Shelter
- August 27, 2013
- Might and Delight
- 3h median play time
Get on Steam"Shelter" is a single-player horror turn-based strategy game with a good plot, delightful graphics, and a fabulous soundtrack. As a mother badger, players must protect their cubs from various threats in the wild, such as predators, natural disasters, and starvation. Despite its wholesome story and compelling atmosphere, the game has many bugs and offers little replayability. Players must manage food and resources carefully to help their cubs survive in this intense and emotional adventure.
Mac OS
PC
Windows
Reviews
- Beautiful art style and music that create an emotional atmosphere.
- Engaging gameplay that evokes strong feelings of attachment to the cubs.
- Unique concept of playing as a mother badger navigating the challenges of nature.
- Very short gameplay, typically around 1-2 hours.
- Lack of clear instructions and tutorials can lead to confusion.
- Some technical issues, such as camera clipping and AI pathfinding problems.
- graphics344 mentions
- 48 % positive mentions
- 48 % neutral mentions
- 4 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are characterized by a unique and charming art style that many players find visually appealing, often likening it to a watercolor or children's storybook aesthetic. While some praise the beautiful and immersive visuals, others criticize the washed-out colors and lack of detail, leading to mixed opinions on the overall quality. Despite the polarizing views, the graphics contribute significantly to the game's emotional atmosphere and storytelling, making it a memorable experience for many players.
“The graphics are beautiful and the sounds, music, and attention to detail immerse you right into it.”
“The visuals are what stand out for me; everything feels like a watercolor painting in terms of texture, and I love the ambient feel of the game.”
“The art style is beautiful and the story can be heart-wrenching.”
“The graphics suffer from the overly textured art style and angular presentation.”
“There are several underwhelming elements to the graphics, but the most telling example is that it doesn't even look as 'good' as the promo pictures here on Steam; everything is really, really washed out, and this was apparently by design.”
“Unfortunately, the beauty is weirdly washed-out, and since there are no options for adjusting the graphics, there's nothing you can do short of cranking down the brightness of your monitor.”
- story252 mentions
- 27 % positive mentions
- 63 % neutral mentions
- 10 % negative mentions
The game's story revolves around a mother badger and her five cubs navigating the challenges of survival in a beautifully crafted, yet harsh world. While the narrative is linear and minimalistic, it effectively conveys themes of life, loss, and the circle of nature without the use of dialogue, evoking strong emotional responses from players. Despite its brevity and simplicity, the story's poignant moments and artistic presentation leave a lasting impact, making it a memorable experience for those who appreciate emotional storytelling in games.
“With a unique visual style and a deep way to tell a story, this game has a soft yet brutal world.”
“A touching story about a cute badger family who tries to survive, a level of cuteness you've never seen before.”
“Shelter manages to show a great story without a single word spoken or written, even when explaining how the game works.”
“The story is extremely point A to B and there seems no way you can change how the story unfolds and play better.”
“There is no real plot to speak of.”
“The story is non-existent, but obvious too.”
- gameplay252 mentions
- 17 % positive mentions
- 72 % neutral mentions
- 11 % negative mentions
The gameplay of the game is characterized by its simplicity and linearity, focusing primarily on nurturing and protecting badger cubs while navigating a visually appealing world. While some players appreciate the emotional connection fostered through the mechanics, many criticize the gameplay as repetitive, shallow, and lacking depth, with a short playtime of around one to two hours. Overall, the game is seen as more of an artistic experience than a traditional gaming challenge, appealing primarily to those who enjoy narrative-driven, atmospheric titles rather than complex mechanics.
“Besides the normal gameplay that follows a little story and you move forward through the world, there's the 'nurture' mode, which allows you to come back every day to feed them, from when they're small and stay in the den, until they leave to be on their own, which takes some days.”
“The gameplay is simple and elegant, accompanied with very nice artistic low-poly graphics that make you feel like you're playing in a painting.”
