What started as something I thought of as a relaxing, light-hearted adventure ended up becoming a very emotionally engaging assault on the senses. Every new level/setting I entered I would think to myself, "there's no way they can top this", but lo and behold, I was even more impressed with each new area I entered. The music is incredibly well done and obviously hand crafted personally with much thought put into it, as every piece fits it's respective area very, very well.

As fine as I think the game is in it's current state, I don't think anyone would deny that more areas would be a very welcome addition. The game is quite short but doesn't overstay it's welcome, in my opinion it's just right for the concept and the message it's trying to convey.
This is a game you'll want to show your friends and family.

I named my badgers. Some of them died. Then the game ended. Then I cried.

10/10 will cry again

WORST ENDING EVER!!! 8/10. Fun game for an hour or so though, very short.

Although short, it is worth it. You play as a mother badger protecting her young from the dangers of the world and feeding them. That's all there is to it really. Its about nature and how cruel she can really be.

The unique art style and music really contribute and make the game something special. There is some replayability here, get to the end with all your babies alive and feel like a champ doing so!

It will take about two hours of your time to do so, you will not be shooting at people or aliens or bananas and you will not be driving super fast cars. Its simple and unique, short and sweet.

Let me start by saying that even though I'm not recommending this game here, it isn't by any means a broken or even objectively bad game. It's just that what it does offer will appeal to only a very particular type of player.

I am not a good mother. In my first and only playthrough, I managed to lose all but two of my cubs. The cubs must be fed regularly or else... As they get hungrier, they become pale. This makes it easier to decide who gets to eat next, a decision you will be making very often. While the controls are generally manageable, it can sometimes be difficult to steer the mother badger toward the desired cubs at feeding time. The task is somewhat alleviated by the cubs spreading out around you, but they occasionally continue to adjust to your adjustments and a mildly frustrating process of microadjusting with the WASD keys ensues. Fortunately, there is plenty of food in the game, so starvation should never actually be a problem. Were I to play this again, I would try to skip more than half of the food I collected.

The path you travel is very straightforward. Sometimes areas open up a bit and there might be different routes to take around an obstacle, but they always lead to the same exit. I would have liked to see some kind of reward for exploration apart from another token of the same food items (which, again, are bountiful). As it stands, you are always best rewarded by traveling directly for the exit.

There are a few timing puzzles. None of them are especially difficult, though it's a bit of a guess how to proceed through the hazards at times. This is always what cost me my cubs. I found this to be one of the game's strengths, however, as it does enhance the feeling of being in the wild and trying to make the best decision possible without all of the necessary information. Reloading is impractical, and the long stretches of relatively boring wandering serve to discourage starting over when something goes wrong. While this is effective in design, it's a bit overwhelming (especially for such a short game) that boredom is the greatest penalty for failure and cheapness. This factor alone is my biggest hesitation about recommending Shelter.

Aesthetically the game is a mixed bag as well. I personally enjoyed the music (folky post-rock vibes) and the art style. The most confusing flaw in the production is the washed out look of the game. No matter how I set my monitor, it looks like the brightness is far too high. This might have been designed to give the colors a pastel quality, which it does to some extent, but I found it far too distracting throughout the game. It was something I was never quite able to adjust to.

I try to save my recommendations for games I think anyone could enjoy. Shelter asks for a lot of patience from the player, which will certainly not be for everyone. There are no glaring bugs, however, and the game is short enough to not overstay its welcome for the most part. If you're already intrigued by Shelter, pick it up and have fun! On the other hand, most players should know what they're getting into.

Putkijuoksu jossa ei tapahdu yhtään mitään. Peli läpäisty 40 minuutissa ja se koko aika oli täyttä tuskaa.