Little Kitty, Big City
Little Kitty, Big City
Game
Game2021
Essays on Empathy
Developer Deconstructeam
Essays on Empathy is a 2021 video game compilation by Spanish independent developer Deconstructeam and published by Devolver Digital. The game contains ten short "interactive stories", including one new title, De Tres al Cuarto, developed specifically for the compilation. Following the onset of the coronavirus pandemic in 2020, which negatively impacted the development team, the compilation was created as a side… From Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)
123 reactions from 2 sources (Steam reviews, Bluesky) · newest Oct 7, 2026 · last updated Oct 8, 2026 · How this works
Audience score
80
LovedLoved
96 positive · 24 negative
95% range 72–86%
| Source | + | − | = |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steam reviews | 96 | 24 | 0 |
| Bluesky * | 0 | 0 | 0 |
* shown, not counted in the score (label accuracy below our 85% bar or not yet audited).
3 newer reactions are still waiting for a label.
Steam's own rating
Mostly Positive
169 of 212 reviews positive (all languages, per Valve)
What people are saying
Summary pending — the reactions are listed below.
Reactions
60 of 123 · most liked firstThis is like touring a vineyard or a craft brewery. For $13, you get not only several samples of their wares (some progenitors to games like Red Strings Club, some completely unique), but you also get wonderful commentary for each and every one of these by the artisans that made them, as well as the history of the studio and the people within over the past few years. These commentaries are completely optional, and can be taken before or after or never at all in relation to the games, although…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →So what exactly are the games on offer in this captivating collection? Let me break it down into its ten components: Underground Hangovers (Genre: Metroidvania/Platformer) If you had to leave a mysterious planet tomorrow would you: a) go to sleep at a reasonable time to ensure you don't miss the only rocket off the planet, or b) have a massive party, wake up with a throbbing hangover, and miss the only rocket off the planet? Well in this case, the unfortunate party from Underground Hangovers…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →- Short Review - Essentially a collection of short stories that cover a wide range of topics. I will say there are strong themes in most, if not all, of the games present in Essays on Empathy. There are warnings before you play each one so you will not be blindsided. A lot of these games hit close to home, so please play with care. - Toasty - 11.45 A Vivid Life Eternal Home Floristry Behind Every Great One A Bookshelf Limbo De Tres al Cuarto Dear Substance of Kin Supercontinent Ltd…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →First: Everyone who rates this negative didn't get the point. Let me explain why. This is not a game, it is a collection. Regard it as a sketch book with some more, some less polished prototypes that are presented in a very nice basket. Decontructeam decided to put together a brief overview over their work of more than six years and selected ten games to go into this basket. They did not pick the best fruits, but the ones representing their development as a studio. If you know The Red Strings…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A collection of game-jam quality gamemaker studio games. Don't get me wrong, they would certainly be above average for most game jams, but overall? The game's are lacking a lot of substance. They have good ideas, writing that ranges from a bit boring to kinda good (so never outright terrible), art that's pretty consistently impressive, game mechanics that are not the greatest, and programming that just sucks (but that's also just gamemaker for you). The title of "essays on empathy" made me…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Okay so, I just played 'Zen and the Art of Transhumanism' and... What the hell is that?? CW: medical violence, breach of consent, chemical castration - Here's the pitch: your character works as a "human upgrade crafter" at H+Corps, a firm that makes specialized implants for private clients. Your job is to make and install the appropriate implants based on the clients' requests. After consulting the client files and the implant designs at your disposal, you quickly realize there are basically…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I like what these guys put out but I wouldn't recommend this. The videos would've been cool on youtube but they're the bulk of what you're going to be paying for here. I didn't play long enough to try all the games because I refunded it but the ones I tried weren't worth the money. Cool concept but isn't worth the price.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Played a few, but they were just incomplete and didn't appeal to me at all. I just didn't relate or find them fun/unique. Refunded.