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The Player Experience of Stray
AIMS
Stray is revered by fans as an immersive adventure built from a fusion of captivating world-building, atmosphere, and empathy-inducing characters. It is a unique experience that follows the story of a stray cat in a post-human, cyberpunk world.
While these strengths allow for a balanced gameplay experience, it also acts as a foundation to evaluate some of the more criticized elements of the game, such as certain antagonist characters and combat mechanics.
This project evaluates the true player experience, explores how players feel about the combat interaction, and identifies actionable mechanics that would improve the player experience of Stray as a whole.
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This project was conducted independently and has no affiliation with BlueTwelve Studio or Annapurna Interactive.
"I found myself not [using] the Defluxor that much halfway through the sewers the first time, then when replaying some parts, I didn't care for it at all. It was a pain to use, especially when there's a huge swarm around you while running. One reason why I didn't like going through Dead End, because you have to use it."
- Interviewee
It was a challenge for players to navigate the combat system. Players often requested more explicit guidance for the shooting mechanism. Some were frustrated enough to consider quitting the game entirely or had to ask other players to step in and complete chapters for them. These moments served to highlight the exact moment where BlueTwelve Studio could choose to design in-game interventions or to modify certain combat elements.
Screenshot from a particularly stressful chapter explored during playtests
STRATEGY
The first step was to partition the experience into critical components amenable to investigation. For Stray, this boiled down to people’s desire to continue playing, player immersion, choice and consequence, narrative comprehension, ease-of-use, and overall unified sentiment.
Survey
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The survey provided ample data as 365 respondents answered carefully chosen closed and open-ended questions which allowed players to expand on their experience and preferences for the gameplay. This combination of question types provided an equal mix of quantitative and qualitative data.
Respondents were recruited by posting the survey on online platforms including Reddit, Discord, and Twitter. Permission was granted by moderators where applicable.
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Using textual analysis, I categorized and tallied open-ended text responses to quantify the qualitative data
Experiential Playtests
I conducted experiential playthroughs with 6 separate players. These playtests ran for 2 hours each, and were held remotely through Zoom and PlayStation Share Play, allowing players to experience the game in their usual environment. Playtesters were recruited through the survey.
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Data collection was through semi-structured interviews during carefully chosen moments in the game and supplemented with post-hoc in-depth interviews (IDIs) where players were able to freely reflect upon their experience.
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In these playtests, I was able to observe players frustration in certain areas, identify the gameplay mechanic issues that could be altered, and add my observational notes to the playtesters’ feedback.
RESULTS
In many cases, the insights demonstrated that the player experience conformed to the developer’s intent. However, through focused investigation I was also able to pick up on crucial, targetable issues, and understand them well enough to form actionable insights to use as an instrument in the iterative design process of potential sequels.
It was not enough to report that players simply liked or disliked something. Instead, I studied the details to understand why this was the case; to understand the grey areas and how to work with them.
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Players had to replay the same section multiple times as they were too overwhelmed by the enemy characters
If the gameplay is as challenging as intended, we should observe a balanced number of players successfully proceeding against specific enemy characters and challenges. However over 60% percent of respondents found the enemy characters called Zurks to be unplayable, haphazard, or out of place for the game. No such complaints arose when players interacted with strategy-based enemies such as the Sentinels.
Balancing Gameplay
Console players found the Defluxor arduous to use compared to PC players. While PC players had the benefit of using a mouse to point-and-click the weapon aim, console players had to use the same analog stick to control the weapon aim and the protagonist simultaneously.
However, both console and PC players often failed the same area of Dead End repeatedly during their playthrough. The level’s confined space and the number of generated enemies made it difficult for players to navigate and access the intended route.
Even players who ordinarily play first or third-person shooter games specified that Stray should supplement the shooting element with more of the existing strategy puzzles used to evade enemy characters.
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This preference was not solely due to the weapon's usability. One of the driving factors of players' affinity for the strategy-based gameplay stemmed from the overall cohesion and immersion of the game. Players specifically expressed that the protagonist's unique abilities as a cat felt better unified with strategy-based evasion than with a detached, drone-controlled weapon.
"It's really hard to use the Defluxor [because] you have to control it using the same stick used to control the cat, so you can't go in the desired direction and hit what you need to hit at the same time."
- Interviewee
Taxonomy: Game Strengths
Although the shooting element of the game provides variety for the player, the survey and playtests indicated that combat with Zurks diverted from the unanimously voted strengths of the game. Players wished to experience more open exploration, puzzles, and NPC interaction. Responses indicated that the open exploration was particularly important as the game already has the unique strength of interesting level design and pathways only accessible by a cat.
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The elements listed in the taxonomy were determined by players themselves. The open text box in the survey allowed respondents to provide long-form, diary style accounts of their current and ideal experience.
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These diary style responses were analyzed and tallied to create a taxonomy of the ideal player experience.
"I liked the different perspective of being low to the ground... Gates were no longer an obstacle. Sometimes I would get stuck, and then I'd realize,
"Oh yeah, of course I can jump. I'm a cat!"... So, difficult as a human, but easy as a cat."
- Interviewee
INSIGHTS
The survey and playtests provided assurance, action points, and generative insights for any future development plans. To improve the player experience, BlueTwelve Studio may consider integrating:
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The ability to free-roam existing areas and increased freedom in character movement.
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Post-game exploration to simultaneously expand gameplay, along with the inclusion of discoverable lore and NPC side quests.
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More strategy-based evasion for players to outsmart enemy characters rather than requiring engagement in traditional combat.
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Plot points that create a sense of closure for the player and enhance the player's connection to the feline protagonist.
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The research data also indicated that some secondary options to consider might include:
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Attachment of the Defluxor to the cat protagonist to limit confusion from separated camera and weapon aim controls.
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NPC-directed tutorial or prolonged progression of weapon use so that players are taught how to navigate and use the Defluxor.
Empowered with this research, the team could re-tune their emphasis on different aspects of the gameplay mechanics and plot, and thereby counterbalance the combat elements of the game to create a more synchronized player experience.
These changes would increase player connection to the series and could contribute to the success of sequels.
Fun Fact
Five of the six playtesters expressed greater feelings of empathy and responsibility controlling a cat compared to a human protagonist. The cat’s injury or death was perceived as more painful than the injury or death of a human player character.
Just look at that cute little face.