I like how everyone is talking about how wholesome the game is and how dark matpat made it seem, but the game was the one with the fleshy eyeball walls and the extinction of humanity.

Fun Fact : The Game takes place in City 99. So we could presume there are at least, 98 other bastions of humanity left in Stray's World. Bastions that could've thrived better than City 99. Cities that didn't fall to any kind of plague or Zurk infestation. Perhaps with help from The Humans, The Companions can fully eradicate The Zurks before they become a fully realized threat.

I just have a quick thing I would like to point out that might be a stumbling issue in Matpats theory: The Sun's UV light strength is WAY higher then our flashlight.

Also, in the ant village, there's a robot named Isaac sleeping on a couch, when you talk to him he's dreaming about "electric zurks everywhere", could kinda be foreshadowing for when the zurks learn from the robots and become them

The idea that the robots are actually human has a lot of validity like the fact that the cleaning robots on the top level don't have personality though they are probably the same age as the rest of the robots if not older because they actually have jobs

Everyone: “why does matpat make a gruesome theory about a wholesome game” The wholesome game: the elite will destroy those beneath them, fleshy eye ball rooms, the death of the last human, giant bacteria that consumes everything, a cat getting injured badly multiple times

I think a pretty simple explanation to why the eyes aren't affected would be that the UV light just simply isn't strong enough coming from a little lamp. Pretty sure the sun would be much stronger and another possibility could be that they simply require longer exposure to UV light in order for them to start taking noticeable damage.

i generally love lore, but this game was so heartwarming that I don't even care it just made me FEEL something and I loved it. it is an amazing game!

Matpat trying not to make innocent and adorable characters into mass murderers/universe destroyers for 5 seconds:

It's not just that the eye walls are incredibly disturbing, they're also sentient.. they actively control and release zurks in an attempt to stop whatever you're doing.. so if they needed the door to open, why would they be trying to stop you? 🤔 there's gotta be something deeper here that we're missing.

Yeah, cats be like that sometimes. Another thing we looked over is that how robots and the zurcs technically had access to the open world. The cat we played as just *fell down* into the underground world, he didnt bypass a lock that kept them. Regardless of Cat's action Zurcs would be the dominant species after all.

I've also wondered how is Doc the "father" of Seamus; I see it as two possible ways, one more plausible than the other. The first being that Doc would have built Seamus, but that just doesn't really feel right at all. But it aligns pretty neatly if they were actually father and son, humans who uploaded themselves into companions. That'd make a lot of sense!

I feel like MatPat is giving the zurks more brain than they actually have. These thing literally lunge into pools of acid

Fun little insight: Stray's cats have round pupils. Most small cats have vertical pupils because they're ambush predators. But a few have evolved round pupils instead, indicating that they've adapted to be better daytime chasers rather than nighttime ambushers. This could be in part a product of domestication, where cats are more likely to adapt to their owners' daytime schedules, and aren't pressured into the same ecological niche because humans protect and feed them.

I did think about the fact that the sunlight won't be able to reach into the sewers and the zurks down there would still be able to exist and I also thought it was strange to see a companion melted into the wall but not eaten and hooked up to computers. So there may be definitely something to that. Maybe eventually the zurks will figure out how the companions work but it will take many years perhaps centuries. The eyes in the sewer walls genuinely scared me and that part was the creepiest part of the game.

1) Yes the Zurk eat metal. But there has to be something else to all of it. If their only requirement is to be able to resist UV light would they have not chewed up the ceiling? The steel walls and others? Sure its stronger metal but it has also been 7M years so yk- something might be missing here. 2) Plenty of comments also mentioned the potency of the UV lights and the sort of hive mind that the Zurk comprise, and personally? They behave like sculk from Minecraft. The catalysts might be able to expand sculk, but they dont kill anything. The Warden can be deadly but he doesnt generate sculk. You need both for a sculk infestation. Similarly, the Zurk might kill and in proximity with the rest of the biomass this can expand, but, the absence of Zurk could mean an end to the species of the bacteria by the loss of their hunter component. (+The fact that sunlight would be much stronger than the UV lamp so yk, that might also impede growth or even kill the fleshy eyes at the bottom of the sewers). Edit after watching more of the video: How would the Zurk evolve past their weakness if they have grown in the absence of UV light? Bacteria build up their immune systems from encounters with other bacteria or by surviving whatever they are weak to. Sure, they could've encountered Micrococcus Luteus and traded genes but even then- why? how would you prepare yourself for something you don't even know exists?