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →After playing the first two games in here i don't feel inclined to play any more of this. It's barely even playable, there are no settings, so the blaringly loud sound was only adjustable through the windows sound mixer, the controls were very finnicky (In Zen and the Art of Transhumanism sometimes the controller input just didn't work at all) This can barely be called game and i don't understand why someone would bent themselves backwards just to be able to "play" this any longer than a few…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →From the little I was able to play, Essays on Empathy was really good. Whether it’s picking a gift for your father or picking possibly the last flowers on earth for a memorial, every story packed a punch emotionally. The issue I had with the game was that only 3 of the 10 stories worked on Steam Deck despite being marked as playable. Sometimes the screen will start to flicker violently before crashing. Other times directional button inputs wouldn’t register at all before the controlled…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Unfortunately refunding and do not recommend. I liked the idea but I just can't get over how bad some of the mechanics are. None of the buttons in the main game appear to work (volume, fullscreen(?), exit). Each minigame launches in a new window that cannot be resized. I don't even have a 4k monitor but reading text and actually seeing the games was difficult. Those windows also do not have sound or graphics settings either. The mechanics of each game are not explained well and it makes even…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A collection of unfinished extremely buggy games. A complete disappointment.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I must admit, I didn't enjoy the games all that much. However, I'm giving a thumbs up to this particular game because it beautifully highlights a crucial aspect often overlooked, these games we play to pass the time are rooted in 'real' stories and real people. This game brings to the forefront the most genuine connection between the two parties, the consumer and the developer. It's a tribute to the true essence of gaming. Just don't skip the videos; they are as important as the games…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Essays on Empathy is not one game but a collection of ten rather short games. It comes with a video for each game in which the developers talk about the creation and struggles of said games and their experience developing games in general. While the pixel-graphics is phantastic and the atmosphere in most of the games terrific I still cannot recommend getting it. First the technical reason: While all games start, most of them do so in a very tiny window. This after the menu of the game is…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Essays of Empathy is a fascinating collection of short, narrative-driven experiments. I genuinely enjoyed my time with it overall, and the sheer variety of concepts kept me intrigued enough to see the package through to the near-end. (Finished most, but gave up on 3 games) However, it’s nothing to write home about and leaves me neutral. A handful of the games suffer from clunky controls, and the collection defaults to an annoying windowed screen mode. Pro Tip: If the windowed mode bothers…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The title really suits the game. As a (most likely) a mentally healthy person, I could experience a chunk of how people with mental struggles live. Especially the one in Behind Every Great One. I came in a condition where I didn't want to continue to the next day in the game because I didn't want to face the all the same (or even worse) struggles over and over again. Then I came into realisation that perhaps that's how people with mental struggles live. And it's terrifying just to imagine to…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →i'm so sad to leave a negative review because i really like the consept of their games and i love indie games in general. and i really liked the art-design. BUT, man i hate the fact that i have to watch every individual ''behind the scenes'' video of their games to do %100 achievements. finishing the games doesn't even take more time than watching the ''behind the scenes'' videos. absolutely hated to be forced to watch the videos. also all of the games are compeletely free in itch.io,…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Unintuitive, is the first thing that came to my mind. I really wish Steam had a "mixed opinion" option but it doesn't, and so I can't recommend it. The games are indeed from many game james and as such suffer from quite a few bugs, as i've suffered during play. Many of them have odd or old control scheme, much older than the year they were being made in, and some suffer from questionable design choices that impact the pacing and feel of the game overall. Some games simply have no help or…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I initially wanted to give this a negative review. I would still recommend aspiring game developers to try this “game.” The real value lies in the documentaries rather than the games themselves. The developers share their inspirations, decisions, and struggles, making this feel more like a development diary than a traditional game. The ten games included are mostly simple game jam style projects made using GameMaker Studio. From a quality standpoint, they are not very polished. There are