Shelter 2 Review

As I loaded up Shelter 2 for the first time, I was filled with an overwhelming sense of wonder. I have never heard of a title quite like it: a game where you control a mother lynx caring for her cubs. How cool is that? I didn’t know what to expect. Would I have to hunt, defend my cubs from would-be predators, and get all warm and lovely inside?

In short, yes and no.

As I stared at the main menu, melancholy guitar notes gracing my ears, I immediately sensed that Shelter 2 wouldn’t be a game; it would be an experience. How did I sense this? I have no idea but that’s just what the title turned out to be. Shelter 2 took me about 35 minutes to complete (which doesn’t do justice to its $15 price tag), classifying it as more so an emotional ride than anything else. The beautiful soundtrack evoked happiness, sorrow, apprehension, and everything inbetween. The composers for Shelter 2 deserve special praise; the music was my favorite part of the entire experience.

Shelter 2’s graphics also deserve special recognition. I fell in love with the blocky, cel-shaded textures. Fans of titles such as Journey will find the environments especially beautiful. Watching the world melt away from ice into early spring was a gorgeous transformation, and brought out a special feeling of joy within me. That was rather unexpected, but, again, Shelter 2 was quite the emotional ride.

Unfortunately, confusion was a giant part of that emotional ride.

After giving birth to my cubs, I set out to find food. I came across a hare, killed it, and, attempted to bring it back to my cave. The only thing is, my cave was nowhere to be found. A lack of a minimap coupled with undefined landmarks in my “feral vision” (an ability that allows Inna, the player controlled lynx, to identify prey and special areas) made for a very lost mother lynx. After quite a bit of running, and a few oddly timed “respawns” (the game would fade to black and then place me at another random location). By the time I found my cave, my pups were gone. Instead of showing any signs of distress, Inna simply curled up and went to sleep.

What?

Inna single-handedly lost all four of her cubs in a day, and was as carefree as ever. She either adopted a very worry-free lifestyle (hakuna-matata), or is missing the part of her brain that registers fear, panic, or loss. Either way, a massive plot hole was presented, as the fate of the cubs is never mentioned.

Indeed, Shelter 2 had its beautiful moments. I got to fulfill the role of a mother, something that I will never have the opportunity to do in real life. I felt literal shock when I returned to an empty cave, and even a bit of sadness when I learned that their fate would never be revealed. The game’s ending was beautiful in a hopeful manner. Unfortunately, a large plot hole, confusing directions, and awkward cutscene timings mar an otherwise finely tuned emotional journey.