Shelter

I recently bought Shelter on Steam! Shelter is a game where you play as a mother badger escorting her 5 cubs from your small warren to a new home. Easier said than done! There are lots of different stages in the game, and in all of them it's a struggle to keep your cubs alive. You have to find vegetables and fruit to keep your cubs from starving, and if you're feeling extra hungry you can go hunt a fox or a vole. But you have to be careful, because your cubs will be prey to some birds! If a bird spots you, you have to hide in the tall grass and wait until the perfect time to run to the next bit of tall grass.




If you mange to survive the deadly white birds that are after your cubs, good job! I didn't do it the first time! I thought the struggles were over when I finally managed to get all of my cubs safe, but I was wrong. Way wrong! Next is the night level. It looks pretty simple, there's plenty of frogs and vegetables to eat, but your cubs don't see it that way. If there's a snapping twig in the distance, your cubs will run away. You have to sprint after them to catch them again, which can be difficult when you don't except them to run!




Once you get through the night maze, your cubs will still be in danger! There's a forest fire where you are, and you have to try to dodge the spreading flames in time! Not only are the flames trying to kill your cubs, but another gigantic bird is as well! You have to choose the patch of grass to run to carefully. If you choose the wrong patch, it'll catch fire and you'll be trapped! This level took me ages!




Once you escape the flames, there's a dangerous storm that makes the riverbank overflow. You have to cross the river by choosing the right time to lead your cubs to a rock in the middle of the river. This would be easy, if it wasn't for the waves that come after you! If you're not securely on the rock, your cubs will be washed away in an instant. (I lost 2 cubs to this).




If you've managed to protect your cubs up to this point, good job! Now, you'll  be in a peaceful forest in the Summertime. There's lost of food to get to keep your cubs healthy and it all looks good until you reach a large plain. Then, a giant bird spots you! It'd be like any other bird attack, but there's nowhere to hide! The bird swoops down to attack, and to keep your cubs safe, you have to run at it. Each time you run at it, you'll slowly get tired.  Once the bird has had a few tries at attacking your cubs, it'll change its mind and go for you!  You send your cubs to run away, and the bird carries you away.




Then there's a small cut scene of your cubs running away, fleeing to the mountains.




Once you've finished the game, you'll unlock another part of the game, Nurture. In Nurture, you have to find food in a small area near your den to feed your newborn badger babies. Every 12  hours, food replenishes in your land, and the more you feed your cubs, the bigger they'll grow. Once your babies are big enough, they'll start venturing outside with you. The longer you wait to feed your cubs, the hungrier they'll be.












To buy it on Steam, it's only £7. I loved this game! Even though it's quite sad, it really gets you excited!