no…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Essays of Empathy is a collection of little, short games which are all full of soul. The games themselves shift between a variety of genres and different moods quite effortlessly and what's very interesting in this package is also the developers' commentary about each game's creative process. I didn't know much about them except the fact that I loved Gods Will Be Watching, so this was really nice to see. Some of the games aren't exactly the most polished games ever, but (particularly…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This kind of anodyne hipster garbage just sucks. Look, I'm sure these are some very nice overly educated people whose parents have setup very lovely trust funds for them, but that only begs the question of why we're paying for this stuff. I'd say only one or two of these has actual game design and the rest are just here to tell a story which is actually something I love to see; but just like a movie needs film language and books need... well language, interaction needs to work on a mechanical…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Too pretentious and unfocused. Great music tho... But this is a game, not a music video.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This is not just a game, it's a manifesto about what are games right now and about what they can achieve as an artistic medium. You can feel the "empathy" of the title in the ten works, but it's specially in Behind Every Great One and De Tres al Cuarto where this amazing experiment shines and shows us how videogames are capable of dealing with human relationships and emotions.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Extremely easy to recommend, there's so much here to appreciate. Compelling narratives, consistently great music, beautiful art, relatable and believable characters. Always love when a game's mechanics tie in with its themes. Basically everything in here made me feel something real. Just buy it. With 10 unique experiences it's a safe bet you're gonna find something you like. The interviews are such a cool bonus too! I love hearing artists talk about their creative process but it's especially…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Underrated. I have only completed two stories and I love De Tres Al Cuarto so much. Its essence somewhat reminds me of The Red Strings Club. A very heart-touching and cute story.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The game is buggy and it's hard to figure out what the next step would be.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Game for those who tells stories. Some are short, some are too sjw/lgbt centered, but all in all it's a perfect interactive essay on visual storytelling
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →some of the earlier games are rough around the edges, but it's worth playing through just for "behind every great one", "eternal home floristry" and "de tres al cuarto"
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This game contains 10 different small video games. And every single one of them is a proof that video game can be art.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This is a fascinating anthology of games which could not be titled more aptly. Just as the name says, this game contains a collection of several small games that are all designed to elicit some form of empathy from the player. For me, this was mostly highly successful, my favorite stories being about the 2 comedians and the Wife to the artist so far. Both brought more than a tear to my eye. There is also a lot of insight about how each game was made which is cool. I haven't looked into it much…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →It's a good collection of some really nice game jam games- and an invaluable look at the work of Deconstructeam. It's the whole journey from before The Red Strings Club to working on The Cosmic Wheel Sisterhood, and I'd highly recommend playing both those and this for the fullest picture. The real gem, however, is the videos. It's an absolutely incredible chance to look behind the curtain, of how they develop games and why they make the ones they do. For that alone, this is worth it.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I really wanted to like this collection of games. And there were multiple times where they had me on the edge of liking them.... but I just don't. Every idea that I liked seemed to fall pretty flat in my opinion. I hope the Red String Club is better.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A collection of ten short games from Deconstructeam. It's really cool seeing how a game team develops a style. I see this like a short story collection - short and sweet, with thoughts from the creators at the end on how each game came together. There's a few bugs and typos, but overall this is really cool.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →these games are discontinued prototypes. i get the feeling when devs wanna show out their core ideas of unpublished games, whether it takes too much resources to completed or just simply not fun. but hay, when i choose to play a game, i want to complete it too! so why not include cheat or god mode? (since your game is not completed in the first place.)
