Stars in the Trash

During my childhood, hand-drawn animation was king. Film studios brought some remarkable stories to life through this skill that I still admire to this day. The likes of The Land Before Time, An American Tale, All Dogs Go to Heaven, and the many Disney films are just some of the best that I can think of from the top of my head. It was a sad time in some ways when Toy Story came along and practically killed the hand-drawn animation industry overnight, and we would only really see it continue through anime films. So when I saw Stars in the Trash, I was extremely excited, as all the animation in the game has been hand-drawn, and it instantly took me back to my childhood of the 80s and early 90s. Developed by Valhalla Cats, who have a strong connection to cats and have donated over €10,000 to animal shelters since 2015. You can see the love that the Spanish-based developers have for their feline friends as real-life pictures of cats are spread throughout the game. They have also drawn ex-Disney and Warner animators to the team, which has helped with the excellent animation that’s included in the game.

When you first fire up Stars in the Trash, you meet Moka, a spoilt cat that decides to run away from their home to seek out some excitement and adventure. Along the way, you’ll make friends with other cats and also enemies through the evil dogcatcher. And that’s really as far as the plot goes; there are a few more deeper levels that I don’t want to spoil, but it’s a tight story that’s done in no more than two hours. It’s a perfect runtime if you ask me, as I felt that if it was any longer it would have outstayed its welcome slightly, but as it is, it gave me what I wanted without any filler.

One thing the developers did well was capture the joy of being a cat. Part of the tutorial is to figure out how to get to the jar of cat biscuits at the top of a kitchen cupboard. This involves jumping on many items you shouldn’t be and swiping the jar to the floor. Along your journey, you’ll find toys for Moka to play with, catnip to eat, cardboard, which Moka delights in clawing, and a scattering of napping spots. I’ve played a few other cat games, and some do miss the mark of making you feel like you are seeing the world through the cat’s eyes, but here I really did feel like I was.

Another side to Stars in the Trash is its combat, but it’s obviously nothing to involving. You’ll mostly face large rats, and it’ll be a simple case of swiping your claws until they are defeated. This was my least favourite segment of the game, as Moka’s movements felt a little slow, and it didn’t really do much for me in wanting more. There are some other instances, like the rats throwing rocks at you from above, but as their movements were just as slow, it was easy to predict where to stand to avoid any damage. It all felt a little shoehorned in, and I would have preferred more platforming and puzzles to solve personally. In fact, I’d say this area felt more styled towards younger gamers, who wouldn’t necessarily have the reflexes to avoid faster attacks.

The big enemy here is the dog pound catcher, who comes across you on one of his patrols. His encounters usually entail some of the more entertaining sections. You’ll enter a chase scene where you have to avoid obstacles; there’s also a front-facing chase which involves him driving his van and one of the main sections of the game where you are climbing a cathedral Uncharted style while he is trying to swipe you with his net from the many windows and balconies. Enjoyable parts of the game that were still not too taxing but just fun to be a part of, and it gave the game this Saturday morning cartoon vibe that I was all in on.

And that Saturday morning cartoon feeling is heightened by those amazing hand-drawn graphics I mentioned at the top of the review. Easily some of the best visuals I have seen in this style to date. Everything is so detailed and lived in, and it contains this playfulness that only this type of animation can hold. The movements of the animals were perfect too, matching my expectations on how they should move and interact, with smooth animations that didn’t take me away from the moment. I relished every second, even enjoying seeing an animation I’d already seen countless times; such was the joy that the visuals contained. The music was on point too, with some joyful and playful pieces that only aided these emotions as I played. It’s not going to knock anyone’s socks off, but it played its part admirably.

The only thing letting down the game was its jankiness. Transitions from one scene to another were rough, with jarring ends to scenes and music just cutting out in a messy way. This wasn’t a one-time affair, as this happened throughout the game. It’s a slight shame the developers didn’t have a little more time to smooth this out, as it does clash with the high-quality visuals and film-like nature they were aiming for. It’s not a game-breaker for me, as I still came away from the game positively, but it is worth bearing in mind if you find these areas annoying.