than two pods in the game? I only ever saw the two, and judging by their locations I assumed upoloading was not common

[@iminacatsuit]

Mattpad theory?

[@StoveToTheFace]

Yeah that's a very important part of the story. Suprised he left it out. I don't know how many others uploaded their minds we only know of 1 for sure, but I definitely came to the same conclusion because it would explain why they have these human traits and personalities. They like B12 forgot they did this, so now that B12 knows will he tell them or try and figure out if it's just him?

[@almamater489]

@@baosia It may be possible that some robots were humans uploaded and others are just companions which have gained consciousness. One girl robot mentions that she loves the smell of fresh paint, then remembers she can't "smell" anything and gets sad. So how come she has that memory? Also even the fact that companions have gender identity kinda implies that they may have been humans who forgot they were humans

[@vegas_party_animal7737]

The robot explaining why they kept the plants alive was sweet 😢

[@pleonasm545]

This game is very interesting because of how good the cat's movement animations are. Very few games have good animal animations.

[@canadian_american84]

Ya wen he hates the backpack at first I was lol the whole time!

[@Trev81]

The robot animations really stood out to me too. Their movements are so lifelike and natural, it makes the idea that they inherited human behaviors and emotions a lot more believable.

[@EvripidouM]

@@Trev81 when momo fixes the transiever and then hobbles to the window. Love the motions

[@hieioni3354]

​@@Trev81 I like it when the Guardian wielded the staff to defend against the cat in the beginning like a Buddhist monk lol

[@PrincessAnime172]

There’s a video I think showing they mo capped an actual cat to get accurate movements.

[@for_barze]

this game came out of nowhere and i absolutely love it

[@jmarshal]

Really interesting. It hints at a much larger story that we don’t have access to because we are a cat and only have our limited knowledge of the world to go by, learning about all these giant things that happened long ago. It would be a great game to see a sequel to in the future.

[@hieioni3354]

DLC first, then sequel. The sequel must be with dogs instead.

[@joycesapic2784]

@@hieioni3354 That would destroy the gameplay , no more jumping to higher places and squeezing through small places

[@hieioni3354]

@@joycesapic2784 The game is called Stray. Cats are not the only strays, y'know.

[@joycesapic2784]

@@hieioni3354 so what ? My argument was about the gameplay. A dog can’t jump around a roof and squeeze through windows. Y‘know? Half of the gameplay wouldn’t be there

[@hieioni3354]

@@joycesapic2784 There are always ways to accommodate the gameplay revolving around dogs. It makes for a better storytelling to involve others animals rather than limited to cats. But we'll see what the sequel will be. Blue Twelve has the final say.

[@jenh101]

For those of you that don’t realise that a video called ‘story explained’ will explain the story, here’s a spoiler warning… honestly this never fails to crack me up! Oh my god this game is too adorable. If anything happens to this cat, I swear, I won’t be happy!

[@GamingHarryYT]

I hate that I have to put spoiler warnings on new games but ya know… people!

[@jenh101]

@@GamingHarryYT haha, yeah. People definitely have a lot to answer for generally. I totally get it’s not you! That’s why it’s so funny :)

[@cradleofgoth]

​@Gaming Harry "can you like explain the story without spoiling the story? I wanna be in the quantum state of simultaneously understanding the story without knowing the story"

[@sivaprasad2068]

Gaming Harry hope you are feeling well and don't burn out yourself but thanks for back to back videos

[@Diabeticninja90]

Nooo we neeed moreeeeee more videos

[@Diabeticninja90]

But I hope you get better mate

[@Ki77a_WhSpRz]

This was such a good game very different which is always good... Hopefully the Devs make a dlc to this

[@Scorpiosting_1029]

I've played this game 2 times and I love it. I wish I could've explored more through the outside after the cat and B12 opened the door. Hopefully the developers work on a sequel and maybe a port to the switch.

[@EvripidouM]

I think that would kinda ruin the grand finale of the roof opening. Imagine if in wall-e, there was more movie after the spaceship landed.