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →10 different games by developer Deconstructeam along with videos and galleries accompanying them. It feels like this is for fans of the studio, but I don't really know who they are so it feels like I just paid for an assortment of buggy and typo-ridden demos.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I straight up wept during the first 20 minutes of playing these games.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I just played 2 of the games, De tres al cuarto and the bookshelf limbo but I kind of know that the rest are gonna be just as great. Small and intimate games the Deconstructeam team manages to infuse all their work with something inexplicable that makes me want to come back again and again.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Deconstructeam as always coming in with quality work. You might've played some of them already online but they are beautiful stories and the gallery and documentary parts are absolutely worth it if you're a fan
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →⣿⣿⡻⠿⣳⠸⢿⡇⢇⣿⡧⢹⠿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣾⣿⡇⣿⣿⣿⣿⡿⡐⣯⠁ ⠄⠄ ⠟⣛⣽⡳⠼⠄⠈⣷⡾⣥⣱⠃⠣⣿⣿⣿⣯⣭⠽⡇⣿⣿⣿⣿⣟⢢⠏⠄ ⠄ ⢠⡿⠶⣮⣝⣿⠄⠄⠈⡥⢭⣥⠅⢌⣽⣿⣻⢶⣭⡿⠿⠜⢿⣿⣿⡿⠁⠄⠄ ⠄⣼⣧⠤⢌⣭⡇⠄⠄⠄⠭⠭⠭⠯⠴⣚⣉⣛⡢⠭⠵⢶⣾⣦⡍⠁⠄⠄⠄⠄ ⠄⣿⣷⣯⣭⡷⠄⠄⢀⣀⠩⠍⢉⣛⣛⠫⢏⣈⣭⣥⣶⣶⣦⣭⣛⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄ ⢀⣿⣿⣿⡿⠃⢀⣴⣿⣿⣿⣎⢩⠌⣡⣶⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣆⠄⠄⠄ ⢸⡿⢟⣽⠎⣰⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⢀⣾⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣦⠄⠄ ⣰⠯⣾⢅⣼⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⡇⣾⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⡄⠄ ⢰⣄⡉⣼⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⢸⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣧⠄ ⢯⣌⢹⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⢸⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⠄ ⢸⣇⣽⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⠸⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⠄ ⢸⣟⣧⡻⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣧⡻⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⠄ ⠈⢹⡧⣿⣸⠿⢿⣿⣿⣿⣿⡿⠗⣈⠻⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⡇⠄ ⠄⠘⢷⡳⣾⣷⣶⣶⣶⣶⣶⣾⣿⣿⢀⣶⣶⣶⣾⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⠇⠄ ⠄⠄⠈⣵⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⢸⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⠄⠄ ⠄⠄⠄⠸⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⠘⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⠇⠄⠄
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →It's a collection of small games so it's bound to be unequal, but almost all of them have interesting theme executed with much poetry and sensitivity to the h u m a n c o n d i t i o n . And then, there's 3 or four very solid ones. Just smart and thoughtful games, showing what the medium can also be.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Bought Essays on Empathy. Recieved lessons in empathy.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I wish I could give this a thumbs up, but it has a weird problem. Any time you leave the main window where you pick games and play them, etc, the window automatically leaves full-screen mode and becomes uninteractable. If I want to leave a game or look at anything else in Essays on Empathy, it requires a full exit and restart. And, considering that playing games will cause this issue, it is an unbelievable pain in the ass. The couple games I played were fine (not great, just eh), but forcing…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Essays on Empathy, developed by Deconstructeam and published by Devolver Digital, is a deeply introspective anthology that invites players to experience a series of compact, story-driven games centered on the human condition. Rather than a single narrative, this collection offers ten individual vignettes, each with its own tone, theme, and gameplay structure, united by a shared commitment to emotional depth and narrative experimentation. The anthology doesn’t just aim to entertain—it encourages…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I adore Deconstructeam. Their work always manages to strike a deep emotional chord, blending meaningful storytelling with immersive gameplay. Essays on Empathy is no exception—it’s a collection that not only invites you to experience thoughtfully crafted, intimate games but also offers a heartfelt glimpse into the creators' journey. What makes this compilation stand out isn’t just the variety of themes or the engaging mechanics but the soul behind each project. It’s a rare pleasure to not only…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The game that caught my attention and made me buy Essays on Empathy is Behind Every Great One. Initially I thought that each game would be along the same lines as Behind Every Great One, only changing the setting and characters, but I was surprised to see a variety in game genres, design and gameplay. Of course, due to the time limitation imposed by game jams, you shouldn't expect games with a completed and enjoyable gameplay. Most are more contemplative games, with simple point and click…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Really cool collection documenting the development of a small studio in art, music, storytelling and game mechanics.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I played The Red Strings Club and it's one of my most favorite interactive point and click games of all time. I just recently bought and am currently playing The Cosmic Wheel Sisterhood. I really enjoy the graphics, the music, and the storytelling in both games. Essays on empathy is a very well done compilation of the developer's earlier mini-games and with their added documentary clips, gives very detailed insight into how this studio evolved from one game to the next. The entire package…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Works better if you are a Deconstructeam fan. I do understand better why I love their work so much now.