What Remains After We're Gone - Stray Essay

Be nice to robots, OR ELSE!
Had fun making this. A great game to have come out on my birth month. I really enjoyed the soundtrack specifically. So go check out the Composers website!
www.nurykabe.com/
I wanna stream soon but I can't do it on twitch cause of shenanigans. So keep an eye out for streams on this channel! I'll post community stuff about it when I do too. Anyway take care! I wanna work on an Inside video next.
JJJreact (;
don't go easy on me!
#stray #straygame #robots #endingexplained #analysis

[@potassiumkat207]

I think it’s important to note that humanity doesn’t only live on in the companions. It lives on in the cats, too. Cats only really meow to get a human’s attention. But they still meow in Stray, long after humans have left. I’d like to think that they’re remembering us in their own little way.

[@Sm0k3turt]

Or Talkin to the robots who heavily resemble humans

[@potassiumkat207]

maybe, but the cats still meow to each other before the cat even falls into the city. or it could be a sound only cats can hear, but the player, being a cat, gets to hear it

[@legionarybooks13]

One fan theory I really like is that some of the more sentient robots were once humans who uploaded their consciousnesses, similar to B12. I also love that the game doesn't explicitly say this, nor does it tell exactly how long humans have been gone. There's a slew of theories around this, which I think is fantastic. One problem with modern storytelling is everything is shoved into the audience's face, with no room for personal interpretation. Stray lets the players' imaginations roam, to come up with their own theories and what the story means to them. That is the true definition of art.

[@Sm0k3turt]

I like this a lot. Thanks for enjoying it man!!

[@serian3138]

This is accualy a fact.the cage where you go in to upload your mind is found at least twice in the world of stray (in the ant city and in the flat)

[@Sm0k3turt]

@@serian3138 yes. But I doubt they used TWO of them for the entire human race

[@Lukadsgr]

​@@Sm0k3turt Yeah, they used a lot more. When you go to the city and find a memory inside the celling of the pizzeria, B-12 starts saying that he loved when he was a human to go to a place that looks like that pizzeria, and that there was a guy that was the pizzeria worker who B-12 liked his services, B-12 continues by saying that he cant remember the name of the guy, but he thinks that starts with the letter "M". Guess what? The name of the Robot in the pizzeria is Mattbee. :D

[@sincereharmony7264]

@@Sm0k3turt their city was number 99 so there are atleast 98 other domes with their own humans and pods and robots. Not the entire human race were in there

[@scratchpad7954]

6:24 One other thing I noticed besides B12 being a cute little reference to the studio who developed Stray is someone pointed out in another video that B12 is also a possible reference to the B-complex vitamin, which is an essential nutrient in cats, responsible for supporting a healthy digestive, immune, and nervous system.

[@IvoryTowerCollections]

Just a bit before this at 6:13 is clearly an egg reference to the movie the Shining. Look at the wall paper pattern. Very close to that of the carpet in the hotel.

[@ahmedbasim2302]

I don't think that is intentional vitamin b is essential in all animals and humans

[@gammafox5431]

Every single time I watch and experience the ending, I can't help but tear up. Every. Single. Time. It really shows how captivating Stray is, how well it gets us so attached to the beings and the story

[@Sm0k3turt]

Thanks! The game is pretty cool. But I think a large reason it’s so effective as a story is the writing and music. It’s just vague enough to let you fill out the blanks without feeling contrived. The soundtrack is also excellent and very unique

[@Random_scug]

im not tearing up over a game of a cat your the one who is

[@filostratos5696]

A fan theory says that the cat after the ending reunited with his buddies because the place you end up to "the outside" is a 20 min. Walk to them

[@judeymans]

Wow! You're seriously underrated. I've never seen a video essay about Stray so eloquently worded, you nailed the vibes of the game perfectly here. Well done!

[@Sm0k3turt]

Thanks man! I am running on vibes and good editing lol

[@auronkardek]

The slow blink at the end made me cry, if you know cats it's a way to say that they love and trust you and it's focused on the player in this scene while the camera go back.

[@Gun_Pra]

This game is one of a kind. No matter how much you already saw it on YT, you got to put on your headphones and experience it on your own.

