Link Steam
indiegame.fan
Outside the pile of leaf litter header art

Outside the pile of leaf litter

In Toronto's cold, dry, pitch-black polar night, a four-string bass roars in a freezing basement. Sink into punker Jack's drug‑induced, hallucinatory "trip"—face the overwhelming unease through twisted fluid colors and a torn, fractured vision.

Steam Page
Developer
Saon
Publisher
Game Poetics
Release
Coming Soon
Steam Reviews
No reviews yet

Does this feel indie?

Vote based on whether this game feels indie to you. You can change your vote at any time. Results earn an IGF score after 10 accepted votes.
No votes yet
Vote on More Games
Game contextLatest: IGF Team
ContextThe evidence factors used to assess whether this game belongs on IndieGame.Fan.Status
Notes
Latest Contributor: IGF TeamEdit notes
Search Google: Who developed Outside the pile of leaf litter?Developer scaleThe operating scale of the game's developer.
Search Google: Who published Outside the pile of leaf litter?Publisher scaleThe operating scale of the game's publisher.
Search Google: Is Outside the pile of leaf litter self-published or published by Game Poetics?Publisher statusHow the game's publishing relationship is classified.
Search Google: How is Outside the pile of leaf litter and Game Poetics funded?FundingThe known source of funding behind the game.
Search Google: Who controls the creative direction and IP for Outside the pile of leaf litter and Saon?Creative controlWho appears to retain creative control of the game.
Search Google: What is the release status of Outside the pile of leaf litter?Release statusWhether and how the game has been released.

Media

6 items

About the Game

Add this to your wishlist to support us and help us polish this brutal story even further!

- The current build only unlocks a portion of Jack's storyline; future updates will expand the narrative and introduce more perspectives.

Story Summary:

In the underground rock scene at the turn of the millennium, an out-of-control journey into the fringes weaves together substance abuse, toxic sadomasochism, and raw violence.

Jack and Cassie are trapped in a toxic, codependent relationship fueled by mental abuse and shared trauma. When a drug-fueled vigilante act in the wilderness spirals into an irreversible murder, the dark underbelly of both the band and the urban underworld is exposed to a cold, unforgiving reality.

Key Features:

  • A deeply realistic and oppressive psychological thriller narrative.

  • Complex character portrayals full of flaws and moral bankruptcy.

  • An immersive recreation of the underground punk subculture at the turn of the century.

Character Descriptions:

     

     A punk bassist drowning in drugs and underground rock. Paranoid and fragile, he tends to channel his life's trauma and impotent rage into mental control and sadistic impulses toward those close to him.

     

     A traumatized and vulnerable marginal girl. Consumed by despair and panic, she displays a moth-to-a-flame, twisted attachment to toxic attention and absolute control.

     

     A lowlife drifter roaming the city's underbelly. Devoid of moral boundaries and full of hostility toward society, he easily abandons himself to raw, brutal impulses in the chaos.

     

     An outsider navigating a chaotic circle. Rational, cold, and utterly self-serving, they remain a detached observer on the edge of total collapse.

Indie Game Fan