About the Game

The Things Left Behind

is a collaborative 2D game built around everyday moments rather than singular narratives. The project brings together queer and disabled creators to explore what it means to live, feel, and move through the world in ways that are often marginalized or misunderstood.

Rather than presenting a unified storyline or aesthetic, the game is structured as a collection of independent levels.

Each level is developed through a different collaboration and reflects a distinct slice of life, shaped by the lived experiences, creative practices, and perspectives of the people involved.

Jordan's Birthday

Jordan’s Birthday is a quiet, dialogue-driven experience centered on a seven-year-old child navigating a familiar but emotionally complex moment: their own birthday party. Jordan is assigned female at birth and uses they/them pronouns. While they may not yet have language for their gender, the people around them—especially their two mothers—offer care, affirmation, and support.

The game takes place during a birthday gathering with friends and family. Players move through the space by talking with guests, meeting everyone who has come to celebrate, and receiving birthday wishes. As the party continues, the attention and noise begin to feel overwhelming. When everyone gathers to sing “Happy Birthday,” Jordan retreats inward, covering their eyes in an attempt to self-soothe.

In this moment, the game shifts from social interaction to imagination. Jordan begins to see soft, colorful shapes floating around them, reminiscent of fireflies. Players can gently interact with these shapes as a way of calming and grounding the experience. Eventually, Jordan uncovers their eyes and runs into the yard, where the imagined fireflies become real ones in the yard. The moment closes with a sense of relief, support, and understanding, emphasizing care rather than correction or judgment.

Between You, Me, & the Trees

Between You, Me, & the Trees is a quiet, contemplative vignette set during a walk through the woods. Two people move side by side through nature, surrounded by trees, animals, and a soft, steady soundscape. The experience unfolds through conversation, with no clear destination or objective beyond being together.

As they walk, the characters talk, tease one another, and share moments of playfulness and trust. Their relationship is never defined, but their closeness is evident in the ease of their interaction. They know one another deeply, care for one another, and find comfort in simply sharing space.

Along the path, players may choose to collect small objects found in the environment—mushrooms, feathers, bones, bottle caps, and other quiet trinkets. These moments are optional and unscored, existing simply as acts of noticing and care. They echo familiar neurodivergent and queer ways of moving through the world: gathering, remembering, and finding meaning in what others might overlook.

The passage of time is subtle. As the walk continues, one character’s appearance gradually shifts, moving from a more masculine presentation to a more feminine one. This change is never named or discussed. It unfolds quietly alongside the conversation and the shared walk, offering an allegorical reflection on transition grounded in intimacy rather than explanation.

Harried

Harried follows Milo through a hectic Saturday morning shaped by interruption, urgency, and noise. Overwhelmed and overstimulated, Milo wakes to find the email he meant to send the night before still unwritten. His brother has not texted back. The dog is whining for breakfast. His partner, Dottie, is on the verge of a panic attack. Somewhere along the way, Milo has also misplaced the water bottle he went looking for what feels like ages ago.

The game unfolds through a series of small, compounding moments as players try to keep up with the day’s demands. Tasks overlap, distractions multiply, and time feels slippery. Rather than offering tidy solutions, Harried invites players to sit with the experience of being pulled in many directions at once.

At its core, Harried is a slice-of-life, narrative-driven game about the trans experience, neurodiversity, disability, and the ongoing work of surviving daily life in spaces that are not built with these experiences in mind.

Development Status

All visuals, gameplay footage, and screenshots shown on this site represent works in progress, including prototype art, early mechanics, and exploratory designs. Elements may change as the project continues to evolve.

Made in Unity

Developed for Steam

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