[@stinkychevre]

This is great, found your channel after searching for some meaningful stray content. While the "Top 10 Hidden Easter Eggs YOU missed in Stray" videos are fun, I was really searching for something that resonates with the heavy feelings I am experiencing while playing stray and processing the story in its entirety. This video is beautiful and sums up a lot of what I was feeling while playing the game as well as brought some really wonderful new thoughts for me to ponder. I appreciate your brain juice

[@Sm0k3turt]

I love “I appreciate your brain juice” lmao. I’m working on an Inside Retrospective so get excited for that! Thanks!

[@stinkychevre]

@@Sm0k3turt hehehehe fuck yeahhhhhhhhhhhhHHHHHHH I’m so excited. Inside is another of my absolute favorite games! Loved when you brought up how inside moves in a constant deep descent, but stray, no matter what, you’re constantly ascending. Boom my mind went crazy over that. Excited for more! :)

[@insig0]

this dude is underrated. like, really underrated. this is honestly the best stray video ive seen. you put emotion into this, unlike others who just blankly read off a script. keep up the work!

[@Sm0k3turt]

Cheers mate! I try to look at everything from a perspective of empathy. Generally I just like to make videos that make people feel things (:

[@keplerscat28]

Oh how I wish I could play Stray for the first time again. These feelings of intense melancholy, paired with hopefulness, yet being constantly reminded of the fragile nature of it. But one thing stands out more than the rest: the resilience. It doesn't matter what comes next, there is always a way to overcome it. I can hardly put into words, what this game means to me. It was supposed to be a silly little cat game, but it ended up becoming one of my all time favorites. Thank you so much for this video. Absolutely agree with everything. To sum it up in a stray little cat way: *slowly blinks*.

[@Sm0k3turt]

Same. It is a silly cat game Fs but I appreciate that it went a little deeper than it needed to.

[@pixelpoppyproductions]

Loved the game. I want to play it again. Aside from the cats - the storytelling, environments, characters and music - were so close to perfect. It drew me in and I kept thinking about it until I had the time to play it again. It’s not that expensive, and you’re supporting a small developer who put a ton of love into this game and story. What got me to comment on your video - wait, what? There’s a soundtrack?!? Yeah, I’ve seen the (sometimes valid) criticism, and this game is not 100% perfect (is any game?). But I have been playing games for many, many years on every platform you can imagine- and this game stands out to me as one of my favorites of all time, certainly the most memorable in the last 10 years. Finally, while I would love to see more of this world and what this developer can do - this game was the perfect length. It was long enough I couldn’t finish in one setting, but short enough that I felt like I could finish without dedicating my life to a video game. Oh, and the use of the camera - that was extremely clever and cinematic.

[@Sm0k3turt]

It’s a cool game. It’s fun to see so many people connect with it like I did! Glad you enjoyed it!

[@TheTuubster]

Well, the answer to why these bots act human lies within the two pods you see in the game. Especially the first one used by the scientist to upload his consciousness. Because what was connected to that pod? A robot. "Something went wrong", B12 stated. I think, the robots are acting human, because they are shadows of the humans uploaded into them via these pods. But because of the time they all forgot their roots. B12 only could remember it all, because the cat allowed him to visit the whole city and not just stay at a single place.

[@TheTuubster]

... that's also why the bots at the control room were still in their original state: The pods were never used on them.

[@yujukiyuuki7203]

If that true then why we only see two pod in the games.if all bot is human data that download insiden Robot should it be many pod?

[@TheTuubster]

@@yujukiyuuki7203 The same reason why MRI devices are not available around every corner. ;)

[@yujukiyuuki7203]

@@TheTuubster wdym?

[@Sm0k3turt]

I thought that too but there’s too much evidence against that it’s all humans. ONE robot to our knowledge was human. But most of them seem to just be cultural copies.

[@victoriab7148]

Man, you nailed the feeling of the game! This is probably my favourite Stray video I've seen, great analysis!

[@Sm0k3turt]

Thanks! Glad you enjoyed it!

[@leymons1236]

oh god. oh heck. oh crap. i- wh- you have no right to make me cry as hard as i did from that end oh my goddd. this was amazing and you deserve wayy more subscribers on this channel holy shit

[@Sm0k3turt]

Spread the word 😉

[@gagixx]

my gosh, i loved this video, loved the edition, use of music and your opinion. This video is insane keep up the good work. Loved this

[@Sm0k3turt]

Thank you so much!

