‘Stars in the Trash’ Is a Short, Sweet, and Heartbreaking Tale That Had Me Shedding Tears (Review)

The biggest compliment I can give to Stars in the Trash right off the bat is that it resembles Disney movies on graphical and storytelling levels. However, it’s not like the new-age Disney movies we’ve seen over the past few decades. Rather, it’s more akin to The Fox and The Hound, presenting an adorable style partnered with a story that is ready to rip your heart out at the most unexpected of times. It was an oddly therapeutic game and a beautiful experience for any animal lover.

Beautiful Hand Drawn Animation and Gorgeous Watercolor Backgrounds Make ‘Stars in the Trash’ a Gorgeous Romp

At a glance, Stars in the Trash may look like a shot from an unreleased Don Bluth film, and you wouldn’t be far off. Moka and friends are carefully and beautifully animated, bringing a sense of pure joy and whimsy into the world. The backgrounds are also a joy to look at, with a pen and watercolor style that looks unlike anything else I’ve ever seen in the gaming world.

I took control of Moka, a cute little house cat, and quickly got to doing plenty of adorable cat things. Interactability is small, but I could take naps, scratch up on cardboard, and play with just about anything that slightly resembled a ball. All of these animations are incredible, helping the world feel just as seamless as I could have imagined.

But, as anybody who owns a cat knows, Moka has claws and isn’t afraid to use them. There are some light combat elements to Stars in the Trash, facing off against fantastical beasts in the basement of the home, and horrifyingly large rats that have the tendencies of a mob goon. Combat is incredibly basic here, and that’s perfectly fine. Stars in the Trash is based more around the narrative and puzzle gameplay, and combat arrives in a small smidgen of the overall story.

Stars in the Trash is narratively heavy and gameplay light. The story and platforming/puzzles make up the majority of the admittedly short runtime. But, I would be lying if I said I didn’t ugly cry at least twice during my playthrough. It aims for the heart and unleashes an arrow of grief that hits its target head-on.

Moka Quickly Learns That The Outside World Isn’t All It’s Made Out To Be

Depending on how you play it, Stars in the Trash will last you about an hour. I didn’t expect that it was going to be as emotionally devastating as it was, but here we are now. It’s one of those types of games that I would suggest you play in the right mindset. It has the appearance of an adorable little adventure, but it doesn’t hold your hand when things hit the fan.

However, you can tell that Stars in the Trash was made by someone who adores cats just as much as life itself. It’s a love letter to all the things that our feline friends do to make us smile. As well as the things that they do that make us worry, cry, and feel every emotion in between. Its animation feels suitably old-school Disney, and the story that follows throughout this short tale is an homage to that style.

It’s equal measures “feel good” and “gut punch”. One moment, I would be roaming around without much care in the world. Just as a normal cat would. The next thing I know, I’m running to the restroom in real life to get some tissues because I wasn’t expecting something so emotional to happen. It also triggers real grief and can be slightly healing to those who have lost a pet recently.

There is a beautiful memorial wall in the game, filled with pictures of real-life pets that people have lost. Something about that just got me in the feelings, and it’s a beautiful little piece of love from the developer. Oh, and it’s got a Jackson Galaxy cameo, too.

Frustrating Hit Detection Can Be Slightly Infuriating During ‘Stars in the Trash’

There is only one point of frustration that I experienced during my playthrough of Stars in the Trash. That can be chalked up to sometimes shoddy hit detection. Especially during puzzles. There were moments where I felt like switches should be activating, only to find out I needed to move a quarter of an inch to hit it.

Otherwise, just as a note of caution: Moka can “technically” get hurt in the game. I know folks, especially animal lovers, would want to know about this. However, compared to other games like Stray or Spirt of the Samurai, the animations are not brutal. They’re relatively calm compared to most games, and none of them crossed boundaries that shouldn’t have been crossed. So for those worried about seeing the unfortunate happen to our dear protag-kitty, you can breathe a sigh of relief.

Beyond those small quibbles, however, I can say that Stars in the Trash was a wonderful adventure. If you’re an animal lover, an old-school Don Bluth/Disney fan, or someone just looking for a reason to cry ugly tears, I would strongly recommend giving this one a playthrough. Sometimes, a good cry is all you need, and Moka’s adorableness will cheer you up right away.

Verdict: Highly Recommended

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Stars in the Trash is available to play now on Steam. A code was provided for the sake of review. Reviewed on PC.