Stray is the best argument for the PS5 controller’s flashy tricks

I’m only a few hours into Stray, but I’ve already completely fallen for the orange cat at the game’s helm. So much of the game’s puzzle solving And storytelling comes down to doing mischievous cat stuff, like jumping from ledge to ledge (and almost falling) and pushing things off of shelves. It’s all pretty classic orange cat behavior, and I often shout, “Look at this little guy catting!!!” while I play.

It’s also an absolute joy to play on the PlayStation 5 controller, one of the most responsive gamepads I’ve ever used. The haptic feedback takes catting (the verb form of cat, of course) from good to great thanks to a mix of rumble types, the adaptive triggers, and the game’s sound design.

My favorite function is the “meow” ability. Hit the Circle button any time you’d like, and you can meow in the game — a sound that comes out of both my entertainment system’s speakers and the controller’s speaker. It’s a huge innovation in meow technology, especially for a person with my priorities (being a cat and meowing a lot).

Image: BlueTwelve Studio/Annapurna Interactive

The adaptive triggers come into play when you scratch surfaces like mossy poles, sofa arms, and rugs (is the latter actually “doing biscuits”? I’ll count it). To scratch I alternate between left and right triggers. These take quite a bit of pressure to apply, but then the cat releases the control rumble, peeling away with his claws. It’s fun to see these adaptive triggers used in a variety of settings — Horizon Forbidden WestThe last time that I experienced this effect was in the game “The Last Game.” It creates a sense of increased tension and tension every time the bow is pulled taut. You can find it here Stray, it’s mostly cause for delight.

The haptic feedback’s varying intensities, as you get up to cat antics, read as practically invisible and delightfully immersive. The cat pushing heavy paint containers over the skylight to break it in can be felt by me. He goes completely limp when he puts on his small cat backpack. This is the same cat that does the strange little crouch walk every harness-training cat owner knows. Also, getting the cat’s head stuck in a paper bag makes the analog sticks trigger completely random movements, making for an appropriately disorienting time.

My in-game achievements have been minimal because I am prone to stopping and meowing, scratching at objects, or getting stuck with a bag of paper on my head. So much of the game succeeds thanks to its faithful renditions of feline movement and behavior — the catting of it all, you might say. Life is short, and it’s important to enjoy catting to its fullest. Stray executes on these subtle shivers, chirps, and leaps, and the PS5’s haptic feedback makes the experience joyful and immersive.