Shelter Critic Reviews

Go pick it up and give it a try, you’re bound to find something unique.

A beautifully simple story about a family of badgers, trying to survive. Other than tears, this brings out the mother in all of us.

Shelter is the nature version of Journey, with as a major difference that you have something to lose. The game is serene and tense, linear in a way that it feels natural, beautiful and simply special in every way.

If you found Proteus poignant and Gone Home felt like going home, Shelter will break your heart.

A simple but incredibly powerful experience, that uses interaction to convey well known themes in a different, emotional and bizarrely frightening way.

It's definitely something unique. We could tell you many things about it, but it's something you need to experiment and draw your own conclusions.

While the game is somewhat pricey considering its runtime lands just slightly over two hours, it’s marvelously unique. If you’re even slightly interested in what living the life of a badger is like, give it a shot. Its mechanics do grow tired towards the end, but the overall experience is so fascinating I can’t help but recommend it.

By successfully tapping into parental instincts rarely solicited by video games, and offering a parable about nurture and sacrifice, it's a beautiful game within, too.

Shelter is a bit short and a bit too easy, but it's also beautiful, touching and unique. Also, it's a game about badgers, how could you not like it? I would love to see an expanded sequel, even if it would just be more of the same.

Try and play Shelter as a perfectionist and you’ll fail, the victim of a cruel world and occasionally clunky, unclear rules. Better to simply do your best, allow Might and Delight’s fantastical art to enthrall, and let nature take its course.

Even if it is at times too orderly and directed, Shelter remains admirably blunt in its emulation of life throughout its short, two hour length.

This is a lovely game, let down not by its mechanical simplicity, but by its resistance to doing more with those mechanics. Yet when it taps into basic animal instinct, Shelter reminds us just how precious life is, and how apathetic the laws of nature are to our pleas for mercy.

An original and experimental game, that delivers a truly emotional experience. On the other hand, it suffers from a repetitive gameplay and a of general lack of indications, which can be frustrating.

Any game that can make me haul out quotes from both a 17thcentury philosopher and a 60’s era bard is worthy of note, but the technical shortcomings (i.e. camera wrangling) of several generations ago, and the fact that it can easily be completed in one sitting, really hamstring the overall experience that Shelter offers when it comes down to the brass tacks.

Portraying the casual indifference from nature to it residents is a neat idea, but Shelter can't come up with enough ways to cleverly explore that relationship. The message is clear pretty early on and a change in scenery and context isn't enough to make it any more interesting. It sure is beautiful, though, and as the final scene fades away you can't help but smile.

As a man I might not be qualified to judge this, but I think the developers did a great job tackling the subject of maternity.

The last work of Might and Delight looks like a simple and extremely short title, but able to tell a story that excites and involves.

Shelter is a game about being a badger and strange as that may sound it is first and foremost a pleasant and beautiful little adventure. It doesn't really strive to anything majestic but it's still a great game for those who want something different.

Shelter certainly doesn’t outstay its welcome, clocking in at just over an hour for an entire playthrough. It’s a short game with just a few levels, but given the lack of variety it is probably a good thing it’s not much longer.

The base idea has plenty of potential, although for some reason the developer built only the bare minimum around it. At least the game is cheap. If you're looking for something unusual, and temporarily weird but in semi-satisfying way, I recommend giving it a chance.