I hope this game gets a sequel or DLC, there's so much room

The only opposition I have to the UV problem is that maybe the big eyes aren’t resistant to UV but remember that doc said that the little robot vessel isn’t made for a large power usage like the UV ray or sun so maybe there just isn’t enough power to make the UV strong enough to destroy those eyes

I'm gonna say a hybrid of the theories is true; the monitors we saw flicker on _are_ B12 in his new city administrator role. However, the Zurks _are_ intelligent and using that robot towards sinister ends. From a writing perspective, that makes the most sense for sequel buildup. Both need to be true.

2:26 what if the electronic stuff and the system that comes back to life is b12 back in the network and is now everywhere?

Let's be honest, the fact that Mat can make a theory about a cat that just walks around a city just shows how quickly he's losing his sanity

Game: includes a cute cat Matpat: THE END IS OF THE HUMAN RACE IS NEAR!!!

“Everybody wants to be a cat.” “Why?” “Because a cat’s the only cat who knows where it’s at.”

Just finished stray, actually sobbing 😭

Litreally everyone: Comes to the conclusion that B-12 has uploaded himself into the network once again. Matpat: Nah, the cat killed the human race

There’s actually a reason why the UV light doesn’t work on the eyes. In one of the missions where we help Doc, he states how much watts is actually required is like 1.1 gigawatts or something to kill zurks? (I don’t remember the actual amount needed) So I’m assuming that the UV light that is emitted has to be higher than the one that is attached to B-12.

You know, one thing does not make sense in your theory. The cat has fallen into the city through somewhere, and if I get it right (haven't played the game yet), travelled to the actual populated area through zurk territory, right? That means the zurk already had acces to the surface, so if they were actually intelligent enough to come up with that plan, they'd have done it already, or done it in the future regardless of whether B/12 openned the city to the surface or not. So... no, I do not believe the cute kitty doomed the world, because IF your theory is right then the world was doomed to begin with.

2:37 “CATBOY MATPAT DOES NOT EXIST!! HE CANT HURT YOU!!” Catboy matpat:

While I like the theory, I think B-12 being the light at the end makes more sense, because the game started with B in a network, turning on lights to guide us in, so it would be poetic to end with B in a network, turning on lights to guide us(and others) out

I think Stray in the title could mean more than “stray cat”. Stray means lost. Humanity is lost, and the culture they left behind is floundering aimlessly without them. Giving them the whole world instead of just being locked inside their dangerous city is giving them new purpose.

I was a little perplexed by the Burger Joint memory. I thought this would lead to revealing B-12 was the scientist in charge of the whole operation, and had recreated elements based on his memories, OR that the Helpers, like B-12 were filled with human uploads who had long forgotten their past.

The eyes might not have been affected by your UV light because it is not strong enough, this was stated by Doc when he installed the module as he said "It's not meant to run off such a small power source. If you use it to much it will malfuction". But maybe a a stong enough UV light such as the sun does have affect on them, it may slowly kill the eyes or it may do it quickly.

Game Developer: _let’s create a wholesome game while you play as a cat_ MatPat: *Allow me to introduce my theory*

MatPat: “This cat killed the human race.” Also MatPat: “Cuteness is easily the biggest thing to never trust.”

Damn, I like this theory so much. at first I thought Matpat gonna touch the question of "where are the human remnants? a.k.a. the bones" because, what if the zurks are not just zurks, but a new human sub-species that adapt by conjoining themselves with the zurks? That's why 1.21 GW UV light does not affect them at all, because we are able to withstand the sun better than the zurks. while B-12 and the companions are the remaining humans who went digital, what if the current zurks were the remnants of human species who evolved to adapt as the zurk's sub-species? this kinda explains how the zurks have the capability of intelligence to study the robot in the sewer, to get their ways into the network. You're welcome :)

Your peep picture is SO CUTE!!!!! And seeing as how there are cats surrounding it, this seems PURRfect for this video. Speaking of corny puns, I enjoy them so much! Also with all the puns throughout the videos, I can’t help but chuckle every video!

I knew Matpat was gonna make a theory on this but I didn’t expect it to be this dark 😭

This game should have a DLC where you explore the outside it’s literally so genius edit: thank you guys for making this comment popular I really appreciate you guys This is genuinely the most likes I have gotten.

