Wildlife has inspired many artists, from Van Gogh and his painting of Starry Night, to The Birth of Adam in the Sistine Chapel. We continue to see this inspiration from nature in the game Shelter, by developers Might and Delight. In this game you play as a mother badger fighting against the elements of nature for her and the baby badgers’ survival.
Atmosphere:
In the beginning of the game the main character is introduced as a mother badger, behind you is a small pack of baby badgers with one badger starving and crying, to continue onto the next area, you must find a source of food inside your den and feed it to your child. Only after feeding your child will you be able to continue to the next area, the game has many scenarios like this of taking care of your young. This not only introduces the motherly role, it also introduces that you have the responsibility of taking care of the companions and that your performance in the game will determine their survival. Further in the game the combat feature is introduced: unlike most games, Shelter’s combat is based upon real life element such as sneaking and the elements of nature, and less upon the character’s skill and level. This form of combat works perfectly for the nature based feel of Shelter.
Visual Effects:
The game’s graphics is that of an awkward art. In the beginning of the game it looks absolutely odd, but after time the art settles in, it becomes a thing of pure beauty. In conjunction to the look, the sounds of the environment are absolutely stunning all throughout; from the sound of the dirt beneath your feet, to that of the whines of your young, the sounds are both absolutely beautiful and immersive.
Worth the money?:
I purchased the game during the Steam winter sale for close to $3, and for this amount I would say 100% yes. However, taking in the replay value of the game and the amount of the original price I would say that Shelter is more of a game you should wait to purchase until another sale comes around. The game is a wonderful piece of art, but after playing for 6(ish) hours, I would say that it does not have a high replay value and my chances of launching the .exe file of Shelter are very low.
This game is a great time waster. I recommend it to anyone wanting to spend a great afternoon gaming. All in all, this game is a prime example of how gaming is evolving into art.
Final Score:Â 3.8/5
– Game looked great, missing replay value.
[SlideDeck2 id=9271]
I first started my life as a gamer on the Christmas of 2001- that was when my father purchased the first Playstation for me- throughout the years the gaming industry evolved and so did my love for gaming, for me gaming was not just a past time—it turned into a passion. Currently I am in college for game design and business in efforts that one day I can change the world of gaming forever.
