Step by Little Step

I made a mistake playing this game late at night, now I'm sad

My golden retriever had kidney issues since he was a baby, but no one really realized how bad they were until he was diagnosed with chronic kidney disease when he was only seven. Every time we had the vet give us updated vitals they were increasingly worse and we saw how weak he really was. The hand-feeding part really resonated with me because I remember sitting on the ground and begging him to eat simple soft foods so he could gain some strength back. I think it finally hit me that he wouldn't make it when the only way for him to have the strength to walk was to have IV fluids. This was all about a month after my grandma died so his eventual loss numbed me more than I already was. He was an English cream golden retriever so he had fluffy white fur, and he was the most gentle dog I'd ever met in my life, so full of love for everyone he met. Almost a year and a half later we still keep his kennel, his plushie toys, his collar, and his bed in our garage. My sister says we should get rid of his bed since that's where he died but I'm not sure if I can do it just yet. He will always be my baby.

I finished playing this game and I had to hug my dog afterwards. Thank you for making this beautiful game. You're great. It was very lovely.

Thank you, thank you so much for creating this.

It's been less than a year, yet almost a year since losing my furball. A doggo but honestly, a lot like a cat. Very independent, and often tired of my shower of love. She was always there, in my all-nighters, when I wake up, when I get home. Through all the hectic and wild recent years, her love held me together.  For years even under treatment, taking care of her was tedious in its way but among those fatigue and stress, she was there. Early last year, her condition took a bad turn, and from then I knew every moment on was a blessing at the cost of her discomfort. After a few days of care, she suddenly regained more youthful energy, her appetite regained, and we couldn't put her down. She held on quietly, cuddled and accompanied more than she ever did in those final months. A few months, and it was time.

There were festivals on and the vet wasn't available. Frail and weak, she was still terribly stubborn - as always - when we arrived at the emergency hospital. There were no options, but she was very restless. It was unbearable to let her go at the cold, metal table, a strange, cold white room. Took her home to wait for her usual vet, and those nights went on and on. Many times she struggled to stand, and a few rare moments of life, she forced herself to my desk (which was always beside her bed). One time, she attempted to lick my hand, the way she always showed her affections, but she was too tired. It was dry and barely a single nudge. I spent those days by her side. The day before I could take her to the vet, it was night. I pulled away for a shower before returning to her side. In a minute or two, I couldn't tell, but she took her breathe. Almost as though she was waiting for me to return beside her.

I was calm cleaning her body, cold, gradually rigid. I was relieved she was free from the pain. I have seen a few deaths, of kins and furballs. The calm and quiet was half resignation, half a part of me gone. But it didn't last. Of all that I have, she was as dear as a soulmate. I don't share her strength, I don't share her stubbornness, her tenacity. More than waiting for me, with me, I'm sure in her mind, she goes "ah this human, what will you do without me?"

It's true. Her love in her moments, her last nudge of affection..

I beg, I beg, I beg but - that was all I can do. Thank you for loving me, bo-chan.

Thank you for creating this. It was short, real, and beautiful. Thank you for giving me another farewell.

Beautiful honestly :3

My cat died just over a year ago. She was an outdoor cat, so she went out. We were looking after a friend's dog, who's a cat chaser, so she and her sister left the house. Her sister came back after a day (the dog was gone at that point) but she came back four days later. The moment i first heard her meow i knew that something was wrong with her. It was too high pitched. And she just got worse over the next few days; her muscles just started to freeze up. At first she was limping, then lying in a cat bed downstairs (which she never did), the she couldn't move at all (so now eating or drinking - trying to get her to drink at that stage is a very painful memory for me). On Saturday morning, three days after she returned, she died on the way to the vets. Nobody knows why she died. But i feel like i could've done more. I could've sat with her, just stroking her. Instead i just left her by herself while she was in pain. I didn't even tell her that i love her. I hope one day i can find closure and stop looking for her everywhere i go.

This story is so moving, I'm crying! Plus your artstyle is beautiful!

