An Interview With Sirgalahad172 - The Modder Behind Stray's Crazy CJ Mod

Stray is a game in which you control a cat — an epic dystopian adventure built around the journey of a lovable feline. In its short time since release, Stray has been well received by both players and critics. That doesn't mean the modding community didn't immediately swoop in to make changes, however. 

There are already a bunch of mods available for the game, which add a wide variety of alterations. Maybe you want to play as Garfield or Spyro. You can even swap your cat's cute meows with the infamous "Jason!" shout from Heavy Rain. Nothing is off limits, which is evident from my interview with modder Sirgalahad172.

I recently managed to catch up with Sirgalahad172, the individual responsible for introducing CJ — the lead character of Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas — into Stray. You've most likely seen their mad mod making the rounds on social media recently. The end result falls somewhere between hilarious and nightmare fuel. While other mods feature quadrupedal beings, allowing for a more natural-looking skin swap, Sirgalahad172's creation tries something new: the humanoid form of CJ has now been warped to fit that of our four-legged protagonist. It's an interesting example of the lengths modders will go to just to add an extra layer of colour to a game.

When I quizzed Sirgalahad172, he informed me that while he adored CJ, the mod was actually suggested by another member of the modding community.

"CJ's a cool character and I grew up with him. I was always playing GTA: San Andreas on the PlayStation 2 and loved every minute of it. When a fellow modder came up with the idea, I knew I had to do it. Even though it was a last-minute idea, it didn't take me long to put together. Only about an hour one afternoon."

Sirgalahad172 added that he never expected the response it received. It was simply a quick hour that produced a fun joke mod. The mod, though, has generated plenty of both negative and positive reception.

"I love the comments people write; they are very funny. I'm glad people are enjoying the mod. There were some comments that weren't supportive, but welcome to the internet. I'm just glad a lot of people like the mod and commented and supported me."

Reactions on social media to CJ the cat have ranged from expressing a want to kill it with fire to accepting it as a masterpiece. Regardless, I'll leave you to make up your own mind.

Before finishing up, I asked Sirgalahad172 if they were working on anything else for Stray. While they are on a hiatus right now, before doing so, they produced a whole bunch of personalised mods.

"I have made tons of request mods for people, recreating their cats in-game. I've done about thirty requests now."

Have a furry little friend of your own at home? Well, let Sirgalahad172 know, and they may be able to make your cat into a videogame character.

 

Like many other independent creators, Sirgalahad172's mods are currently non-profit endeavours. To that end, please show them your support when you are able. Modders are an important part of modern gaming, and we need them around. In the words of Sirgalahad172 themselves:

"Keep the mods going forever. Mods can make a game perfect for the player, so why would you ever want to stop that?"