[@owengifkins995]

MY GOD THIS IS SO GOOD. So perfect and easy to understand. Also why is this guy so poetic it amazes me. He should be a poet

[@Sm0k3turt]

Writer moment (;

[@iddan1205]

Tears came when beat the game , and also watching this video. Thank you.

[@sincereharmony7264]

This was fantastic. I've just finished the game and now I can't get enough of the lore. I think the scientist ushered everyone in the slums into his place and saved himself for last. He exhausted the machine and that's why he ended up in the network instead of his own robot body like the rest.

[@Sm0k3turt]

I truly believe that humanity died. I just love the robots mourning the humans and becoming them idea.

[@godofredo0409]

There is someone who gave his best effort to decipher the alphabet being used by the robots in this game. Check it out, it is so cool that the devs really gave their effort for it.

[@TrelliessRose]

They seemed to nail all twenty-six letters, too.

[@ThatsACatsName]

Feeling soul-crushing emptiness after finishing the game yesterday, loved this video

[@Sm0k3turt]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@JonNeimeister]

Late to the party, but subbed and great video. Just finished the game.

[@Sm0k3turt]

Personally I think it just being humans would be lame. I thought the whole point was that they were long gone. Even if they were alive in that way, it wouldn’t be as fun.

[@mar-ri7sr]

this is amazing, you're incredibly underrated

[@Sm0k3turt]

Thank you! I try to make good stuff that is both entertaining and interesting and thought provoking!

[@Q-Vu]

Great video, absolutely nailed the explanation and the emotion this game gave me And the jokes got me laughing

[@Sm0k3turt]

That means I did what I intended to! I’m trying to elicit emotion, thought, and a good laugh all at once.

[@j-skullz]

Dude I can't believe you've only got a thousand subs with this standard of video!! Just subscribed keep it up :)

[@Sm0k3turt]

Thanks a ton! Please leave your worshipping tokens in my mailbox.

[@ginonaidoo3852]

Damn bro you really did a stellar job on this! Keep up the great work man. You're destined for greatness!

[@Nicholaschaven]

Perfect description at the end. You have inspired my 3rd play through with these thoughts in my head.

[@Sm0k3turt]

Haha cat go jump

[@TheTaotao123]

this analysis is amazing! please do more! you killing it!

[@MW-ow8zh]

This video is pretty cool! I laughed at some points and I understand your point! You clearly deserve more attention, keep that up! Here is a fact that may make you guys much more happy: The border of the underground city is a circle having 360 degrees. By using maths you can calculate that walking 1 degree of that circle, takes around 30 seconds. Now in the end, we all expected a scene where the cats meet eachother again, though that didn't happen, instead we only saw how the cat sniffed the air, and walked to the right. Now, if you retrack the route from their home and the city entrance, you will see that both locations aren't far away from eachother. The home of the cat sits inside the border, therefore we can surely take the border circle of 360 degrees to measure the distance between both locations. If you do that, you'll see that the entrance/exit only 1 degree away from their home! Meaning it only takes 30 seconds for the cat to get back home. If you now pay attention to the ending scene, the cat sniffes the air, showing us that the cat is smelling their friends, also the cat goes to the right, and that's exactly the correct direction to get back home! In addition, you see a screen flickering, meaning that their human friend is still alive! An ending scene as such wasn't needed, it is perfect as it is right now! Thank you for reading!

[@Sm0k3turt]

That’s how I interpreted it. It’s heavily implied. That’s all it needs.

[@tashibalampkin8555]

4:06 Dude is fed the f up. Like, damn. Tell us how you feel. 😂

[@Umiempi]

At first I didn't opened the video because "It's just another analisys about stray, or about the death of humanity" But after watching it you really express another opinion, i really like your view of the game. The video is really well done in the thecnical point of view (editiing, commentary) It was worth watching. ¡Kepp up with the good work!

[@Sm0k3turt]

Thanks! I try to not just find the “deeper meaning” or whatever. Stories are subjective and I like to embrace that!

[@maliciousfry]

nice story recap

[@Sm0k3turt]

Thanks for watching it!

