I find this a fascinating game, as I have been in this exact circumstance in real life. More than once, living in the countryside. I remember especially one very small, very sick little kitten. We swaddled it in a coat, took it home, kept it warm, made it comfortable as we could, and stayed with it until it passed away. We worked with a vet to try and save it, but some things can't be cured. Only endured, until you can't bear to any longer.
That little blighter fought so hard. A fireball to the very end. He was so small.
I've had to do that with one of my pets now, too. Hold them close as things came to an end. Almost two decades I'd known them, and they were a year older than I was. We made the choice to put her to sleep when her quality of life degraded, and I've never stopped wondering if that was the right choice.
I've struggled with treatment-resistant major depressive disorder and constant suicidal ideation since I was a child, and perhaps that's why my understanding of pain and compassion reacted so strongly to this game. Hurting is all it's ever been. If I want to live for even a moment more, for what joy life holds, even in the midst of unbearable pain, I have to hold on through it. If I truly believed that it was the right thing to do to end the suffering of a life that would only hurt and struggle vainly until it died, then I would have been one of them long ago.
The impetus for writing this is that a couple times now I've come back to this page and just sit here with this little bird. Feeling some sort of kinship, I suppose. Some pain can never be cured or vanquished, but it can be shared. It can be endured. We wreath ourselves in the tiny kindnesses of those we cherish, those who cherish us, and we carry on. There's no solution. No true ending. It's just life.
We endure together. We make it as far as we can. This life is worth the suffering it brings.
I can only hope that when my time comes, there will be someone there to hold my hand through the pain and wait with me until it all fades away. Noone and nothing should die alone.
Thank you for this little game, Ivan Papiol. It made me remember bittersweet times with the little lives that gave me comfort in some of my darkest days, and the strength they've given me to remain. I also apologize if I've babbled on too long, as writing this has also helped me overcome a rather bad evening, and I'm rather weepy in the best way one can be. Thank you again, and I hope your day is kind to you.
the tears.. i am struggling to hold them back. i will say first i really liked this art style and the game is well drawn. for being such a short game, it has such a deep message, an emotional story (even if short), and a very important lesson i think we can all learn from. i agree with the message of this game and if any sentient being is suffering like that, it is our duty to put them out of their misery (if they express that desire, for humans). i think compassion takes many forms, and even if it is bloody, a shot or blow to the head gives a swift end to suffering for an animal that was going to die slowly in pain otherwise. thank you for this game. my first playthrough i didnt know what the stick did but after reading the comments and testing it out, you can poke the bird with the stick which just made me so sad and a bit disturbed. the text dialogue changes as well to let you know you are just making it worse by poking at it.. gosh so upsetting. rest among the flowers, little birdie..
I've been in the situation in real life. It's very hard, but yes, sometimes the hard thing to do is the most compassionate, or even the only one left. Great reflection.
i assume your intentions were good, but... i think you could've at least come up with a solution less disturbing than to smash a dying bird with a rock. like, maybe remove the violence and just have the player place flowers thoughtfully until the bird passes on, at peace.
Sometimes what feels better or nicer for you is not the best for the person that is suffering and that you're trying to help, and when I made this game I tried to convey this bitter realization with a visyal metaphor that felt crushing in the same way. I get what you mean though, the violence card can easily feel cheap- But I still stand for it, since a well chosen image can convey more and make things feel more visceral than all the words I could ever think to put together. Thank you for your comment, I'm genuinely glad that people still have thoughts about this little experiment :)
the sparrow was in pain, it couldn't have flied away. it was vulnerable, leaving it to die and be hunted would be a much more cruel fate for it to have. me being there, covering it with flowers was a more dignified way to end it's suffering. that was my compassion, a respected and dignified death. Fly higher sparrow
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This is beautifully cruel. Love the art and sounds and texts
I find this a fascinating game, as I have been in this exact circumstance in real life. More than once, living in the countryside. I remember especially one very small, very sick little kitten. We swaddled it in a coat, took it home, kept it warm, made it comfortable as we could, and stayed with it until it passed away. We worked with a vet to try and save it, but some things can't be cured. Only endured, until you can't bear to any longer.
