Shelter

A simple and very enjoyable game. A few hours long at most and with little replay value, I still recommend it to anyone keen on relaxing badger adventures and protecting cubs from danger. The game is not a nature documentary in any way. It is a game and not educational. You have some various stages, where some are more exploration based and others has more dangers and action. If a cub dies it dies. Play it with a badger loving gf or bf for best experience.

I remember stumbling onto this while browsing through GOG and was instantly intrigued by the concept as well as the graphics. This game is simply delightful in every way as well as it is bittersweet. It is surprisingly challenging when you're first getting a handle of the levels, which unfortunately cost me a cub or two a few times. Each little baby badger has a unique fur pattern, so when you lose one it's not just about how many you have left but which ones you lost (If you're like me and like to give names and personalities to your characters in games like this, this can be quite distressing if you have a favorite or two and lose them!), and I really appreciate that attention to detail. the controls are really easy to follow, execute and are fully customizable, which again I greatly appreciate, as I sometimes prefer to use certain buttons for certain commands. There is no lag or delay in movement and the music as well as the natural ambience of the game is very soothing and pleasant to listen to, though I oddly find myself enjoying this game best without music and I do recommend it as a standard when playing this personally; it not only was a lot more relaxing, but when tense moments in the came came up it strangely added to it more, at least that was the case for me. I have beaten it a few times already and intend to beat it a few times again as it is just a generally relaxing game for me. I've not played it's sequel yet, but this game has definitely convinced me to change that very soon. Love this game! 5 stars all the way.

Shelter has you play as a mother badger trying to get her 5 cubs through 5 levels, with the hopes of keeping as many cubs alive as possible. It's an experience rather than a game, but it never goes deep enough or becomes realistic enough to leave a lasting impression. The first problem being, why exactly is the mother moving the cubs from one point to another. Throughout each level you're tasked with moving your cubs from relative safety to a nondescript endpoint, for some unexplained reason. The more you walk, the more your cubs get hungry, but there's enough food to go around, provided you don't get lost. Each level is unique design-wise, but in each level it seems as if many items were created once and then copy and pasted. Walking past a stream which looks exactly like the previous two streams you crossed, you have to wonder if you're going around in circles. Even if you do know where you're going, and you simply want to explore the interesting looking level, you'll be punished. It's best to stay on the rigid path you're on, surrounded by invisible walls, and use uneaten food as an indicator of an area you haven't been in before. The cubs you escort do get bigger as the levels progress, which is nice, but they are too similar and don't show a personality of their own, so losing one isn't as touching as it could have been. Instead it's more annoying, since more often than not you'll slip up once and instantly lose a cub, meaning you have to restart the level if you want all cubs to survive. You can complete the game with only some of the cubs, which is what I did, which doesn't seem to change much. The dangers to the cubs also get repeated far too often, with one level having several streams you need to cross safely, and several levels having a bird that hunts you down, which you can avoid by observing its shadow. The game doesn't offer enough unique experiences, and the badgers could have been replaced by any other animal. Ending also felt incredibly forced.

After pid, I sure expected better from Might&Delight. This is a very linear, very short, and very scripted game... well, it's more of an experiment than a game to be honest. Which is a shame because as a real survival game it could have been so much more while still delivering a strong message. It's also not very challenging. I lost 2 cubs during my playthrough, and it felt very unfair. The first time, in the 2nd level, the game teaches you that if you hear a specific sound there is danger nearby. But then one of my cubs gets snatched without this sound warning. The other one was killed because of a bug a couple of levels later. Needless to say that nearly ruined everything for me. Overall the dangers are not that hard to avoid and there is more than enough food for all the cubs, making scavenging and choosing which cub to feed kinda pointless.

What beautiful art style and game atmosphere in this one. I have only just begun to enjoy my time in Shelter, but already I am loving so much that its shown so far. I love the minimalistic UI and the clever lighting from inside the tunnels to outside during daylight. Even the simplistic controls and gameplay ensures the experience is authentic to the actual life of a badger mother and her pups. In Shelter you play as a mother badger and you traverse the overworld in search of food to ensure the pups that follow you around don't fade away. You can ram trees that have red fruit hanging from the branches, or rip up root veggies for your pups to fight over. I like that you can place food directly in front of the most faded pup since the nearest pup will always go for the food. The game feels authentic to nature, and to the natural atmosphere it creates. The plot is not told through text, but through the situations that happen as you experience the landscape. It impressed me in how simple it was but how profound an experience it left me with. Again, it must be said how lush and relaxing the landscape was. I have been playing on windows 10 with mouse and keyboard and barring some clunky camera controls, actually enjoyed every other bit about the game. In terms of replayability I wouldn't be opposed to a return romp through after some time has passed. I appreciate the calm but invigorating feeling you get from experiencing a simulation game this pure that it truly immerses you into the mind and even essence of the Badger. Replayability is where I definitely feel Shelter is most weak in, so you might not revisit this experience again... so enjoy it! Audio - 9.5/10 Gameplay - 9/10 Graphics/Art - 10/10 * Plot - 10/10 * Replayability - 5/10