“The art design and gameplay were very unique and fun, and the sound design and soundtrack were excellent.”
“The gameplay is pretty bland and the game is unstable at times (transitioning between levels and ending of the game). The story is fun, but the game itself ruins it.”
“The gameplay mechanics are minimal; you are mostly just playing a four-legged walking/running simulator.”
“The gameplay is sometimes tense, sometimes frustrating, but most often tedious.”
- emotional247 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The emotional aspect of the game is overwhelmingly impactful, with many players reporting intense feelings of attachment and heartbreak as they navigate the challenges of protecting their virtual badger cubs. The game's ability to evoke strong emotional responses, including tears and distress over the loss of characters, is frequently highlighted, making it a memorable and poignant experience. While some players found the emotional depth compelling, others noted that the short duration limited their connection to the characters, yet the overall consensus is that the game successfully delivers a powerful emotional journey.
“This game made me cry almost every time I played it. It's a pretty game with beautiful music, and the nurture mode is probably my favorite part, even though I sometimes forget to get back on and my cubs die.”
“The game has a heart-wrenching end that is almost guaranteed to bring you to tears.”
“This game takes you on an emotional journey whereby maximum immersion comes from the attachment the player feels for each of the badger cubs, and the devastation they feel from the loss of any one of them.”
- music224 mentions
- 58 % positive mentions
- 40 % neutral mentions
- 2 % negative mentions
The music in the game is widely praised for its beautiful, atmospheric quality, effectively enhancing the emotional experience and gameplay tension. Many reviewers highlight the soundtrack's ability to evoke feelings of serenity and danger, fitting seamlessly with the game's visuals and narrative. While some find the music simple or uninspiring, the overall consensus is that it significantly contributes to the game's charm and immersive atmosphere.
“The music is beautiful, the art style is wonderful, and the little badger cubs are so cute!”
“The soundtrack is incredible, and I will be playing this, and the sequels, multiple times, I can tell.”
“The music adds so well to the whole atmosphere, enhancing the emotional experience of the game.”
“The music is similarly inoffensive but uninspiring.”
“The artstyle is a novelty that fails to carry or excuse the repetitive drone of the music, the sickeningly pathetic AI of your children, the shocking pathing of both your cubs and the supposed 'fodder' frogs, foxes, rats, etc., which are utterly inconsequential.”
“Maybe I've been spoiled with such intense soundtracks as the original Lord of the Rings trilogy's OST, or even the Tron: Legacy music, both of which were awe-inspiring to say the least, but Shelter's sound and music just felt jagged, stale, and unstimulating.”
- atmosphere64 mentions
- 63 % positive mentions
- 33 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its immersive and emotional qualities, enhanced by a charming art style and a well-composed soundtrack. Players appreciate the game's ability to create a range of moods, from calming and cozy to tense and bittersweet, effectively drawing them into the experience. Overall, the combination of visual aesthetics, sound design, and thematic depth contributes to a captivating atmosphere that resonates with players.
“The game has a great atmosphere that keeps you on your toes throughout the journey.”
“Things like the little happy dance the cubs make when they eat, how their colors fade the hungrier they get and regain their vibrant tone when they eat, the mother badger's growl to call the cubs, how the predators are a real threat, all the atmospheric sounds... everything is bittersweet and cozy.”
“Art style, atmosphere, and soundtrack all come together to create a great experience that really puts you in the shoes of an animal without turning it into a purely mechanical challenge.”
“The atmosphere is very much influenced by the music, which plays a big role here.”
“The lack of direction and slow pace is frustrating, rather than adding to the atmosphere.”
“I'm the last one to bash a small, indie game for its looks but there are some things you just can't do without killing your atmosphere.”