[@chandrashekharhaldankar2676]

The best soundtrack:Cassette Tape

[@puglord3260]

The pacing and use of music is just perfect. Keep up the incredible work!

[@Sm0k3turt]

Thanks! The soundtrack is excellent. Go support the dude who made it he’s just as underrated as me

[@daymixisnotlive6645]

B12 is also a important vitamin for cats!

[@Sm0k3turt]

That’s actually a rad detail!

[@dab42bridges80]

A poetic review of a wonderful game.

[@Sm0k3turt]

Thanks! Check out my other stuff if you’re interested.

[@heyhelloitsmilo]

what a cool video essay!! i found i had a lot of the same appreciations you did, i just couldn't find the words for it :] very cool!!

[@Sm0k3turt]

Thank you so much!

[@harshvardhantiwari634]

Hey man, I love the way you executed the video it's just amazing. Looking forward to seeing more of such amazing content. :)

[@Sm0k3turt]

Thanks! I try to make cool meaningful stuff.

[@pratikraut6354]

The ArtStyle of this game is just awesome.....

[@everkoda_wcue]

bro I felt so connected with this game, it felt so real, like you were actually that cat, solving and re-building the world, wanting to go back with your cat friends, I finished the game today and I cried so much when it ended, I hope a Stray 2 comes out, This game was so good and we can tell it was a success. B-12 and all the robots, Clementine, Momo, Doc, etc. Actually felt like friends to me. And when B-12 used his last power left to open the roof, I felt so bad, I hope that he comes back, because in the ending we can see a sign of him flickering, just how he guided us in the begining of the journey.

[@Sm0k3turt]

I don’t think it needs a sequel. It’s perfect as it is. (:

[@tashibalampkin8555]

11:34 "Cyber trash aesthetic." I like that word usage. It fits nicely.

[@Sm0k3turt]

Cyber trash

[@tashibalampkin8555]

@@Sm0k3turt Whoops. My bad. Thanks for the correction.

[@Sm0k3turt]

CYBER TRASH 2077!! *heavy metal starts playing*

[@jumbona03]

Gotta love a new sm0ke video

[@PinkPineappleGaming]

Bruh just got All achievements I hope whoever made the cant Catch me thigh steps on a Lego. Great video I’ll sub I don’t see why not

[@Sm0k3turt]

That achievement made me cry

[@mr.spring-miser3034]

Holly shit, You're The only person who has even come close to capturing the feeling we all got playing stary, I absolutely adore this game and this video makes me love it even more, I remember watching some of the game play after beating it myself and feeling disheartened by how sinical some of it's players were about the robot's and how they complained that the ending doesn't have much weight because we only spend 6 or so hour's with them Wich genuinely sucked listening to, and throughout my playthrough I didn't exactly feel the weight of the death of humanity as I was kind of desensitized to that whole stick bc of Media, but while watching the video I truly began to realize just how bitter sweet and sad it is that the robots mourned us and greived after we were gone, despite all the hell we probably put them through, it touches my heart in a way not much else ever has, I'm incredibly thankful to you for opening up my eyes to that Truth. Have a wonderful day and sub!

[@Sm0k3turt]

Thank you! I’m glad you enjoyed it. I’m also biased cause I have a springtrap poster that I’ve owned for 6 years now.

[@mr.spring-miser3034]

@@Sm0k3turt haha, I guess I could say the same I've owned a springtrap Funko pop for around 5+ years! That and I draw him constantly.

[@kalasyeditor]

hah cat is big funny. love a sm0ke vid.

[@RickSjoerds]

By far the best game in years! Cant wait for more!

[@yujukiyuuki7203]

Damn this game is deep

[@LynxxGD]

This is so good!

[@Sm0k3turt]

Thanks!

[@brewloml5079]

THIS IS SO UNDERRATED WHAT

[@catherinehalley5871]

Great video essay!

[@Sm0k3turt]

Thank you! Glad you enjoyed!

