Stray possesses no alternate endings

A popular summer title as of its release, Stray is a narrative-based adventure through a cyberpunk world. The big difference is that players explore the world as a cat attempting to return to its family.

Told from the third-person perspective of the cat protagonist, Stray features a lore-rich world of artificial intelligence, robotics, and the mysterious group known as the Outsiders.

However, the game's narrative is set in a linear progression, and players hoping to influence its ending may be disappointed, as there is one set conclusion to Stray's storyline. This remains true even if they find all the title's collectibles and exhaust all of its content as they explore Walled City 99 with their companion B-12.

---

Stray: Why doesn't the game have multiple endings?

The cat listens in on a conversation in Stray (Image via Annapurna Interactive)

While Stray is a considerably polished and intriguing title, unique in its gameplay and narrative mechanics, it possesses a lone ending. Why is this the case?

The answer could be due to myriad reasons, though it's important to note that the game was developed by a small indie studio known as BlueTwelve Studio. With so much time and effort committed to it, working on multiple endings may not have been ideal to ensure quality across the board.

It's also entirely possible that the writers and developers never intended for the game to have alternate endings. The final result of its narrative is quite satisfying on its own, and that may be enough for many gamers.

While it's undoubtedly always entertaining for adventure games to have multiple endings influenced by user choices, there's certainly nothing wrong with having a concrete conclusion. The title itself is pretty open-ended in some segments, and a considerable part of its draw is exploring the game world through the eyes of the feline protagonist.

Because the gameplay can be so engaging and its game world so in-depth for an indie title, many players may find the journey quite fulfilling. This may dissuade those who wish for more narrative choice in their games, but this adventure title is short enough to complete while still doing plenty of exploring and world-building on the side.

There's enough content that it provides even to enjoy multiple playthroughs, as gamers not using a guide may not encounter everything the title's lore offers in their initial playthrough.

Overall, the indie title is still a considerably rewarding experience even without having multiple endings to encounter. The unique gameplay of playing as a cat throughout various platforming, combat, and stealth challenges provides an experience that few recent games can match.

Once users have done their job and learned the story of their cat, B-12, and Walled City 99, the ending should tie everything together nicely.

Individuals may even be surprised at just how the ending leaves things once they finally arrive at the game's conclusion.