Kickstarter unleashed for Paws and Leaves: A Last Tale

• Announcements by Jack Allin
• Published:

Demo available for emotionally driven, bittersweet final journey of a fox on Windows PC

Facing one's own death is the final opportunity to reflect back on a lifetime of memories. That thought may not be a very cheery one, but it can certainly be an emotionally poignant one, as we'll be able to see for ourselves soon enough if grownarts' Paws and Leaves: A Last Tale is able to reach its crowdfunding goal.

The death in question is not that of a person but rather an animal, as the game opens with a decidedly Bambi-esque gut punch when a sprightly red fox named Me is bitten by a poisonous snake and doomed to die. Rather than wallowing in morbid self-pity, however, Me begins one final trek through the picturesque forest, spurred on by a "charming" butterfly named Ani. So close to death, Me's reality soon begins to blur with memories in a kind of "in-between world" that offers a hallucinogenic reminiscence of "life's fleeting moments." But beware, as the "darker and dangerous moments" serve as a growing reminder that "Me is fading" and his time is soon coming to an end. 

Based on screenshots alone, you might think Paws and Leaves to be another scenic exploration of exotic natural locales, à la similar recent canine adventures like Spirit of the North and Path of Kami. And it is, to an extent, as it invites players to freely explore its lovely 3D "small open-world zones" through changing seasons "at their own pace to uncover secrets, collect keepsakes, and unravel new tales." The story itself is linear, however, and although not a scary horror game, the protagonist's dire circumstances ensure that it "might not always be quite as cozy as it seems." While Ani will remain by your side and encourage you to keep moving on, you'll need to make use of your own heightened animal senses to (literally) sniff out paths, objectives and collectible memories invisible to the naked (or human) eye. You'll also partake in a variety of activities along the way, such as "fishing for keepsakes on top of an ancient, wise turtle" to keep the experience fresh.  

To help finish financing the game, its indie developers have launched a Kickstarter campaign to raise €45,000 by December 12th. For a sample taste of what to expect from the full experience, a prototype demo is available now to download on Steam. If all goes well, we could see the completed version of Paws and Leaves: A Last Tale released for Windows PC sometime in September 2026.

• Advertisement
• Help support AGH by advertising with us