[@kristophersouza8104]

Just finished the game, awesome video

[@Sallyanne682]

Ohhhhh my god I love the way you explain the plague I feel like I'm listening to actual history

[@Sm0k3turt]

Thank you? Lol

[@wintereyes7674]

Bro.... I cried while watching this... you did a really good job (no sarcasm)

[@Sm0k3turt]

That’s nice. Didn’t mean to make you cry but if I did it means I made an effective video! Thanks! (Sarcasm I hate you)

[@wintereyes7674]

@@Sm0k3turt hehe

[@hecker5334]

This guy deserves way more subscribers

[@johnebailor]

Excellent analysis of an awesome game. Stray was surprisingly touching and the soundtrack added a lot of atmosphere. Did you mention PRESS O TO MEOW 😸

[@Sm0k3turt]

I did not. A terrible video because of this.

[@bennyv1232]

Dude, your slightly monotone explanation is sick. I love this type of video. 0:03 too 1:16

[@Sm0k3turt]

Thanks man! I love making moody shit.

[@Nderak]

you should make more of these they deserve a ton more views

[@Sm0k3turt]

Difficult to work up the motivation to edit 😞

[@owengifkins995]

26:36 I love this part

[@EvripidouM]

20:30 blazer actually had a reason for helping u steal the battery. If you show clementine's note to one companion, he tells you that blazer used to work at the factory but got fired, and ge's got a beef with them

[@Sm0k3turt]

Oh that makes sense yeah. Still could’ve been made more clear.

[@EvripidouM]

@@Sm0k3turt i understand what you mean. Some fleshing out (metalling out??) wouldhave been nice Btw your essay is my fav on stray i have watched so far. I want to show it to people who say that its just a stupid cat simulator.

[@cheesebru]

6:01 I never noticed until now that in the apartment, the music that plays is one of the songs that Morusque plays :0

[@Sm0k3turt]

That’s a great detail

[@ThatAlleyRat]

Great video, I love the dive into the the game and pointing out all the details that made it so great. I find it annoying when I try and talk about the game, I only receive 'lol cat, look it's a cat, cute cat', absolutely drives me up the wall, it's more than just being a cat damnit, haha. Man the first time I made it to the last city and it being pristine absolutely caught me off guard. The shift in tone was so drastic! I love the amount of personality they put into each robot, and the animation is beautiful. But yeah fuck that achievement, hahaha, that took forever to get.

[@TrelliessRose]

I think the idea that the Companions "mourn" and celebrate humanity by doing their best to imitate humanity is why I like this game so much.

[@Sm0k3turt]

Me too. I found that endearing, even if it isn’t completely original.

[@flashraylaser157]

This is an amazing video. That is all.

[@catzilla3212]

It might be because i dont have a cat and havent had much experiences with them that making a connection with stray was ALOT slower, as in im not interested just because theres a cat, so alot of my enjoyment with stray wasnt the cat, it was the robots, B 12, the storytelling and the music. It was really fun just getting to chill through a pretty well decorated and interesting world, finding items and hearing B 12's insights on items, characters and areas with occasional moments or b 12's more "Important" insights. The ending is pretty good i guess, but i didnt really find it that emotional compared to some people, mostly because there is only so much emotion a cat can show. Would have been interesting to see this game done with a dog, defo worth a few hours of your time. Great video btw❤

[@Sm0k3turt]

Thanks for watching! I would love to see a similar game with a different animal.

[@TheTaotao123]

i subscribed in the first minute of the video

[@Rakushi_Snea]

Glad I wasn't the only one to go "are those fucking headcrabs?"

[@Sm0k3turt]

I saw so many people say similar things, I had to.

[@maleehadamda6814]

This video is amazing. I'd love to hear you talk about more complex stories like that of God of War's or whatnot. Either way, this was great!

[@Sm0k3turt]

I’ve had an idea for a god of war video that would be a bit more personal.

[@maleehadamda6814]

@@Sm0k3turt well, whether you plan on making the video or not, i hope you continue making videos on whatever you please, because video essays like these are sooo good and fun to digest. Thank you for making this vid ❤️

[@saooran7364]

It's astonishing how some can drain this much narrative from this game and others only see orientalism and cultural appropriation. Sometimes language is round dome where some try to reach and others shrink in it's lower levels. Loved this video!!

