Step by Little Step

Finally worked up the nerve to play this and gosh this hits so hard. I haven't had pets of my own for years and this still hits so hard, for anyone who's ever experienced that pain, that grief...

I have to give special mention to the point in the steps where the ending changes, that hit me even harder in hindsight... Like, as you say, there's only one way it ends.

It's just up to us to decide when it's time.

Sending all the love!

Really cute game! I have a cat and this game almost made me cry, i loved every little step. The game is simple but really well made, keep up the amazing work!

Going in blind! Coming back later to report on how messed up i am later :3

I'm almost embarrassed at how hard I cried haha. Oh wow, I like, need some water. Wow. I knew it would make me cry and I am STILL Shocked at how gut wrenching and real this is. You captured the pain and authenticity of being responsible for your beloved pets life. Their comfort and safety and well being, above your own. The horrible mental gymnastics of "when is the time". They stay with us for enough time to change you on a molecular level, but never long enough. Never long enough. 

Amazing writing, amazing art, amazing music. thanks for sharing this. I'm assuming you've lost a pet and I'm sorry for that loss. I lost my cat a few years ago, 3 years as of last week. And while I cried a lot leading up to her passing I haven't cried much since. It felt too much. This was a fantastic moment of catharsis. Think I'll go to bed now haha. Have some tea.

(Also! idk if this was intentional but it reminded me of that tumblr poll from a little while ago, the orpheus tumblr poll, "I trust that she is there". If intentional, great reference. If not, go check it out! It's a cool medium of poetry, a tumblr poll haha)

I enjoyed every ''step'' of this game

Amazing game. I've never really understood why some people relate to/are moved by the story of Orpheus and Eurydice to such an extraordinary and personal degree, until now.

Great game, I really enjoyed this reinterpretation of the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice! But this ending made me very sad. I almost cried.

It's crazy how, with such limited resources and game length, you were able to invoke strong emotions in the player. Kudos, and I'm looking forward to the other things you'll create! :)

This game is beautiful, and makes me feel incredibly sad. As someone who has owned a lot of cats throughout their childhood (I think, including my current ones, I'm up to 9 now), this hits hard. I hate that we can't bring her home, though I understand why, and I appreciate the powerful message you told. The music and bell jingles and purring really also bring this game home for me, as well as your beautiful artwork. They way you draw is so soft and cosy and loose, and fits the melancholy theme very well.

I loved this game, thanks for making me cry <3.

adorable and emotional!
i was a big fan of having a purring sound in the song, as with the rattle. combining sound effects with the music/theme of the game, ah thats so cool.

kitty!!

amazing game. i love this. bless your heart.

Is this based on the tale of Orpheus and Eurydice?

I tried the game, but i feel like 
[SPOILERS]


The fact that we can't actually walk beyhond and have the cat irl is very frustrating. Not because i don't understand the message, but because i'd like to see for myself if - whatever the thing that gave me this opportunity is - would take into account the pain the cat is in, or if the cat would be fine as if they were never hurt to begin with.

I felt like my choice didn't really matter, since eitherway, i would have looked back. I'd like to have had even just a nod to this, maybe having the cat come back, and then immediately collapse. Or let the cat be okay, or hell, even have the cat suffer through the same pain she went through before. It'd be cruel, and that'd be the point of why you'd want to look back.

I also struggled to empathize with the idea of "what would she think?" because i personally see animals in a more cynical light. i tend to not anthropomorphise them as much in everyday settings. So for me, a human, (or an anthropomorphic cat) would have worked better with the whole "do they really want this?"

Like, if my cat was purring, i'd assume they'd be happy to see me. And if they were getting further, i'd assume it'd be either a test from -whatever the thing that gave me this opportunity is- or just her being a cat and having brain space for 1 thought at a time (aka, either walking, or looking around)

/////////////

from a technical standpoint, i really liked the music, it's very soothing. And the SFX choice was also really good!

The visual aesthetic is pleasant, and cozy. And i think that, for people that empathized more with the choice of looking back than i did, it only adds to the feeling of helplessness. There's no sound nor visual of the protagonist. We only read their words, and through them, we think more about how the cat would feel.

[END OF SPOILERS]

i have nothing amazing to say. just that its 3am and this game made me cry. 

I had a female cat when I was younger and she was my closest friend. She had orange and white fur and her name was Sasha. She passed away when I was 9 years old and getting over her was the headrest thing to ever do. I am now 12 and decided to play this game because it looks cute, I chose to trust the cat and at the end when I realized I had to look back I started to sob. Watching the cat fade away and the sounds of the purs leaving made me so sad. For such a short game this is so good despite how upsetting it is having to leave the cat no matter what decision you chose. The grey/purple colors really helps set the mood for the game along with the music. No matter how short the game was it portrayed its message very well.

spoiler!!



