Paws for Shelter

Fear me, for I am bane unto all bird and frog-folk! Mew!

 

Aside: I find it hilarious that after 25yrs of 3D games, we still can't decide which mouse direction is "up" for any given 1st-person/3rd-person camera control. I'm not inverted, you're inverted, shut up!

 

Anyway, the first Shelter came as a very welcome surprise back when everything was solely about having the biggest, baddest graphics requirements and fastest-paced action, with its wistful atmosphere, heart-wrenching immersion in the mundane struggle for survival and apt use of construction paper visuals. The sequel unfortunately got caught up in the "everything must be Skyrim" endless open world craze, and couldn't quite fulfill its ambitions. Paws is a standalone mission pack mixing elements of the two, and succeeds... decently, closer to the first, though its $20 price tag may depend on whether you feel like contributing to the arts. If you're looking for three hours of bittersweet fuzzy frolicking through lush meadows and don't mind sneaking past angry geese, go for it.

 

Everyone leaves eventually. Care.

My main gripe would be that it plays up platform-jumping more than the others, and the controls and collision detection can be slightly obtuse. It's also on the easier side, with some early levels literally completable by holding down the forward key. Nevertheless there's fun to be had bowling your siblings over and snatching at butterflies and looking for detours. If only they'd stuck to those natural elements. I still hate the immersion-breaking scrapbooking.
 

The original succeeded so well because our mythology roots in primal, instinctive anxieties. Nature itself is survival horror, and the ogres and fairies of our children's tales stand-ins for reality's harsh lessons. But trying to force that storybook feel with symbol-filled skies and magic star guides tends to kill it. The emotional impact is also less poignant than the badger's Jack London grade tooth and claw. Ah, well. That last longing gaze across the swelling gulf still hit home I suppose.