NOOOOO IM CRYING WHAT THE FUCKKK, WHY WOULD YOU DO THIS 😭 10/10 game

Apologies for the rambling-!
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I saw this in my feed with a five out of five and a note of crying. I decided out of curiosity to play it. I dealt with animal loss, but never first hand as we lost a dwarf hamster [which escaped it's cage] and a ferret which I thankfully did not have to see. Which honestly I feel grateful as it happened during middle school.

The game itself hit hard, quick and fast with the purring really driving it home. We had a cat who was the second pet the first being our beloved dog. She was young still in the teen phase and told she had bowel issues. The times when those issues arose we gave her medicine. She didn't enjoy it, but it was to help her and god hearing the purrs really drove home how much I still miss her. Hugging her and having her weight against me. Thinking on the last month when she couldn't use the litterbox anymore and having to put a blanket down to hug her. 

It was hard to accept she had cancer, it was harder to accept that the best thing to do was to let go even if we could push for one more year with medication. I fed her all the treats she could ever dream of yet it'd never be enough. And when the end came she went out so swiftly the vet said she was just that weak. I wailed so loudly in that small little room with my brother beside me. We got her cremated as I could not stand the thought of her body in the ground.

When the day came to pick her up, it was heartwrenching. It hurt more that the pawprints we asked for did not look right or done correctly...but just seeing her ashes was just a punch to the gut. We held a small funeral for her, and wrapped her in the blanket she laid in most before burying her with all her toys in our backyard. Flowers and greenery growing over her alongside a little pet memorial stone I bought for her during work one day as I felt that she deserved it.

I think the funniest thing is I don't believe religion a whole lot, yet not to long after she passed I had a dream. I woke up went to our living room and there upon the couch, which my mother rid both of after her passing, she laid there. My dear Mabel, a comforter draped across and her ontop of it. How I cried as I felt this was her way of saying that she was alright, that she was better now.

Even with this loss after a few months I wanted a cat again, just the warmth and to be able to easily lift up a small body was what I longed for. On my birthday my mother surprised me by allowing me to adopt two kittens, a brother and sister. And oh were they a surprise not just because they were small, but because of all the things you'd see in the videos that'd they do. Jumping high for a toy, crying to be let into my room, snuggling under the sheets with me and just simply running to my bedroom door. Foreign things but by the stars above I love them so. 

This game brought back a wave of emotions, and by the morning I will hug them both so tightly. Though I'm scared for the day when we might have to say goodbye to my dog. She is an old sausage and she brought me the courage to walk outside by myself when I was younger. But right now I am thankful she's still here.

God I cried. My dog had parvo at one point, and this remindied me so much of that. I literally had to prie his jaw open and stick pumpkin puriee down his throat and rub it down, making him swallow. I felt so guiilty about it, but now, way to much money latre, he's fine and happy.

good

You owe me a box of tissues, or at least a handful. This brought back some memories I'd not recalled for some time. You've perfectly reflected the emotions I had with one of my own dear, loving cats. Thank you.

Well that was kind of depressing. It was beautiful, but like that hurt, I cried a lot, I'm crying as I type this. Reminded me of my childhood dog. For years I was upset because she left this world very suddenly, I hadn't known that passing away from old age could be painful or that one's body could just suddenly shut down, but I had to watch my parents take her to the vet and not come back. I was upset for years because I had wanted her to go peacefully in her sleep, not like that.

But, this game makes a good point. That day, I'd told her it was going to be okay, more for myself than for her, and I'd tried convincing myself that she was going to be okay and she would come home. I knew in my heart that she wasn't coming home that day. I was desperate for her to stay for just a bit longer, but... Well, she was twelve, which is pretty old for a golden, and she was going to leave this world eventually. It was sudden and painful, she was fine that morning and gone that evening, but it's better that way because she didn't have to slowly decline, the pain only lasted a few hours before it was over. And I don't think, when I was an angry sixteen year old, I'd understood that.

But I understand it now. I understand that it was her time, and that I shouldn't fixate on how she left this world, because I have many happy childhood memories, and she's at peace now.

All of this entire life story is to say -this game is beautiful, and I have to thank you for making it because it helped me process my grief a bit.

this actually made me cry (I love it)

so sad

THIS WAS BEAUTIFUL. Oh my heart. As a cat person, this game emotionally devastated me (in a good way). 