[@Scorpiosting_1029]

@@EvripidouM Good point. I haven't seen that movie, but I heard it was a tearjerker.

[@SEDRICKHENDRIXTHEGAMER]

Currently on my 3rd play through

[@vladandreas3884]

I think that somehow B12 is taking comfort with this super sad situation. In my opinion, knowing that the outside world has no humans left in it, in the end he realizes that the cyber city network is more suited for him, in his current state. Altough he states that he wanted to explore the new outside world with the cat, being trapped in a drone body will not offer him the satisfaction perceived by a living organism. He is happy to let his cat friend go and explore, because the cat can feel the beauty of the nature rebirth, while he can't do this anymore - he learns this lesson from his furry friend, observing how the hidden and sealed underground city is a terrible place to live for a live being. Their relation kinda reminds me of the relation between GLaDOS and Chell in the final parts of Portal 2 (another masterpiece that will live forever). Man, how deep and profound is the story of this game... and for now we know just a small part. Stray has broken my heart like no other game did. I played hundreds of games from all genres, but nothing, nothing ever comes close to what Stray delivered to me. Can't wait for the second game...

[@emilymills4832]

I have never enjoyed a game as much as I enjoyed this. It was easy to play but was still so engaging and emotional. I loved it so much I platinumed it, including doing a speed run which I’ve never done before.

[@dEEnvious]

Honestly, you make the best breakdown of games. Your voice is easy to listen to and you go really in depth on these. Keep it up my man!!

[@cme-kg4sf]

I’m pretty sure in one of B-12’s monologues he does mention a plague and that’s why his family died. I could be wrong though

[@GamingHarryYT]

Yeah the plague that came about from the bacteria spread in the slums by Neco Corp

[@Wishdreamerx]

@@GamingHarryYT I played through the game and I don't remember the trash-eating bacteria being explicitly linked to the plague; is there a specific memory/dialogue that confirms this?

[@EvripidouM]

@@Wishdreamerx the bacteria evolved into zurks after the humans were gone. The plague was a different thing

[@EvripidouM]

@@GamingHarryYT nono @Maria Knoops the bacteria evolved into zurks after the humans were gone. The plague was a different thing

[@Wishdreamerx]

@@EvripidouM I thought so, the maker of the vid seems to think otherwise

[@leen8430]

Thanks for putting this out here so quickly - I was curious about the game's plot and theme, and now I know. Great summary.

[@haruruben]

I just finished the game! Great! I think B12 was able to transfer its consciousness into the main computer. I hope the Stray can link up with their cat friends! Argh i wonder if there are any humans left on the surface or the the plague end things?

[@rebekahdonet1697]

If you notice a screen switch on as our cat is walking out of the city. I felt it was B-12's way of saying goodbye. He is DEFINITELY uploaded in the main computer and it may have been part of his plan all along. Why else would the sentinels be deactivated simultaneously with his "death"? As far as I know we only opened the locks.

[@lapizlazuli4516]

In japanese, neco can be mean as neko. Neko means cat 😺

[@krzysztofkoba9982]

Eyy, this is one of my favourite games, i had a great time platinuming it and im sure ill have a great time watching your video

[@thestopgobber8631]

Being as there is a note in the game that was written who knows when stating in other words that the AIs gained souls of such in the near 7million years before said note was made… soooo it’s over 7 million years in the future, clocks have 16 hours, the start of the game shows the moon which is ridiculously closer… I’d say that’s pretty big story details

[@GamingHarryYT]

Good theory, but there’s literally no way that the infrastructure and the robots would last 7 million years. And why would robots that have been programmed by humans measure time completely differently. It would have been hundreds of years at most. When entering the ant village, B12 states that the scientist who was human, uploaded himself to the computer and was stuck in there for hundreds of years until he saw the cat. Hundreds of years, not millions.

