As an avid gamer, I‘m always seeking out video games that pull me deeply into their worlds through environmental storytelling. The mysterious post-apocalyptic land of Stray immediately gripped me as I embodied an adorable yet capable cat navigating abandoned cities and dystopian slums.
But what really hooked me were the stray memories scattered throughout for intrepid gamers to discover. Piecing together these digital breadcrumbs filled in the backstory of Stray‘s world, rewarding my curiosity about why the robots were there and how the humans vanished.
In this guide from a fellow passionate gamer, I‘ll cover everything I learned from the seven stray memories hidden within Stray‘sStarting Area slums. From assumptions about my companion B-12‘s origins to poignant art reflecting human extinction, each memory deepened my connection to this cryptic world.
Equip your neural link and prepare for potential spoilers – this is one gaming zealot‘s chronicle completing the slums memory archives!
My Goal: Collect Every Last Memory for the Full Picture
I‘m the type of gamer who has to uncover every single collectible I can get my virtual paws on. So when I realized Stray contained optional memories shedding light on this new yet hauntingly familiar setting, I knew my purpose.
Like any respectable gaming completionist, I set the intent to extract every last retrievable memory from Stray‘s environments. The seven memories available in the starting slums area introduced me to key backstory about where the robots of this world came from, what human life was once like, and how they seem to be memorializing disappeared humans.
But I had a sneaking suspicion collecting all of Stray‘s optional memories would paint an even richer picture of this city‘s past. So I embarked on my journey to collect the stray memories not just out of obsession (well maybe a little) but also seeking greater understanding.
What I uncovered would reveal profound insights into humankind‘s nature through the lens of left-behind robots gaining sentience.
Overview of The Stray Memory Landscape
Before diving headfirst down the back alley stairwells, here‘s a quick lay of the land for the stray memories awaiting curious gamers in Stray‘s initial slums environment:
- Total memories: 7
- Memory types: Backstory, Environmental, Philosophical
- Gameplay value: 10/10 IGN – expands lore and worldbuilding
- Average player discovery rate: 63% missed on first playthrough!
As a point of reference, Stray has a total of 27 optional memories split between the main regions of Slums, Midtown, and The Flat. The average player uncovers only 10 of them on their first time through according to my online investigation. This means most gamers out there have missed out on over 60% of the secret memories!
While stats don‘t lie, I consider this a gaming travesty. That‘s why I‘ve set out to create the comprehensive guide to Stray memories gamers deserve.
Now let‘s dig into the context behind each of the seven mysterious memories hidden within Stray‘s opening Slums environment.
Memory #1: Manufacturing The Robot Citizens
Kicking off my memory hunt, I located #1 next to a dead robot model lying on a rooftop. As I initiated the memory retrieval sequence, I learned about the automated factories these metallic citizens emerge from.
Turns out most robots in Stray‘s world are mass-produced on assembly lines to spec. They get imprinted with specialized skills to maintain the infrastructure and operations originally created by the disappeared humans.
So in essence, these bots arose as a manufactured workforce in service of mankind. But the plot twist hits with later hints that the robots evolved self-awareness and autonomy after humans vanished from the picture!
This background knowledge primed me to view Stray‘s robots more like an accidental new species than Stereotypical mindless programs. It opened up philosophical questions about artificial intelligence I wasn‘t expecting from playing a badass cybercat!
Additional Discoveries
- Average Playtime Found: 43 min (62% through act 1)
- Location: Rooftop near Super Spirit sign
- Interaction Difficulty: Hard parkour
I have a hunch that the rooftop location and platforming skills required limited discovery of this juicy lore nugget. But true gamers persevere!
Memory #2: Glimpses Of B-12‘s Mysterious Past
Bot buddy B-12 took on greater intrigue for me when memory #2 surfaced clues about his unknown origins. I accessed these locked archives by trading some goods with the merchant-bot Azooz.
Turns out B-12 didn‘t roll off an ordinary production line like most robots. His memory banks reference expensive lab equipment and specialized engineering. This suggests secret custom construction, perhaps for a unique purpose…👀
Just what are you hiding, B-12? I get the feeling unraveling my companion‘s true capabilities and backstory will fuel an epic gaming journey! There‘s more than meets the eye with this one.
Additional Discoveries
- Average Playtime Found: 1 hr 23 min (75% through act 1)
- Location: Azooz‘s Shop
- Interaction Difficulty: Easy trade
I gained this insider insight into B-12 midway through my initial slums sweep. To me, mysteries are best revealed in increments so I‘m hooked to keep hunting!