[@Sm0k3turt]

Thanks! I think there is some merit to the stuff about cultural appropriation. But it’s baffling to me that people target a weird indie game about robots instead of, oh I don’t know CYBERPUNK 2077 lmao. Thanks for enjoying! Could make a whole video about that topic lmao

[@saooran7364]

@@Sm0k3turt I guess the wholesale mess 2077 brought to the table kinda suffocated the cultural mess lol I would like a video on the topic. I got few cultural appropriation issues beside the guardian robot and the luck golden cats.

[@BlackCroft666]

That argument ist dumb as heck anyways. THe design of the areas are based on chinese cities. Maybe the game even plays in China. But then those who make that argument are actual soulless NPCs anyways. Less human than those robots in game.

[@flashraylaser157]

Subscribed.

[@Sm0k3turt]

Thanks!

[@sirheinzbeenz3477]

I think antvillage is actually one of the giant water tanks that supply the city a companion was talking about it. I'll edit my comment when I play again and give the name and location of the companion.

[@EvripidouM]

It is. It was mentioned in b12's memory in the sewers

[@gregtheblackthunderpuppy9940]

So if we are in walled city 99 what happened to the other 98 cities? There could still be humans alive

[@Sm0k3turt]

Absolutely! But this is what happened to 99. It also could be that every previous city was completely infected. I doubt they are alive anyway as it’s been a long time. If they did survive they’re long gone.

[@iloveyoshi0xo]

ahh I played this game twice and I STILL don't understand how the cat fell in when there was a roof over the city?

[@Sm0k3turt]

He fell through a hole in the wall. I like to think of it as a cool way of showing how the wall didn’t really help humanity. It isolated us in our final moments.

[@LukePlayz-gf2is]

I can imagine Pyrocynical making a video essay on Stray, only he won't do it.

[@Sm0k3turt]

I am Pyrocynical Lite

[@Kitten012]

I already played it and in one hour I finished to chapter 8😊

[@Sm0k3turt]

Damn you’re movin fast!!

[@tompoessy]

they didnt make a whole language for the game because 1. that takes alot of time and effort and 2. it takes a lot of knowledge about linguistics, what they actually did was just make some characters up and assigned each character to an english letter, its just using a different alphabet to write regular english

[@Sm0k3turt]

Interesting! And totally fair. Making a language is hard.

[@goobertime2119]

Does anyone know the name of the song playing at 25:37

[@Sm0k3turt]

It’s all the Stray soundtrack. That one is slums I believe. But just listen to the whole album. Some tracks have different segments in one track

[@goobertime2119]

Thank you!

[@ashraizel]

💖

[@Sm0k3turt]

Funny cat

[@genuinerodent5243]

Whats the name of the music that starts as 25:25?

[@Sm0k3turt]

Probably “The Slums” or “Intruder”

[@genuinerodent5243]

@@Sm0k3turt thanks, great video

[@Just_Joey4]

It's "slums" and it starts at 6,10

[@Kitten012]

I'm de cat queen no ons else

[@connorgahan5197]

this is really sad

[@Sm0k3turt]

Thank you

[@stonks87]

egg

[@Sm0k3turt]

Egg

[@cale9747]

post the screenshot you took at 14:22

[@Sm0k3turt]

No (:

[@_MimiKa8]

sorry but I am about to end your dream: 1. momo, doc and samuel can only go the way we had gone in the game to antvilige and midtown witch mean the had to go thrue the big eye-zurks thing waht not disserpeard at the sun-end and they would prop. die on the way... 2. if they get to midtown and Clem there is still the subway with we took so they can't get to the controlroom and go out. 3. if they get out or stay in the slums, city or go out, they have to worry bout rain! They where build after they where in the city so they never knew about rain and bould prop. also die. sorry again but I can't stop thinking about these fakts

[@Sm0k3turt]

Fair. But thanks for watching! They would probably die to rain lol. Who knows maybe they are waterproof.

[@_MimiKa8]

@@Sm0k3turt well they where made after the humans livd in the citys so Idk

[@Sm0k3turt]

@_MimiKa8 Fair. Thanks for your thoughts anyway! Glad you watched and enjoyed!

[@EvripidouM]

Some ppl dont like this game. I don't understand it...

[@Sm0k3turt]

It’s a bit derivative and has some weird choices.

[@czaczaczar]

Cat breeders deserve it. Adopt, don't buy.

[@Sm0k3turt]

Damn, ruthless but fair. Good advice.