Besides the touching prose, your art style is exquisite, the music/sound is poignant, and your twist on the Orpheus/Eurydice myth was a superb choice! 

The execution of your concept within the O2A2 jam's rules was also very clever, down to the detail of the up/down camera movement of each step.

Awesome work!

The emotions it invoke with such simple presentation is amazing. The metaphorical stair of letting go...

I said "NOOOOO!!!" out loud when I realized what happened in the end, I've never been so upset at seeing a skip button glow instead of being muted :"< this is so well written, it's amazing how much impact you can make with all the limitations of the jam! Absolutely amazing work!! <3

Thank you for making this. I lost my cat recently and this honestly puts to words exactly how I've felt over the last month dealing with her death. She got weak and was on so many medications and I had to feed her with a syringe, and I remember that I couldn't help but think how much she hated that syringe. 

Your VN made me think about what I would do if I had the chance to bring her back, and in reality, I think I would choose to leave her be. I wouldn't want to have her suffer again.

Again, thanks for making this! It hit me in the feels and put me in an introspective mood

Despite how short it is, it brought me some big feelings. With only a few clues, we can imagine those past days of the owner and their cat, down to their last moments together. It's beautiful, and it's sad. Having to let go is hard, and those last sentences before I finally let go... they felt heavy, but true. In the end, you have to let go.

An adorable and heartfelt story, I liked it a lot.

Gosh, this was a very interesting take on the myth of Orpheus!

First, I have to say I loved the ambience of the game: the music, the sound effect, the stair, the art style in general, even the GUI, everything came together wonderfully! The craft really is mastered!

The writing too was very good! To be honest, I've never had a pet, so I don't really know how deep this connection can be, but the theme of letting go of someone dead, I think, is something we can alas all relate to. And the game was a very neat exploration, I appreciated the evolution of the protagonist's psychology when they choose to move forward and to not look back.

But in the end, there is only one choice, and your take is part of my general favourite takes when it comes to Orpheus and Eurydice's myth: I love when Orpheus chooses to look back. Here, because he realises he has to let go and to move on; that we, somehow, all have a purpose and a limited presence on earth; and that it is selfish to ask others more than what they were meant to give.

Overall, this was an excellent game which made excellent use of the restrictions of O2A2! I really appreciated it, congrats!

For some reason the game got blurry near the end. Oh wait, that was me sobbing. 

Now I'm going to lie down and try to emotionally recover from this face down while crying into the couch I'm currently sitting on.

In all seriousness beautiful and well done game that tugs at the heartstrings of anyone who has ever dealt with the loss of  a pet since it will no doubt hit close to home. 

Beautiful game and all the stars

How dare you put CAT into this??!!

My heart cried. It's beautiful. The art, story, music, everything

Thank you for making this game. 10/10 <3

Oh....this was honestly so gut wrenching for me to play, even now as I'm typing this I still couldn't help but cry...but it was so beautiful.

I knew going in here that playing this game would pick at the fresh wound in my heart, but I regret nothing. 

For context, I lost my beloved dog May 3rd of this year --- technically my 2nd dog but the first one died after just two days as a puppy, so this one was the one we raised from puppyhood and the one we really consider as our first dog. 

And oh we loved him so. All my life I had been afraid of dogs, but he was really the one who eased my heart and made me fall in love with dogs, my eyes feeling nothing but love when I look into a dog's eyes, rather than the fear before. 

But alas, one day he just suddenly became lethargic, and despite all our efforts to bring him the best care, he died, and we never found out what it was that killed him. The day we were supposed to bring him back home as he was confined at the vet clinic, he got seizures and died...one hour before we were supposed to see him again. 

It was too sudden. Painfully sudden. More so since he was just so energetic and happy the day before when we visited him, so it felt like he was snatched from us in a flash, like how Eurydice died so suddenly. He started feeling sick one day and by the next week, he was dead. All of us were heartbroken, and even now...my heart still aches and bleeds at his absence. His silence still hurts me so much (my upcoming O2A2 entry was actually originally going to be about him, to cope with my loss, but plans got changed, but even then, he is still a primary inspiration for it), that even just looking at things in our house still makes me cry even after a few months now. 