I was choosing to trust her the whole time, but when i realized how much pain she was in being alive, I just had to look back😭

Beautiful game. I'm always down for some feels and this certainly delivered. Thank you for making it! <3

This brought a tear to my eye. A flawless take on Orpheus and Eurydice, and also just a perfectly executed story about grief and acceptance.

The art is adorable, particularly the cover art (the cat is so cute)! The animation used here was subtle but very well done - it almost looked 3 dimensional in terms of the execution, and really made you feel as if you were going up the stairs. The background is beautifully rendered, with the gradual gradient and fade out at the top of the stairs. The backing track, with its slight humming in the background, was absolutely perfect for the game - reminiscent of a cat's purr. The framing of the choices is simple but also perfect - at each point you can choose to either continue on, or look back. The choice comes frequently, driving home the difficulty of the choice at every step.

===SPOILERS===

I can't gush enough about how perfect the usage of Orpheus and Eurydice is here. Here, you take the role of Orpheus, while Eurydice is your cat, who is terminally ill. Orpheus' "journey out of the underworld" is used as a metaphor for the MC prolonging their cat's life. His refusal to look back is his refusal to accept their death and let them go. As Orpheus ascends the stairs, the cat's purring becomes more and more sparse, until they stop altogether - showing how, even if they're not dead, the cat is in pain, and perhaps letting go would be a greater kindness than holding on. The usage of Eurydice for the cat is such a perfect metaphor, as, like Eurydice, the cat cannot talk - and so Orpheus never knows what they really want. Does the cat want Orpheus to look back or continue on? 

The choices are heartwrenching. At each point, Orpheus can look back, or continue to "trust."  "I trust that she still wants to be with me." "I trust that she still wants to be here." Without knowing what the cat wants, Orpheus has no choice but to continue on. The gradual fadeout of the BGM - as the cat slowly stops purring - is such a visceral and tragic effect. 

As you reach the top of the stairs, instead of entering light, you plunge into darkness. After that, if you refuse to look back, you enter a neverending loop of pleading and begging - as you plead and beg for more time, when there isn't any left. It's a poignant, excellent portrayal of the denial stage of grief. In the end, if you want to escape, you're forced to look back - to acknowledge your cat is dying, and to finally let them go.

If you choose to look back too soon or if you choose to go to the very end, there is regret and sadness either way. If you look back too soon, you wonder if you could have done more, and if you choose to go to the very end, you regret all of the pain that you caused your cat. There's no right answer. 

I love the detail on the settings menu, where there are multiple stairs. Orpheus is on one set of stairs, while the cat is on the other. They're going in different directions now - inescapably separated by life and death, as Orpheus continues moving forward.  

I can't say enough how perfectly executed and framed this story was. Fantastic work.

This is such a touching reimagining of Orpheus and Eurydice with evocative writing and lovely art!

We had to send my cat over the rainbow bridge only a few weeks ago (just got his ashes back two days prior to me finding this game) and. wow. Wow, the purring and the bell jingling reminds me so much of him

His name was Ollie, he had FIV so he was already not in the best condition, even for a rescue, but he adored playing and snuggling up to me. He'd cry to be let into my room every night and demanded to be spooned. Wouldn't settle down unless my hand was holding his head and my chest was against his back

It would have been his 6th birthday this August, and it was so hard to let him go after he started deteriorating, but the writing in this game gave me a form of closure that I haven't realised i needed. I felt selfish not wanting to make the decision to stop the pain for him, but it's only because I loved him. And in the end, loving him is the reason I had to let him go, huh

I'm gonna stop my rambling there, and just say how genuinely thankful I am for you making such a lovely game like this. Even though I'm sitting here right now fighting off tears, but in a good way. Thank you.

my cat passed away 4.5 months ago, i thought i was over it but this made me cry a river.

This makes me wanna spend more time with my cat, i don't wanna look back and regret every time i ignored her TT

I don't even have a cat but this game makes me so freaking sad. It's adorable and the one sprite of the kitty is so cute.

man i knew this game would make me sad without even clicking on it just reading the name yet i still played it and im crying right now good game just sad

I don't know why, but I was hoping for a good ending so much :((  

my pet of almost seven years just passed from a tumor, it felt like she was talking to me again

This is so nice and lovely, but I'm so sad right now.. Thank you!

How to induce crying in 2 minutes.

Thanks for the game! Interesting thoughts...

this genuinely took like five minutes to play (im usually used to weeks upon weeks of gameplay) but i cried harder than i ever have from a video game before. op i am screaming your praises from the rooftops (my tumblr) this is so gorgeous i will never recover

I don't have the words to describe the despair you've inflicted upon me

I came to itch.io to play a horror game, but I saw the cat and love cats too much to not play this. I'm crying now T-T

I CANT IFDIN THE SECOND ENDING

i started crying 2 minutes in what the fuck im so sad

I cried so hard I threw up
I miss my cat

ugh this is short but it made me cry so hard ;~;  This was a really lovely game, thank you for sharing it.

I'm not crying, you are