MatPat: “Cats are jerks.” My cat sitting next to me: 👁👄👁

i think you just need more power to kill the eyes since the zurks only take 1.1GW to kill them so I imagine they would take more power to kill them

I personally prefer to believe that, without zurks everywhere and Doc back in the slums, the companions start to develop wired, handheld, very powerful UV ray emitters which they bring into the sewers and use to eradicate the infestation [Edit] And another thing: I am honestly very suprised that MatPat didn't see the fact that the zurks may not be only in the 99th underground city. This isn't fallout, these aren't experiment vaults meant to bring psychology to it's furthest, these are safehouses, sanctuaries, seeing as a screen in the last area of the game points to a world map, implying that the game takes place in City 99, Neco corp, the corporation that is the culprit for the existence of the zurks may not be present in all of these cities, there may be more humans in the previous 98 around the world which may just as well be safe from the zurks. [Edit2] An important part of this theory is that the zurks may be able to upload themselves to the network, but I think otherwise. You see, in the beginning of the game the cat has to being the B-12 robot to a station to upload the scientists consciousness from the network to its new body, this also happens when we put B-12 back into the network at the end of the game. Now, I have come to realise the way that the concept of consciousness within the network might work, you see, wherever there are companion robots in the game, you can find a white pod along with wires in a certain proximity, this leads me to the conclusion that the network works like the following: If you want to upload yourself to the network, you have to climb into a white pod, from there you can either use cables to connect a body to the pod or make it that a body is placed in a nearby station. Therefore, there is no way that a zurk, let along multiple upload themselves into the network, turn the robots into a hivemind or become a companion.

Honestly the fact that you're playing as a cat isn't even the coolest part of the game. The setting and the story and all the characters are all so interesting and make it such a cool experience. But also: cat.

I really appreciate the addition of subtitles. I hope to see them in future videos as well!

One interesting theory that could be a mini theory if you ever make another Stray theory is that Doc is the only robot called a dad or even a mom or parent in the game. Literally no one else mentions their parents or their children other than Doc (Seamus' father), Seamus (Doc's son) and B-12 (a human). My guess is Doc is the only companion smart enough to be able to built a new companion,hence why he is called a parent and no one else is, he's the only genius inventor we see in the game who could make a new one.

I have a different theory actually regarding the zurk collective in the underground levels of the megastructure. While I do agree that they are not affected by UV light, I don't think they're as much of a threat per se. Another important fact that needs to be looked at is that, if they can consume plastics and metal, then why isn't there more structural damage down there? I think the answer is because the mega colony is composed of a form of zurk that cannot eat normally. Full eusociality: the smaller zurk you see are drones, the hunters, the ones that come back and bring food to the larger hive, which then uses the food to spawn more drones in order to feed itself. Without the UV sensitive drones/workers, the hive as a whole will starve.

I am so glad that Mat made a theory about the darker side of the game! From my first playthrough, I always thought the ending of the game seemed a bit sinister and horrific! Well done as always

If this would be the story of a second game, I would be so happy!

So I think the reason the UV light didn't have an effect on the walls in the zurk hive were because they weren't strong enough to be effective. The sun might be different.

Alternatively, maybe the UV weapon simply wasn't powerful enough to harm the big one, but the full might of the sun probably is

Goodbye Matt ;(

they should release a dlc for stray, where you explore an open world map and there could be hidden lore for matpat to talk about

Mat, the theory with zurk apocalypse is indeed appealing one, but there are few major problems with that: 1. We do not have any evidence to support zurk having complex intelegence capable of even basic deduction. So it would be weird for pretty premitive organism to suddenly understand complex electronics 2 The thing on the walls seeing how it is a living organism, by it having eyes, need to eat somehow, but as we also see it doesn't have any limbs nor mouth or any complex digestive system, as there are no fecies, also taking into account how it sticks to walls, we can assume that it's closer to slime mold. Slime mold are simple organism which are evolutionary between fungi and animals, they feed by extending its body until they reach any food and the absorbing back all parts not connected to any food, they also consume stuff by slowly absorbing stuff. The thing on the walls is probably doing exactly that to a robot in sewers, it's slowly absorbing him, which is supported by the fact that the robot seems grown into the wall. 3. The UV flashlight is a very weak source UV light and radiation and therefore the immunity to it can't be equated with complete immunity to UV light. As example we humans aren't affected by the UV flashlight either but the sun affects are pretty strongly, all through it is not deadly for us, ateast not immediately, there is no reason to assume that a organism which is generally weak to UV light won't die from exposure to the strongest source of UV light. Therefore all through the theory is very interesting it is also highly improbable.

“This Cat Killed the Human Race” you know this is about to get interesting

i honestly think this game has massive potential to have a sequel

My idea was that even though the UV weapon didn’t work on the Zurk wall eyeballs….it was a weak weapon on a little drone. Extended exposure to the actual sun might cause more damage. They also said that stuff grows were Zurks are. If the zurks die off, that stuff might start to deteriorate as well.