That little blighter fought so hard. A fireball to the very end. He was so small.
I've had to do that with one of my pets now, too. Hold them close as things came to an end. Almost two decades I'd known them, and they were a year older than I was. We made the choice to put her to sleep when her quality of life degraded, and I've never stopped wondering if that was the right choice.
I've struggled with treatment-resistant major depressive disorder and constant suicidal ideation since I was a child, and perhaps that's why my understanding of pain and compassion reacted so strongly to this game. Hurting is all it's ever been. If I want to live for even a moment more, for what joy life holds, even in the midst of unbearable pain, I have to hold on through it. If I truly believed that it was the right thing to do to end the suffering of a life that would only hurt and struggle vainly until it died, then I would have been one of them long ago.
The impetus for writing this is that a couple times now I've come back to this page and just sit here with this little bird. Feeling some sort of kinship, I suppose. Some pain can never be cured or vanquished, but it can be shared. It can be endured. We wreath ourselves in the tiny kindnesses of those we cherish, those who cherish us, and we carry on. There's no solution. No true ending. It's just life.
We endure together. We make it as far as we can. This life is worth the suffering it brings.
I can only hope that when my time comes, there will be someone there to hold my hand through the pain and wait with me until it all fades away. Noone and nothing should die alone.
Thank you for this little game, Ivan Papiol. It made me remember bittersweet times with the little lives that gave me comfort in some of my darkest days, and the strength they've given me to remain. I also apologize if I've babbled on too long, as writing this has also helped me overcome a rather bad evening, and I'm rather weepy in the best way one can be. Thank you again, and I hope your day is kind to you.
how do you use the stick
pick up holding left mouse button, touch things with the stick with right mouse button without stopping holding left mouse button
i cant do both at the same time?
😮
the tears.. i am struggling to hold them back. i will say first i really liked this art style and the game is well drawn. for being such a short game, it has such a deep message, an emotional story (even if short), and a very important lesson i think we can all learn from. i agree with the message of this game and if any sentient being is suffering like that, it is our duty to put them out of their misery (if they express that desire, for humans). i think compassion takes many forms, and even if it is bloody, a shot or blow to the head gives a swift end to suffering for an animal that was going to die slowly in pain otherwise. thank you for this game. my first playthrough i didnt know what the stick did but after reading the comments and testing it out, you can poke the bird with the stick which just made me so sad and a bit disturbed. the text dialogue changes as well to let you know you are just making it worse by poking at it.. gosh so upsetting. rest among the flowers, little birdie..
I've been in the situation in real life. It's very hard, but yes, sometimes the hard thing to do is the most compassionate, or even the only one left. Great reflection.
i assume your intentions were good, but... i think you could've at least come up with a solution less disturbing than to smash a dying bird with a rock. like, maybe remove the violence and just have the player place flowers thoughtfully until the bird passes on, at peace.
Sometimes what feels better or nicer for you is not the best for the person that is suffering and that you're trying to help, and when I made this game I tried to convey this bitter realization with a visyal metaphor that felt crushing in the same way. I get what you mean though, the violence card can easily feel cheap- But I still stand for it, since a well chosen image can convey more and make things feel more visceral than all the words I could ever think to put together. Thank you for your comment, I'm genuinely glad that people still have thoughts about this little experiment :)
WHY THE SHITFUCK WOULD U MAKE THIS A GAME AAAAAAAAAAA
...poor bird..
I DONT WANNA DO IT😭😭😭
Covering the Sparrow in flowers, and then killing it would relieve the sparrow. It would be freed from it's suffering. (つ╥﹏╥⊂)
the sparrow was in pain, it couldn't have flied away. it was vulnerable, leaving it to die and be hunted would be a much more cruel fate for it to have. me being there, covering it with flowers was a more dignified way to end it's suffering. that was my compassion, a respected and dignified death. Fly higher sparrow
I...I killed it..
:(