The wind at your hair. The trees by your sides. The grass at your heels. And the pitter patter of little badger cub feet as they struggle to keep pace. Shelter from pid developer Might and Delight puts you in the fur of a mother badger as she protects and feeds her young. It's a subtle and quiet game that relies on atmosphere and emotion rather than puzzles or action. It's soothing nature setting will encourage you to sit back and enjoy the ride. Just don't relax too much, as there are dangers in the forest you and your cubs must guard against.

Control the mother badger using the [WASD] keys with the mouse operating the camera. You have a few basic commands at your disposal, including a dash and a quick grab which are activated by [shift] and a left click respectively. Use these to knock fruit out of trees, snatch frogs, stalk a fox or two, and hunt for other edibles as you keep your cubs well-fed and happy.

Your biggest concern in Shelter will be things like river rapids and the great eagle floating above the plains. Keeping your cubs safe is your primary objective, and you'll quickly learn to stalk the tall grasses and hide under every overhang you can find. Shelter keeps everything straightforward and realistic, never resorting to standard video game tricks just to jazz things up (i.e. no combo charging super dash power-up).

Might and Delight has created an amazing atmosphere of danger and intrigue with Shelter. You'll feel a definite bond with your cubs, getting worried if they don't answer your yelp and cringing whenever one of them is unsafe. Don't be surprised if you get a little too attached to this game. Take things slow, always be careful, and think like a badger and you'll do just fine.

Windows:
Get the full version Get the full version (via GOG)

Mac OS X:
Get the full version Get the full version (via GOG)