Question: wouldn't the Zurks need to operate the same white pod in order to upload themselves into a robot? Having one just chained up and connected to some wires in the sewers wouldn't really help them if they can't get in a pod and use it correctly to get in the robot's consciousness/the network. And that's also assuming that the Zurks have enough consciousness in the first place to be uploaded, as all I remember they can do is eat, see, run at you, repeat.

love how matpat just gave BACTERIA this much intelligence i think they would just continue to vibe down there

Another small, seemingly insignificant thing you might've missed that seems to support your theory; in Antvillage, there's a robot sleeping on a couch named Isaac, and when you try to talk to him, he says "zzz electric zurk... everywhere... zzz". Like I said, _seemingly_ insignificant.

ok but interesting detail, at the higher level (the room you go into before entering the control room), there was a big sign that said it was 'wall 99'. That either means it's the 99nth part of the wall or there are other walled cities just like the one in Stray. Or maybe there's walled cities where humans are still alive and could've possibly ventured outside.

MATPAT being slapped by a cat is the most wholesome thing I seen

The fact that the flesh on the walls didn’t eat the cat or the walls means it’s probably a different substance, and because it can’t eat the robot, the robot’s still alive. That’s my game theory anyway. Mainly because I want at least *one* game to have a happy ending and it might as well be the cat game

I recommend cube escape, it’s on both ios and android, it’s packed with lore. REALLLLY recommend!!!!!!

The zurk controlling the Network and the doors can also be shown and confirmed all the way at the beginning of the game, when you fall down, the control panel for one of the doors flickers on and opens just enough for the first zurk we see to go underneath the door, also allowing us to begin the game, into the "Dead City"

So, as much as I love your theories and how dark they can get, I have to say I found a flaw to this one proving it is indeed B-12 in the network and not the zurks. Other than the fact that B-12 literally says his little drone body couldn't handle it but he'll be fine back in the network, the cutscene showing the sentinels crashing is proof it's B-12. Why would the Zurks shut down the sentinels? It wouldn't serve them any purpose and we know it isn't because of UV as that wouldn't make sense to build a police force that shuts down in sunlight. The sentinels shut down because B-12 shut them down after he got control.

Even accepting the premise of the video, it's highly unlikely those on the surface are doomed. The zurk rats have huge numbers and can chew through metal but seem to lack any kind of coordination by the zurk masterminds as well as being destroyed by ultraviolet light. The zurk masterminds don't seem to be fast at hacking the imprisoned robot, so it's highly unlikely they can infiltrate and overrun the other robots before they notice and fight back. The other robots are organised, inventive, and have manufacturing capabilities, so can fight back with brutality.

I think the fliking Light at the end is just a little clue on a second part that maybe come because there was another clue in another game from annapurna for the second part of stray

What if B12 is actually evil and caused all this in the first place, but doesn't fully remember it until the end as you have to find all the memories. Multiple pods definitely proves others can upload their consciousness too. The all seeing eyes must have infiltrated robots and used the cat to get the door open at the end of the game. The Zurks don't want to consume metal because they literally live and are surrounded by it, so I think when they attack the robots, it's the humans inside the robots they are trying to get at, for many purposes.

I feel like the whole “eyes are immune to the lamp” thing is just a missing game detail the devs never thought about. Clever theory though, and even if what I say here is true, they are still safe in the sewers.

1: it could be that while our UV light is strong enough to take out the smaller zurks it just isnt enough to do the same for the larger ones, this doesnt mean they are immune 2: would the zurks even have the mental faculties to think about uploading there minds, all they want is food they want to feed and nothing more

Stray is one of my favorite games ever and I appreciated the headcrab imposter pun in there but I did have a couple questions only a second game could exist. How are the plants that strive without sunlight handling sudden sunlight. All the zurks in the sewers or buildings probably can evolve. And will the second class robots leave? Or will they trash the planet

I never noticed that prisoner companion down in the sewers! :O Your hypothesis is much more solid than I thought it could be. :D

“My mighty attacks can not reach thee? And who decided that? My blazing sun was swallowed up by a speck of darkness? And who decided that? The only one who gets to decide such things IS ME!” -The Stray Cat probably when getting the UV flash light from Doc.

