Since its release, cat-based adventure game Stray has amassed a massive following on social media via its feline protagonist.
However, with cat lovers everywhere deeply enthralled by video clips of real cats reacting to the game or mods that can bring these real-life moggies into it in virtual form, a few modders have begun to experiment with bringing other species of cute animals into the game.
While Minecraft players might already have their critter of choice in the form of a Minecraft pig, it’s now retro Playstation fans’ turn and their custom cat is looking a bit more scaly and fire-breathing.
A Playstation Icon Stands In For Stray’s Cat
The mod in question is called ‘Spyro the Dragon’ and is the work of Modder MrMarco1003, who has previously replaced Stray’s cat with animated movie dog Bolt and subbed in Spyro for Resident Evil 3’s rocket launcher.
Naturally, as the name suggests, the mod does one thing. It allows you to play through Stray as the infamous purple dragon, hopping between platforms like a seasoned veteran as you solve some puzzles in the walled city.
Sadly, it’s unclear from the mod’s description whether you’ll be able to breathe any fire or just emit uncharacteristic and immersion-breaking meows, but at least if the latter is the case, you can stare into Spyro’s wild eyes while taking a vow of silence for the rest of your playthrough.
On the other hand, if you’re not quite ready to migrate from cats to other types of animals yet, another mod might be more your style.
This one was produced by prolific modder crubino, whose previous work includes bringing both lasagna-loving fat cat Garfield and a cute puppy to Stray.
Called ‘Humpuss (Homeless Puss)’, their latest creation brings a slightly dishevelled cat, designed to look like a lot of the poor stray felines you’ll find on real-world streets and in cat shelters.
Naturally, the reason for this is that Humpuss is designed to help you remember that, while fawning over cute cats in video games is all well and good, it’s also important to help care for real homeless cats if you’ve got the means to do so.
On the other hand, if you fancy having a go at making your own cat to put into stray, modder norskpl has uploaded a file called ‘Stray Cat Blend File for Texture Painting’ that might help you do just that, assuming you’ve done some research into how modding works beforehand.
So, download your dragon or cat of choice and make sure to follow us for guides to more Stray mods and on how to get into the nightclub or throw down a sick slam dunk.