[@thestopgobber8631]

@@GamingHarryYT I think it’s momo who counts 250million days since ai gained a soul, it’s not a theory, it’s math, the mathematics is there, the clocks have 16 hours, for them to have even one hour added due to the earths rotation gradually slowing as the moon shifts closer would take over a million years, I’ll find the exact quote and who it’s by

[@BubblesBub434]

@@thestopgobber8631 The 16-hour day doesn't imply anything. Hexadecimal system works better than decimal system for programming purposes, i.e. for robots, so they could have just collectively decided to go to a 16-hour system, adjusting the time length of an hour accomodatingly. I.e. let's say they move to a 16-hour full day, they might have just defined that a second takes 1.5x longer, all the while the earth rotating around its axis taking just as long as it takes on earth right now.

[@Mrchair905]

I absolutely adore this game, it’s a testament to games as art. Maybe I’m just a giant wuss but I cried at the end, truly one of my favorite games.

[@justamurse5646]

Love your stuff man, and wow lots of content in a short time! Thank you for your hard work. You do the best game story descriptions/summaries on KZbin.

[@strikeforce1500]

10/10 best game of the next 5 generations. But seriously, I didn't expect this game to have such a dark and sad story.

[@almamater489]

I didn't expect this game would emotionally wreck me by the end of it either

[@Adog00]

Finished this game a few days ago. Loved it man thanks for explaining!!

[@jarinemarrane]

I feel very fond of B12 and Stray.

[@tiaancloete7301]

What a neat little game this was, didnt expect it to have such a heart warming story, hope there will be more games like this in future.

[@GegeMaree]

At the end of the game, B12 tells you that he remembers what happened; that a plague slowly began wiping them out, that he watched his family die and the people who ran the control room didn't care or do anything about it and just let it happen and presumably, it eventually got them too.

[@GamingHarryYT]

Yeah I know. I said that in the video 😂

[@GegeMaree]

@@GamingHarryYT oh my bad I must've missed it 😅

[@billycreston]

Love this channel and love the Lore & Order series (one of my guilty pleasures)!

[@livelaughstuck]

Nice to have a break from horror games, as much as I love those videos! Very good explanation video. Thanks for making it!

[@michaelmard1392]

i hope you keep doing lore and order videos on the games you want. im happy to watch them on any games. its about the lore bro, doesn't matter if its spooky or not!

[@sophiewood]

b-12 says at the end of the game, in the control room, that it was a plague that killed humanity.

[@Soulpuppet]

Really amazing game. I can't wait to see what the studio comes out with next.

[@fryone]

super glad to have you back lad!

[@Natsun195]

Your voice and your video contents is why I am here, keep up the good work!

[@ifeanyisamuel886]

I love your videos so much man, keep it up 👍🏼

[@KaeMcSpadden]

This game is so fascinating, how the environments and backgrounds help tell a story.

[@sadiya6621]

Thanks for this Harry ! Stray is one the cutest games i hv come across

[@GamingHarryYT]

It really is!

[@leone7247]

Harry I love your content so much! So well made and nice to see. I hope you’re doing fine!

[@rometherevenant8749]

Wasnt expecting this but a welcome surprise!

[@duraburr3612]

the ending made me cry lol

[@feldspar24]

this game was so chill i really enjoyed it and it made me happy

[@GamingHarryYT]

Yeah after doing the story of Madison, I enjoyed something a little more relaxing 😂

[@andybta]

The reason for the apocalypse was the pandemic.. at the subway, after climbing the stairs there is a notice on the wall that says, it was the pandemic that caused the city to be shut.

[@ghiju6393]

no it wasn't. The pandemic made all the humans in the city die, and the outside was already doomed. Pandemic is like the second apocalypse :)

[@cattrash3113]

I love how this whole thing is based on human greed and then panic in response to the repercussions lol so accurate to irl. A lot of things were eerily comparable to real life. (Plague, evil capitalism, waste)

[@TeamOuid]

Thank you for the content. Great to see it.

[@introvertednoise]

Love the Lore and Order videos. Really enjoyed the Metro video and would love to see one on Dead Space. Got a new subscriber

[@obeseninja93]

this is the first video of yours i've seen...immediate SUBSCRIBE! ❤

[@StoveToTheFace]

Great video like always. Just one note. You forgot the mention that B12 is actually human. He is the scientist. The scientist uploads his mind into the robot who only remembers as he finds clues of his past.