A cat simulator with a wide degree of endings and open-ended relationships should be developed; love or admonish your human, become a stray or gain multiple home-situations with families or singles, hunt progressively more difficult prey, walk on computers to buy special items not otherwise available, stay-clean, destroy a room, escape confinement, battle for territory, raise kittens wild or domestic, foster orphan animals, bring trophies home, and hunt sleeping peoples toes.

I like how I watched this over 3 times and find it very interesting even though I have never played stray and is not planning on playing it either

I would love a theory on Concrete Genie. It has a very similar vibe to this. I’d love to know more about the sketch book and the genies lore.

That entire sewer chapter was a giant “nope” moment. One look at those eyes, and I IMMEDIATELY wanted nothing more to go back to the Slums.

I find it comforting to know that even after we humans are all dead and gone, cats will still be around to knock things off of shelves for no particular reason lol.

I just wanted to say that you videos are so interrrrreesting i love them

I love the purring in the end of the video, it’s a nice touch 🥲

Matpat failed to realize that a single UV light does not match up to the unmatched power of the sun

I thought the theory would at least touch on another great mystery of the game: why after 7 million years cats are still so cat-like

Matt it can’t be 7 million years in the past, there are visibile human structures and remains, also I’m guessing cats would evolve somehow with such a gap 1:45

Finally, we got a Stray theory

Mat really assumes the "consciousness" of the Zerg hivemind is comparable enough to that of a human, and therefore the same process that digitizes human consciousness can be used on the zerg as well. But we know they are not comparable. Zerg lack basic sentient instincts that humans had, that every living mammal has. For example, they see other zerg get killed by the UV lamp, but they don't hide from it or avoid it. And also, assuming that the zerg can comprehend the concept of digitizing consciousness, or even the concept of consciousness to begin with is a MASSIVE stretch. It's easy to forget that "consciousness" is an abstract concept made by the human mind to simplify the astronomically complex processes that take place in our brain. Why would a species that hasn't even developed intelligence yet would see the robots and understand the process by which they were made?

One of the few theories of Matt that I actually see as kind of grasping at loose ends cause the Zurk eyeballs not exploding could be just cuz the dev’s didn’t really want to have to remodel maps, but like he said can’t really be disproven.

Thank you for bringing this to the forefront, I was also suspecting the eyeball monsters of being more intelligent than I wanted them to be. Haha

I'm glad i'm not the only one pointing some of these out... not everything because I didn't even think to link all of these up, but human consciences, the eye thingy and UV ... yeah

Honestly, I did think that the story was leading up to "humans uploaded their minds to robots" reveal, especially after seeing that robot talking about smells. Was a little confused and disappointed when it was never brought up in game, but it's still my head cannon.

Matpat is the only one who can ruin a food, show, movie or game and not be absolutely hated for it

11:22 omg love how he cattifyed the outro

This would be a nice start concept for an eventual second episode of the serie. What about the title being "Stray 2, the claws of doom" ? LOL 😁

“I also have a perfectly valid explanation that can’t be disproven, but mine is a lot darker.” Is basically the entirety of GT summarized.

I would've not thought of this myself. I just finished the game yesterday and you're right 👍

Matpat should also make a theory on Endling: Extinction is forever. Its a beautiful game and has an amazing story which could spawn a ton of theories

The human conscious theory really gets me hyped because it connects to the movie “Chappie” where a robot builder finds a way to make a robot have a human conscious, then the robot finds out how to move a humans conscious to a robots body.

Only issue with the theory; the Zurk eye-mind can’t actually harm anything, they can only control smaller Zurks. If we assume Zurks have to evolve to achieve their “eye” form, eyes won’t appear on the surface because they need to be able to grow in prolonged dark to grow into eyes.

Stray: We're just a cute cat game! We swear! Matpat: *squinting* Mhm. Sure.

i know this is late but back to when u said that the computer turning on in the end meant either B12 was alive or that the system wasn’t destroyed, but if i remember correctly one of the last things B12 said was that destroying the system would be what destroys his software and kills him, so technically wouldn’t that mean if the system isn’t destroyed then B12 isn’t either? like as if he’s trapped in the system? hopefully this makes sense

This game has a few references to the french video and gaming community (the game was made by a french studio). Also, they got a partnership with S.P.A. (Société Protectrice des Animaux, a.k.a. "Animals Protecting Society"), the biggest french organisation of animal sanctuaries and for adopting abandonned animals, to create alternative versions of the cat you control, using real life adoptable cats from S.P.A as models, in order to find them homes.

i suspect that the eyes are immune to the lamp, but not to uv light. the lamp you're using just isn't big enough and doesn't provide enough uv light. a source like the sun is obviously much larger and can provide much more uv light.