And so, I knew that all that pain in my heart would just burst while playing this, and it did. 

Just like the Orpheus here...I really wanted more time with my dog. He was only two years old, and was supposed to turn three this September. We had so many plans with him in our future. We even decided as a family that when we'll move houses in a few years, he must have his own room, and that he would be taken on walks all the time as the environment there is very pleasant for walks. 

But without warning, he suddenly died, and we didn't know the cause. It felt so unfair. He was gone too fast. And even when we were rushing to get to him as soon as possible, he died an hour earlier. I really wished I could have held him as he died. I feared he may have thought we abandoned him alone in the clinic, and so he died painfully with each painful seizure. We couldn't even be there to comfort him in his last moments. 

So many regrets...and so little time.

I wanted to trust that he knew we loved him dearly, that our parting was only momentarily and that we would see him again soon, but it must have been forever for him, waiting alone in an unfamiliar place. 

So, in this game, all of my wishes for my darling --- the longing for him, the need for more time, and the wish that he knew we loved him so so much and that we were just separated momentarily for his benefit, all of it was encapsulated here.

To be honest...I wanted the cat to reach the surface. I want the dear kitty to live. Because playing the game, I thought..."Of course the kitty would want to live! The kitty loves us and would be happy to be by our side as we do them!"

I really wanted that cat to live. I mashed the "and beg" option so many times. So so so many times.

I refused to let go. 

And I guess it just reflected what I felt about my own dog. He was taken too early and without warning. He had so many years ahead of him. He loved us, and we loved him so much, and he is happiest with us. 

But...as the game progressed...I did realize that the MC was letting their cat go already in their heart, considering their frail health. For that cat...it was time indeed to say goodbye...and it was for the best that they say goodbye. 

I could honestly relate to the feeling of wanting more time. I wanted more time with my dog too, especially considering we thought his life was so short lived. But...as with the cat, it was for the best that he rest too. Free from pain. So it was an act of love really to let the kitty go. 

My wish really is that I hope my dog still knew and felt our love for him, even during his dying moments. 

And with that, even though my heart bleeds right now, I'm actually comforted with that last scene of seeing the cat happy and free from pain --- knowing that the cat has been loved so much, and trusts that the MC has done their best for them and loves them tenderly and oh so much. 

The only comfort I take in now is that he is free from the seizures, and free from the pain. This I believe is also a comfort for you. 

For me, this game really encapsulated all I wanted to say to my dog, even now after his death. All of my longing, all of my wishes, and all of my love. 

Thank you too for including the cat's purrs in the game. A purr is a sound made with happiness and contentment, and so, it was just comforting that even though the kitty was never really able to talk, we just know they were happy and content. Happy to be with their owner, and trusting them and loving them, even with the goodbye. 

It was also just so comforting too to just see the MC say they loved their cat so much. It was a comfort seeing those words full of so much love and I really couldn't help but also imagine it was my dog there behind me, looking at me with affection and joy as he always have, and me just telling him I loved him so much, just as I always have. 

So yes, thank you for making this game. It is so beautiful, and made with so much love. With every word, I could feel my tears just fall. I do think that it would touch and comfort more pet owners, especially those who have lost their beloved pets. And all the hugs for you too <3 I am sure your kitty loved you vey much and was happy in the end

usually the orpheus and eurydice story doesn't make me cry but putting eurydice as a CAT was low............... this made me cry my eyes out ngl......... 

i have two cats and thinking one day they'll be gone really saddens me. i hope it takes a good long while.

also the art and the music were really good too (I LOVED THE LITTLE BELL SOUNDS) and i love how sometimes MC takes steps back and questions if the cat really wants to go back with them. like damn. i wanted to cry the whole game ahhhhh TT_TT this was so good... it's now in my favorites collection...

This is such a lovely, heart-touching short narrative game. I was at the top of the stairs when the narrative hit me and I gave up and chose to look back. This reminds me of all the past and future good byes I have to say to every cat in my life. Art, song, story, and narrative design are all on point for such a short game. 

I came here to play a game about cat, not to get my eyes all teary so thanks for the feels I guess?? 😢