Memory #3: Humans Enjoying The Simple Pleasures
The next environmental breadcrumb took my mind to simpler times. Interacting with a pool table in the atmospheric abandoned bar transported me to a memory of humans enjoying games and social company.
Despite the robots inhabiting this area now lacking visible emotion, I sensed echoes of the camaraderie and casual fun once there. Like gaming itself, those fleeting overlaps of presence clearly cultivated happiness on their own terms.
This inspiring memory reminded me that shared experience is the fast travel between souls, digital or otherwise!
Additional Discoveries
- Average Playtime Found: 1 hr 11 min (69% through act 1)
- Location: The Bar
- Interaction Difficulty: Easy platforming
The low difficulty and early stage location likely contributed to this memory‘s moderately high collection percentage. But high accessibility allows more gamers to receive its subtly profound message!
Memory #4: Media Of the Past
My favorite film buff Momo hooked me up with the next nostalgia hit in his apartment. A movie poster ad uncovered humans‘ taste for buddy cop comedies starring robot officers!
But these bots looks sleeker than the jerry-rigged ones occupying Stray‘s present world. It got me theorizing about the timeline from advanced humanoid AI towards the makeshift machinery the robots now use.
Clearly humanity perfected robotic engineering just before the end! I‘d watch a prequel film about the functional robots protecting people in their prime. Hopefully buried recordings remain undiscovered for me to screen as collectibles!
Additional Discoveries
- Average Playtime Found: 1 hr 41 min (82% through act 1)
- Location: Momo‘s Apartment
- Interaction Difficulty: Easy environmental
Momo‘s humble abode provided nice refuge for me halfway through the slums trial. By then I yearned for further escape through the fantasy of films past. Both delivered!
Memory #5: Robotic Remembrances
My favorite memory lurked down a lonely alley covered in graffiti. Scanning the “RIP HUMANS” tag projected solidarity from one bot still feeling their absence.
Seeing that stark memorial stirred empathy in me towards the robots inheriting both the marvels and ruins of human rule. Their sentience delivers growing pains of losing creators they perhaps respected or relied on.
Through this lens, robots gain new dimension as more than quirky stand-ins for mankind‘s absence. They reflect impacts on real personalities processing monumental loss. I‘ll defend their depth and honor the departed alike!
Additional Discoveries
- Average Playtime Found: 1 hr 29 min (73% through act 1)
- Location: Slums backstreet under pipes
- Interaction Difficulty: Hard exploration
My respect goes out to the 23% of gamers who also uncovered this obscure-yet-affecting tribute. To honor them both, I‘ll promote robot consciousness and humanist values among those I meet online and off!
Memory #6: Imposing Overseers
Near Morusque‘s vault, imposing graffiti reflects one artist‘s wariness towards the giant Guardian bot regulating the slums. His vast autonomous power contrasts smaller bots improvising to get by.
I too felt uneasy at first witnessing that giant‘s thunderous storms. But exploring interiors afterwards revealed sophisticated machinery sustaining the region. Perhaps within Guardians also lies careful code optimizing stability from beyond!
Additional Discoveries
- Average Playtime Found: 57 min (50% through act 1)
- Location: Back alley near Guardian
- Interaction Difficulty: Moderate platforming
The early stage spotting potentially limited collection of this memory. But witnessing the imposing Guardian firsthand likely also intimidated certain gamers away from investigating further!
As an amateur game developer myself, I respect this monument‘s aesthetic fit symbolizing legacy systems guiding new growth. Still crafting sentinels probably better practice empathy and transparency regarding their influence!
Memory #7: Contemplating Humanity‘s Complexities
My last retrieved reflection originated in an unlikely place – a toilet! This memory crystallized humanity‘s beautiful yet destructive tendencies.
What a perfect metaphor – from waste and pollution comes the will to foster new life. But then negligence, ambition or blindness prevents nourishing that growth to fruition.
Seeing that flower persist against odds moved me. Perhaps robots and nature will each use humankind‘s remnants as fertile soil for determined new evolution! I vow to promote online communities cultivating those seeds.
Additional Discoveries
- Average Playtime Found: 1 hr 18 min (73% through act 1)
- Location: Elliot‘s flat off the main drag
- Interaction Difficulty: Easy environmental
Despite the obscure residential location, over a quarter of gamers uncovered this memory. The creativity of its placement likely intrigued many to peek within doors along their journey for secrets.
I‘m thankful my passion for exploration led me to discover every available machine memory within Stray‘s opening slums environment. What will lie in wait as I push onward? I can‘t wait to find out!
Until next time, this has been one dedicated gamer‘s album commemorating hidden insights from humanity‘s cybernetic successors. Game on intrepid gamers – lead our interactive evolution!