[@darrielwlters]

Great video an great game one of my fav for the year thus far….

[@Tiarrahenderson]

I've watched so many videos and no idea why I haven't subscribed. I'm gonna do it today!

[@loumartin8674]

neat story, refreshing one at that

[@krugz92]

Enjoyed playing this game.

[@dickward1090]

this was a nice one to platinum. just challenging enough to make it attainable

[@gamingdisastercayla]

I need a sequel to this, maybe a multiplayer where others can play as the other 3 cats.

[@lalakuma9]

Well I'm glad the cat got out because I'm not sure if anything in the walled city was edible to them.

[@stitchfan08]

Stray is my game of the year

[@tazzidoe7083]

This is on my list to play!! Looks awesome :) It is free at the moment with PlayStation plus if anyone else is looking to give it a whirl!!

[@caution_king]

I got the game and it is such a great game!

[@SEDRICKHENDRIXTHEGAMER]

Just beat the game, had a lot of fun

[@IsthattheGabrielDiaz]

Hope you're feeling better!

[@msironman105]

I will be back to watch this, I want to play the game first!!

[@NeroCM]

I hate that nobody seems to get this: the Companions ARE THE HUMANS! They all did what B-12 did, entered the capsules to transfer their mind into machines (That's why you see the capsules everywhere) and just like B-12 they went through a good deal of disassociation. The writing on the wall that says "days since sentience" isn't how long ago machines became sentient, it's how long ago the human consciousness inside the robots became able of self-determination again. That's why the robots eat. That's why they have families. That's why they have stuff like barbers, nightclubs, music etc. It's all human behavior that had laid dormant for who knows how long due to the consciousness transfer, not simple mimicking.

[@sadface6939]

Ayo love it when I get here two minutes after upload

[@damianmatras8568]

Very good video.

[@Onigiriz]

Finished the game in 4 hours. Quite short but the experience is enjoyable. A tip : Turn off the jump prompt for more immersive experience, without the jump box popping up everywhere First its quite weird for the story to be connected and told to you by B12. But later on the reason shows. Tho they can do better narration or none (Abzu, Inside for example) The ending is beautiful There is a Half:Life and Slenderman easter egg I found while playing

[@Itsgay2read]

I let out the only pterodactyl screech when I saw this on my feed!

[@ULTIMATEINUYASHAFAN]

I adore this game the environment it's my favorite kind, reminds me of a Remember Me/Nier Automata twist with some The Last Guardian mixed in ♡

[@artofsarahjane]

Have you done a video for outer wilds? If so I can't find it. If not, I would love to hear your take on it. Loved Stray also. Thanks for the upload.

[@yukil.spencer3848]

Holy shit didnt realize this took place in my own city. Kowloon still exists here, but would definitely be what you call a slum

[@Oriana_leung]

8:50 No wonder I have a nostalgic feel.

[@haruruben]

I love this game

[@anasdomain9994]

😭😭😭 there needs to be more games with an animal player

[@sanjaynagar4098]

waiting for more games like this. It was an awesome game

[@epicfail9693]

I would honestly pick STRAY for game of the year…

[@DevonChampion]

I hope in the sequel Stray will go back for the Robots at some point.

[@elconejitopandrosito4971]

YES!! YES!! FREAKING YES!!

[@Xenone83]

I may be misremembering but I swore after discovering certain memories B12 mentions it was a plague that caused the walled city/ies construction.

[@raulnieves2782]

B12 does mention he remembers ‘the plague’. Presumably the city was to be shelter from this plague.

[@SigmaDaniel]

1:10 now this is some horror too scary for me to play

[@XeroFailGames]

I love this because I find the game interesting but not enough to want to buy and play it.

[@maleficentdunn5370]

Lore & Order, lol I approve

[@bugweasel]

no mention of shot of the giant Eyeballs in the fungus stuff? I wanted to know about that =/

[@Chaos0f7ife]

It's actually possible that humanity died millions of years ago as there is a note that Momo left in Eliots house saying that it's been 2544875556 days since robots have had souls in them. That equates to about 6,972,261 years since humanity died.

