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
Wow, I don't know what to feel or think or say. There are others more articulate than I am, more intelligent or more moral and would know what the real answer should have been. All I could do was cover its smushed little face with flowers. :(
This was such a lovely short game, thank you for the experience. I didn't have it in me to use the stick or rock, so I'm leaving this game after adorning the bird in flowers. I'm not sure what the compassionate choice here truly is, to leave the bird or to help it pass. My decision here may be more self serving, to let the bird's suffering be prolonged, and I like that such a short game is making me question what's compassion vs my own personal comfort.
i was BAWLING over this game. i tried to find a different solution, there was none, until i noticed that the stick can be right clicked with. you can poke the bird. for some reason ,this made me even more distraught, since it gave you the same comments about compassion, even though you made it suffer even more, essentially :( love the game and its symbolicity, however i will cry over over this for a few days thank you
One of the most heart-wrenching short games I've ever played. Thank you for writing out so succinctly why compassion is important to both the person giving and receiving it, and why resisting compassion isn't a sign of strength.
"Compassion is a brave choice," will always make me tear up every time I think about it and this game.
this is the hardest i've cried in a long time. i really didn't want to kill the bird and it took me so long it actually do it. i put all the flowers on them first and covered their face because i couldn't look at them when i dropped the rock. i am autistic and have a lot of empathy towards animals, including fictional ones. this was very hard and very beautiful. it felt like i was killing a part of myself.
I didn't think of the game as implying anything about what you should do if you see an actual bird in this situation. It's art, and art doesn't have to be literal. Personally, I saw the bird as embodying vulnerability -- the player's or someone else's -- and the choices we make when we encounter that vulnerability.
I didn't kill the bird. I covered it in flowers and closed the game. I just didn't have the heart to! The animation and art are so good and deeply affecting, so it's hard to see it as just a choice in a game, even when it's the choice you want to make.
I really loved this. It's a short experience but hit harder than anything I've played recently. Great job!
I collected all the flowers before closing the game because I did not want to kill or make the bird suffer more. It was heartbreaking, but a very good short game.
cw// personal stuff: i just had surgery after being in horrible chronic pain for 3 months (and of and on pain for years) and this is what ive needed. unfortunately ive felt very alone through out all of this so this game was sorta like the hug i needed. thank you
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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..
:(
Wow, I don't know what to feel or think or say. There are others more articulate than I am, more intelligent or more moral and would know what the real answer should have been. All I could do was cover its smushed little face with flowers. :(
this game teached me something.
enduring pain together before they pass away and learning to accept losing someone, i guess..
That was… Very inspiring and very sad. Thank you.
Short and evocative, not to mention the beautiful art and subtle sound design (or were those tweets my imagination...?)
guys i think the best option is to just adorn it with flowers (I think im not sure)
i don't wanna do this :(
Rest in peace little swallow, I sure hope having your head crushed with a rock was how you wanted to go.
Does anything look more dead than a dead bird?
Don't know if I'd have it in me to truly do this, but I'd like to think I could do the right thing.
This game is very sad.. The only thing I could do is put it out of its misery.. I covered its head in flowers.. It's a game that makes you think. <:')
:(
This was such a lovely short game, thank you for the experience. I didn't have it in me to use the stick or rock, so I'm leaving this game after adorning the bird in flowers. I'm not sure what the compassionate choice here truly is, to leave the bird or to help it pass. My decision here may be more self serving, to let the bird's suffering be prolonged, and I like that such a short game is making me question what's compassion vs my own personal comfort.
i was BAWLING over this game. i tried to find a different solution, there was none, until i noticed that the stick can be right clicked with.
you can poke the bird.
for some reason ,this made me even more distraught, since it gave you the same comments about compassion, even though you made it suffer even more, essentially :(
love the game and its symbolicity, however i will cry over over this for a few days thank you
There have been a lot of games that were difficult for me to complete. Maybe I didn't want it to be over, or there were hard puzzles.
The moment I opened the game and saw the stone, I knew exactly how to end this game, the way it finished. It was a brutal reality.
I ran through the dialogue many times, praying for an alternate solution. I didn't even want to know what function the stick might serve.
This was, for lack of another term, beautiful in a hard to describe and sorrowful sense.
One of the most heart-wrenching short games I've ever played. Thank you for writing out so succinctly why compassion is important to both the person giving and receiving it, and why resisting compassion isn't a sign of strength.
"Compassion is a brave choice," will always make me tear up every time I think about it and this game.
why didnt you add a choice to pick up the bird and help it :(
here I wish I could help u bird :(
A short, sad game. It tells a story in one of the most original ways I've ever seen. Beautiful
this is the hardest i've cried in a long time. i really didn't want to kill the bird and it took me so long it actually do it. i put all the flowers on them first and covered their face because i couldn't look at them when i dropped the rock. i am autistic and have a lot of empathy towards animals, including fictional ones. this was very hard and very beautiful. it felt like i was killing a part of myself.
do well, bird
I didn't think of the game as implying anything about what you should do if you see an actual bird in this situation. It's art, and art doesn't have to be literal. Personally, I saw the bird as embodying vulnerability -- the player's or someone else's -- and the choices we make when we encounter that vulnerability.
I didn't kill the bird. I covered it in flowers and closed the game. I just didn't have the heart to! The animation and art are so good and deeply affecting, so it's hard to see it as just a choice in a game, even when it's the choice you want to make.
I really loved this. It's a short experience but hit harder than anything I've played recently. Great job!
I collected all the flowers before closing the game because I did not want to kill or make the bird suffer more. It was heartbreaking, but a very good short game.
An utterly heartbreaking experience!
This is a really wonderful and thought provoking game. Hands down one of the most powerful short games I've played.
im really glad i played this today.
cw// personal stuff:
i just had surgery after being in horrible chronic pain for 3 months (and of and on pain for years) and this is what ive needed. unfortunately ive felt very alone through out all of this so this game was sorta like the hug i needed. thank you
Thank you for playing it, i'm super happy to hear that it made you feel that way. Wish you the best for post-surgery!
It's so sad seeing someone suffering from pain.
I wish I could help that little bird :(
It worrys me that my first thought was to go for the rock.....
what do i do with the stick--
This hit way too close to home omg
i wish i could take this bird to a vet or something, just make it feel better
i killed the bird in the end, but not before covering it in flowers.