Sheltered - Review @ GameSpew

GameSpew has reviewed the post-apocalyptic survival RPG Sheltered:

Sheltered Review

A few hours into Sheltered, I was ready to give the game a fairly mediocre review. After playing This War of Mine, I couldn’t help but draw comparisons thanks to their very similar gameplay and premise, and unfortunately Sheltered seemed to come off worse in all areas. But then something happened: I couldn’t actually pull myself away from the game, and 15 hours in I can’t wait to get my next fix.

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Despite my initial concerns that it was nothing more than a “poor man’s version of This War of Mine” (and I really do apologise for that snap judgement, Unicube), Sheltered grew on me with every extra minute I spent on the game. Every new thing I learnt to do or figured out was a success, and every time you find a rare item or get the materials you need to update a part of your shelter, it really does feel like a valid cause for celebration. More than just a case of survival, Sheltered pushes you to grow and eventually thrive, and the moment your little unit starts to become somewhat self-sufficient, you’ll feel a real swell of pride. The problem is that upon reaching that point, there becomes less and less for you to do; you’ll repeat the same scavenger hunts, do the same fights and encounters again and again, and any cause for celebration will dwindle down to a trickle as 50 or more days may pass without you finding anything particularly useful. Still, I may already have everything I need to survive and thrive, but I’m still going to persevere until I find those campervan parts – just because I have to.

Sheltered isn’t a game for everybody, but if you’ve got the patience to put in a bit of time and learn the ropes, you stand to get a lot of enjoyment out of this neat little package. It may be simple, a bit repetitive, and your overall goal might be a bit of an anticlimax, but by god it’s addictive.

Score: 7/10