Stars in the Trash is an emotional adventure of a Cat, companionship, and survival in a glorious yet dangerous world.
There have been games about cats for a long time, but when Stray launched in 2022, it made a great impact on cat lovers and even those who care about animals. Then, this year, Copycat, another game that also featured cats, and those who love cats, loved it too. In this same vein, Stars in the Trash is surely a gift for animal lovers, especially for cat lovers, since it’s a game all about cats, cats, and more cats that will touch your heart.
Stars in the Trash is an exceptional hand-drawn, cat-centric platforming game crafted with a deep love for classic animated films. The animations are done in Disney’s classic movie style. The game, which is packed with puzzles and adventure landscapes, took eight years to create. It will undoubtedly draw a loyal fan base from platforming experts, admirers of vintage animation, and cat lovers.
Stars in the Trash is developed and published by Valhalla Cats, an independent game creation studio founded in late 2013 by young, passionate gamers and animal lovers. A percentage of the profits goes directly to various animal welfare organizations.
The plot revolves around the primary character, a gray tabby male cat named Moka. He spends a lot of time attempting to escape his home, but his fellow pet, the brown dog, frequently stops him. When he eventually leaves the house, he encounters a pretty woman cat and chooses to remain outside rather than go back.
There are eight stages of this game, and each stage has different difficulties with different scenarios. The first stage starts with Moka’s house, which explains the intro of this game, some tutorials, and some easy puzzles that help Moka get outside from home. But there was a living vacuum cleaner that was trying to eat Moka. It seems very weird to me, but overall, the first stage was pretty cool and fun to play.
The other stages, such as the Suburbs, start Moka’s adventure through the city. This includes interacting with some people, such as granny, with a child that Moka helps to get her a doll, which was pretty cute, and it also includes some puzzles, which was very easy for me.
The main female character in Stars in the Trash plays a major role in the story as Moka’s close friend and possible girlfriend. She is known for being beautiful, elegant, and independent and often finds herself guiding Moka out of life-and-death situations.
That female street cat has an aggressive yet tender personality and has thus far conducted herself in actions and attitude to make her a trusted companion on Moka’s journey. As the game progresses, Bella and Moka develop a deep friendship. While the connection is left open-ended, their interplay is central to the story, showing how trust and companionship can make even the most difficult situations tolerable.
Then, after a lengthy pursuit scenario, I slide down a roof for a time while the cat character’s eyes remain closed. During this sequence, your only ability is to jump and speed somewhat. However, there is nothing to run or jump over. Furthermore, I felt something was lacking in this unusually long scenario. I plummeted down the side of a roof for several minutes, and nothing happened. It resembles an unfinished puzzle.
The best part of Stars in the Trash is Moka and his female friend and their love for each other at the end of chapter 5. The most difficult part of this game for me was not a puzzle but a part of the story when Moka loses his female friend at the end of stage 6. I was not expecting the story to go this way, so this might be a little bit depressing for people who love cats extremely.
The boy hunting the cat serves as the main antagonist in this game. His chase gives more meaning to the storyline, where the player should not stop, needs to solve some riddles, and must be one step ahead. It was also very enjoyable to solve the puzzle at the clock tower and the puzzle to steal the key at the last stage to save Moka’s friend.
The only frustrating moments in Stars in the Trash are when Moka is forced to climb up the outside wall of a cathedral. You need to be really precise with your button presses and timing, or you’ll get caught, just plummet to your death, and have to start the section over again. It took a few attempts to get past it, but I suppose a little challenge didn’t hurt, and it certainly didn’t spoil the whole thing for me.
Moka’s adventures are carefree and filled with whimsical chaos, but the tone shifts when the kennelman begins prowling the streets. Our cat protagonist, now facing a more sinister threat, must find a way back to the safety and comfort of his suburban home.
The majority of the game is spent exploring the world and observing the animals and surroundings. However, there are some jumping puzzles to solve, along with numerous small details to consider. It has small jokes, such as the scale that says “Big Boy” above, some cat memes in the background of the environment you’re walking through, and even a cameo by Jackson Galaxy, one of the most well-known figures in cat behavior and human training on YouTube.
Stars in the Trash is a very short game; I think I finished my playthrough in about two hours, but it’s worth it for the fantastic animation and this stellar little story. A lot happens within this brief little game, and I enjoyed nearly every second of it.
I loved how intricately developed every little element in the game was, and I couldn’t believe all the small touches included. One of the best examples is how they specifically went out of their way to include that the main character has an M on his forehead, and tabbies have an M in the fur on their foreheads.
I had a few concerns I wanted to bring up, even though I didn’t have any significant problems while I was with Stars in the Trash. The absence of a content warning is the first significant one. I am a fairly tough person when it comes to video games; I can play challenging, gory, and frightening games mindlessly, taking down monsters and enemies, but it emotionally hurts me to see even one animal suffer.
Stars in the Trash’s sound design was fantastic. The meowing, barking, and other animal and feline noises sounded authentic. The sound effects are breathtakingly beautiful, and the music is amazing. It took a great deal of work to make it sound as good as it looked.
You won’t regret picking up Stars in the Trash, so please listen to it through headphones. There is nothing much to talk about its visuals and graphics; after all, it’s a classic animated game. Still, it was pretty good and enjoyable to play.
Ultimately, I thoroughly enjoyed Stars in the Trash. You will surely enjoy this game if you enjoy shows like The Fox and the Hound or The Aristocats. Anyone who loves animals will enjoy this game because it has so many details, including exquisite artwork and meticulous attention to detail. Stars in the Trash is like watching a Disney film, and it feels even more like that now that I’ve finished playing it. I think the majority of you will enjoy this game as much as I do.
