Shelter 2

100% nature, this game sees you playing as a mother Lynx in a beautiful open world. Your aim? To see your beautiful cub survive into adulthood. The graphical style will make you feel genuine devotion to your kids. Pure wonder.

It’s not easy being a single mother in a hostile world. In Shelter 2 you play as a mother lynx, and you’ll learn that wild animals don’t have it easy.

Your main objective is to get the rabbits you hunted and killed back to your lair. Here’s a tip before you start: as there’s no time limit on the first four rabbits, use this time to learn how to control your mother lynx, to refine a few hunting strategies to catch your prey without exhausting yourself, and to explore the map. Use it to get in a good meal, too, as a weak mother stands little chance of seeing her young make it to maturity.

After you’ve fed your litter, your four cubs will start to follow you around. From then on, the game gets tricker. You’ll have to feed them regularly, knowing that a single rabbit will only satisfy the appetites of two baby lynx. If you fail to feed one of your cubs in time, they will collapse from fatigue, call out for help for a short while, and then die. It will fade away and there’s nothing more you can do. Then there’s another bit of bad news: just like in real life, there’s no life bar to see how your cubs are doing.

And we’ll get it straight from the outset: the game is well-designed so that you quickly become attached to your little furballs! While the game’s mechanics may seem simplistic, it will definitely pull on your heartstrings. It’s a truly moving game. A fact that is rare enough to be worth repeating. This is doubtless also due to its streamlined aesthetics and soundtrack, which will accompany your daily struggle that’s nevertheless dotted with moments of happiness.

Shelter 2 isn’t a game where you win or lose. You don’t lose any points for losing one of your young, nor do any penalties flash up on screen. You will, though, feel a pang of emotion. It’s a great way to combine narrative and entertainment.