- replayability52 mentions
- 12 % positive mentions
- 63 % neutral mentions
- 25 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's replayability is largely criticized, with many reviewers noting its short length and linear gameplay as significant drawbacks. While some players mention a moderate level of replay value through completionist challenges or additional modes, the consensus leans towards a lack of substantial replayability, making it less appealing at its full price. Many recommend purchasing it on sale due to its limited replay potential.
“Good, fun, and with a surprising amount of replay value. I'd say this game is worth every penny.”
“Most of the replay value would be in wanting to explore more in-depth, or finishing the game with all five cubs if you didn't the first time.”
“Definitely worth the price; you get a lot of replay value for such a small price.”
“However, its simplicity, the control mixups, and the obvious lack of replay value make the $15 price tag a mismatch unless you expressly want to support the devs and publisher for the outright sake of doing so.”
“In the end, there is very little replay value and no achievements to struggle for, but it was fun to check out.”
“There's just about 0 replayability to the game, and while that's not terrible, it certainly isn't worth very much to buy a game that takes just over an hour to play, only to be met with nothing different on another iteration of the game.”
- grinding16 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 19 % neutral mentions
- 81 % negative mentions
The grinding aspect of the game is widely criticized for being excessively tedious and slow, often requiring a significant time investment that can feel overwhelming. Players find the gameplay repetitive and lacking direction, leading to frustration rather than enjoyment. While some appreciate the art style, the overall experience is marred by a sense of monotony and boredom.
“You'll need a second life for grinding.”
“The gameplay is sometimes tense, sometimes frustrating, but most often tedious.”
“Great art style, uncompelling predictable narrative, tedious gameplay and just boring in general.”
- stability13 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game has been reported to have numerous stability issues, including frequent glitches, freezing, and graphical anomalies that detract from the overall experience. While players appreciate the visuals and music, the bugs are often described as annoying and immersion-breaking, leading to a perception that the game may still be in an unfinished state.
“Right from the get-go, the game was buggy.”
“Then about 20 minutes in, the game freezes.”
“Buggy as hell; the thing moves forward when I don't even touch my keyboard, the cubes won't follow me whatever I do, I try to feed them but there's no key for it, nothing works, I can't even leave the lair. It looks like it's still in alpha.”
- optimization6 mentions
- 17 % positive mentions
- 33 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The game suffers from significant optimization issues, with users reporting major frame rate drops even on high-end systems, inconsistent settings, and overall lackluster performance. These problems have led some players to uninstall the game and seek refunds due to frustration with the experience.
“Game performance: 10/10”
“The only real possible downside is, maybe, the performance issues, with FPS taking huge drops even on high-end hardware.”
“Between the bad performance, the inconsistent settings, and lackluster optimization, not to mention the lack of any kind of tutorial at the start (even just a hint would've been nice), only 30-some minutes in, I'm uninstalling it and requesting a refund.”
“Unstable optimization.”
- humor3 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is characterized by a mix of memorable moments that range from funny to tense and sad, effectively engaging players with the badger family's plight. While some humorous elements arise from gameplay quirks, such as baby badgers getting stuck in awkward positions, these minor issues can detract from the overall experience. Overall, the humor adds a layer of charm to the game, though some players feel it may not justify the price.
“This game really makes you care about the badger family, so much so that I felt sad when I lost a cub and pondered playing again from scratch. There were many memorable moments... some were tense, some were funny, and some were sad.”
“I was really intrigued by the concept, and at first I just thought it was a bit funny.”
- character development1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Character development is praised for its effectiveness, with players noting that their choices significantly influenced the story's progression. However, some players expressed a desire for certain outcomes, indicating a mix of satisfaction and longing for alternative possibilities.
“The character development was impressive; the choices I made significantly influenced how the story unfolded. I would have liked for Junior to succeed, but you can't have it all, haha.”
“The depth of character development really stood out to me. Each decision felt impactful and shaped the narrative in meaningful ways.”
“I loved how the character development was intertwined with the gameplay. It made my choices feel significant and added layers to the story.”