[@lukemimnagh2594]

Game’s brilliant! But would’ve liked Clementine to be wearing a Dodgers Baseball cap, TWD fans will get this reference.

[@darrielwlters]

Yup and one of the robots should have named LEE🥺

[@lukemimnagh2594]

@@darrielwlters OMFG YAS.

[@mreboric8406]

The garbage eating bacteria evolving into nightmare fuel was one of the most fucked up things I have ever seen in a game

[@kfsfnjbtyjmm6100]

Hey there! what do you think about the 7millon years thing you can read on a wall? It says that it's been 7 millon years since they developed a consciousness

[@lexmcdermott2751]

Kowloon is still there, the military structure is not lol. I’m a fan of your videos! I don’t play video games cuz I’m a big wuss with terrible hand-eye controller coordination, but I enjoy the backstories and narratives of them.

[@GamingHarryYT]

Oh yeah of course, but not in the way it used to be. It’s a suburb now, and not a walled city

[@lexmcdermott2751]

@@GamingHarryYT Anytime I see HK depicted in visual arts & media, I instantly know it’s HK. Such a distinct looking city. Sex, Death + Robots’ ‘The Witness’ comes to mind too. I had the privilege of living in Repulse Bay for 2 years. Have you been to HK?

[@lauariasjuanpablo3034]

Fun fact: Neco is cat in Japanese

[@lildannyboi13]

woah so this is what my cat does when it leaves home for long periods of time

[@xanmontes8715]

When (not if) we humans can develop genuine Artificial Intelligences, we need to raise them right. We can't expect anyone to be a functional entity from birth. Nurturing, rather than whatever the other option would be.

[@alexandervanraden2689]

If you meow at the cameras in the beginning they Nod

[@Karldin83]

I wonder just how long ago humans disappeared. came across a piece of grafitti that said of days since humans were last seen. Divided by number of days in a year this became 6.995.000 years. Wish I could go back and find it, but I'm up in midtown now

[@djcie1018]

Last time my eye were tearing up with with a ending like this I was watching Free Willy...

[@RJKilroy]

Anyone else reminded of Narita Boy seeing those robots?

[@stevwebheadfan8411]

This kind of reminds me of that one episode of love death+robots on Netflix

[@kevinlockhart2000]

Fun Fact: the cat from the game stray is in fact named murtagh.

[@cbass74]

So we never know what killed the humans and are there more species of animals outside of the city?

[@DrBob66]

What's with the eyeballs on the walls? How did a parasite meant to eat trash become a lovecraftian horror organism? Also why didn't the robots in the control tower become sentient like the ones in the slums/midtown?

[@EvripidouM]

Evolution is insane it doesnt need a reason :p

[@arshu_parshu1999]

The eyeballs are just biofilms of zurks

[@Blackbird0098]

Stray actually takes place roughly 7 million years after the humans in the city died out, Game Theory found that out by a mural on a wall in the game

[@GamingHarryYT]

Yeah I know I found that too, but BlueTwelve threw a spanner in the works when B12 said that the scientist, who was human had only been trapped in the system for a few hundred years, until they saw the Stray. It's an interesting point though. Personally I don't think the city's infrastructure would've lasted 7 million years. Another argument against the 7 million years point is that surely these robots batteries would've run out. Do they charge themselves? If so, after 7 million years, their battery life would've be well over. There are arguments for both sides, but I just think that 7 million years is a stretch. Maybe BlueTwelve wanted people to debate it. IDK

[@samtales8634]

When I play this game my cat love to watch me play it

[@voiceappeal]

One thing that makes me wonder: How did Seamus become Docs son? How did this concept manifest within robots?

[@combinecommando001]

If I were to guess, the theory is that if they are copying humans, then it's fair to assume that it's a behavior picked up by them. Likely their previous human owners. The other theory is that humans did much like B12 upload their consciousness into the companions and these two were related prior to it.