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Feels like going to a winery and sampling all the product. So many different flavors of story and game play. The "Dear Substance of Kin" was my favorite one. The world building in that one makes me want to write a story based on it.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Although some of the games are tedious and/or lack substance, most of them are great. The art is amazing in all of them; Deoconstructeam never fails on that. Standout games are: Behind Every Great One, A Vivid Life, Eternal Home Floristry, The Bookshelf Limbo, and my favourite: De Tres al Cuarto. Those are the ones I think have the best story, and De Tres al Cuarto and A Vivid life were the most innovative ones, in my opinion.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I love Deconstructeam games and it's great to get an insight in their creative process. Also this collection have very emotional games mainly "Behind Every Great One' and "De tres al cuarto" are wonderful gems I think everyone will enjoy.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Really cool! Enjoyed the exclusive game (De Tres al Cuarto) and have watched videos on a few of the others. Definitely something to go through slowly; one game at a time.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Been on my wish list for a while now. Got it on the Summer Sale for $2.59 so I thought I would give it a whirl cuz it looks cool. Main screen is cool with the sounds, but like - no options or settings? First Story Pretty hard, really not fun...the controls are weird. Can't get out of windowed mode which really sucks so I quit. Second Story Can't even expand the screen never mind get out of windowed mode, dealing with a small window sucks. Got completely stuck in the office, couldn't figure…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Appleseed's Indie Game Of The Day! Day 272) Essays on Empathy by Deconstructeam A series of games wrapped into one. Essays on Empathy tackles various themes in its multitude of games, and while each is short - I do think there's some style of game or content that speaks to everyone.
unlabelledView post →A collection of truly unique games by divergently thinking passionate indie game-makers. I appreciate: the wide range of topics which the chose to include in the storytelling (dark and violent themes, psychological health, LGBT relationships, ...), the unprecedented mechanics to use in each game and the overall implicit message reminding us that it might be an eye-opening experience to step in other people's shoes more often.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This is such an amazing set up for a collection! The insight from the developers and how convenient it is to have all these games in one screen really makes it worth the purchase, but sadly not for the complete price listed. Coupled with the fact that most of these are Ludum Dares and Game Jam games that are all listed for free on itch.io (Even De Tres al Cuarto can be downloaded for free and it was supposedly made specifically for the collection), some of these games have game-breaking…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →STEAM RATING: 8.7/10 Essays on Empathy stands out as an anthological game series, a product of the unique collaboration between Deconstructeam’s trio of creatives: Jordi, Marina, and Paula. This team has crafted ten short games encapsulated on an 8-bit isometric landscape, each resulting from their various experimentations, 'happy accidents,' and Lurem Dure themes. While some may wonder about the creative writer’s decision to mix literary devices as part of the game’s title—it provides a…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A wonderful collection of short games, each with something interesting, but more importantly, telling the story of this tiny studio developing their craft. The mini documentary is the real star here (and it seems a shame that, according to the achievements, a lot of people are skipping the videos and just playing the games). It explores what each game meant to the creators, what new ideas it brought that they carried forward, and some of their personal struggles. The games themselves are raw.…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →An incredibly powerful set of short narrative experiences with accompanying interviews discussing the nuances of narrative development, being LGBTQ in the Spanish game development scene, crunch, inspiration, and a whole range of topics important to the Deconstructeam. Standout games for me are Behind Every Great One, 11:45: A Vivid Life, Eternal Home Floristry, and De Tres Al Cuarto - all of them explore the collection's central concept of empathy in unique and often deeply effecting ways.…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Overall this anthology is a pleasant experience, my only gripe is I wish there was more content in individual games. However, having watched the documentaries after playing each game, I understand why there wasn’t. I’m going to delve into each of the different games. I’ll be ordering them from least liked to most liked in my personal opinion. Spoilers ahead of course. Zen and the Art of Transhumanism: Right off the bat it’s difficult to play, the action button on the keyboard is x or space.…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →
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