Shelter

Shelter (2013) and its sequels are traversal games where you play as a mother animal guiding her cubs to safety. Across different environments, you need to forage for food to feed your young, protect them from predators, and get them to safety. It stands out for the bond it creates between you and your cubs, with the ever-present urgency of your mission and the real chance of loss highlighting the brutality and impartiality of the natural world.

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In the original Shelter, you play a badger and must guide your cubs to a new Sett. As you travel across the land, you must continually forage for food to keep your cubs healthy while protecting them from predators by moving between pieces of cover when the coast is clear. The threat of losing a cub at any point, and making it to your new home with all your cubs, relies on constant wariness and split-second decision-making.

The sequels and spin-offs stick to the same formula but with different animals, environments, and hurdles to overcome:

• Shelter (2013) PC and Mac.
• Shelter 2 (2015), where you play a lynx mother in a frozen tundra, PC and Mac.
• Paws (2016), where you play a lynx cub who meets a bear, PC and Mac.
• Meadow (2016), a more open, multiplayer game, where you play several animals, PC and Mac.
• Shelter Generations (2018) contains Shelter 2 and Paws, on Switch.
• Shelter 3 (2021), where you play an elephant mother in a savanna, PC and Mac.

There are also two digital storybooks:

• The Lonesome Frog (2016) PC and Mac.
• Fables from the Den (2016) PC and Mac.

The result is a game that highlights the ruthlessness of nature and the struggle inherent in the day-to-day lives of animals. The emotional bond formed between you and your cubs and the sense of loss or achievement at every failure or success, no matter how small, makes it a memorable and moving experience.

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Our examiner, Andy Robertson, first checked Shelter 4 months ago. It was re-examined by Ellen Robertson and updated 9 weeks ago.