I thought Might and Delight had already mastered the art of the cute video game with the first two Shelter titles, but Paws, a standalone spin-off to Shelter 2, somehow ramps the cuteness quotient up to a whole new level of make-you-wanna-cry adorable.

Paws is a Homeward Bound story of a lynx cub trying to find her way back to her family. The game begins similarly to Shelter 2, with a mother lynx cuddling and quietly purring away with her four cubs inside their den. The difference here, of course, is that the events are viewed from the perspective of one of the baby cubs (her name’s Inna by default, but you can change the name if you like) under the guidance of her mama, frolicking with her siblings, being fed, and learning how to hunt. Shortly into the game, something happens that causes Inna to become separated from her family, and she must learn to fend for herself in order to come of age and make a happy reunion.

In a lot of ways the game feels like a blend of concepts from both of its predecessors, flowing in a linear, scripted, level-based fashion more like the original Shelter, while also featuring larger environments that at least provide some semblance of Shelter 2‘s open-world design with hints of off-the-beaten path exploration and secret areas. So it’s the best of both worlds for the most part, though I imagine some returning players might see the narrowed focus as a step backward from the previous game’s free-roaming structure. While the world itself is smaller, the effective use of scaling makes you feel like a tiny lynx cub lost in the wilderness–for example getting caught up in the middle of a pack of wolves hunting a herd of deer, running amidst the stampede while the other animals tower over Inna like she isn’t even there.

Where Paws veers away from both of its predecessors is in the overall tone of the gameplay. Playing as a mother badger or lynx in the Shelter games is about survival and the parental responsibility and tension that comes with protecting your young from the uncompromising dangers of the wild. A couple of tense moments notwithstanding, Paws is a lighter adventure platformer where progression revolves around running, jumping up ledges, and tracking the paw print trails of Inna’s family through a series of environments. You can hunt small critters like birds, frogs, and butterflies, but there isn’t a mandatory survival mechanic this time that forces you to hunt and feed to stay alive, nor is there any growth or seasonal progression (though there are variations in time of day, scenery, and weather for each level). Hunting, as well as running through puffballs, is basically just something to do as an energetic lynx kitten (and to pick up related achievements).

The game’s adventurous, playful spirit only grows over time. Roughly halfway through, Paws evolves into a playable episode of ‘Unlikely Animal Friends’ when Inna comes across a stranded bear cub. The two strike an immediate friendship, and after recovering its strength (with the help of Inna’s hunting and gathering skills to find food) the bear follows along as an AI friend, eating berry bushes to clear blocked pathways and serving as a piggy back stepstool for vaulting Inna up to higher ledges, where she can then push down fallen trees to create ramps for the bear to follow.

Really, though, the bear’s primary purpose is to provide a needed source of companionship, making Inna less lonesome, and her journey less dangerous. Maybe I’m just a crazy animal lover, but I took great pleasure in constantly tapping away at the meow button to prompt the bear to grumble and growl in reply (or to chat with the other cubs and annoy mama lynx early on), creating a sense of friendly conversation as I played along. (Yes, I admit at times I may have even narrated my own dialogue over their sounds.) Watching the two best buds snuggle up for bedtime at the end of each level is about as sweet and touching as can be.

The only low point in an otherwise beautiful and heartwarming experience is a general lack of polish. Between animals sometimes clipping through each other, odd bear AI behaviors, occasional instances of wonky jump/ledge detection, invisible barriers that stop or restrict movement, and a random animation glitch here and there, the game feels just a little rough around the edges. When I first started playing, more serious problems like frequent crashes and bugged collectible and achievement tracking were prevalent, but thankfully those issues have been resolved through updates, so right now the concern is mostly minor cosmetic blemishes.

Depending on how you play, Paws can either be completed in less than an hour, if you sprint through without bothering to take in the scenery and truly savor the experience, or, if you spend time to hunt and find all of the collectible elements (rare items, memories, and spirit scenes), it can take upwards of three hours or so. The story has two possible ending outcomes as well, and each hits on a different narrative note, so you’ll want to at least play through twice to see them both. If you have a keen enough eye to spot them, a number of other subtle visual cues and background elements that can be hard to catch make additional replays worthwhile. I’ve played through the game four times now, and each time I picked up on some extra little detail I hadn’t seen before that added another punch of emotion.

Short and simple though it may be, Paws has a depth of storytelling far beyond what its humble mechanics and production values let on. Through evocative use of symbolism, animal sounds, visual interactions, the occasional line of poetic verse, tonally spot-on music (Retro Family never disappoints!), and its signature abstract storybook art direction, Might and Delight manages to tell a powerful, bittersweet tale about the bonds that tie nature together–the unbreakable bond that connects Inna with her family even from afar, as well as the unlikely bond that builds between Inna and the bear cub, and fosters a will to survive within them both. Paws is off the charts cute and tugs hard on the heartstrings in all the right ways.

Pros:
+ Quite possibly the cutest game ever
+ Minimalistic yet emotionally impactful storytelling
+ Playful platforming gameplay is a nice tonal change of pace for the series
+ Wonderful wilderness ambiance and music

Cons:
– A little rough around the edges
– Scale and survival mechanics dialed back some from Shelter 2

Game Info:
Platform: PC
Publisher: Might and Delight
Developer: Might and Delight
Release Date: 3/24/2016
Genre: Adventure/Platformer
Players: 1

Source: Review code provided by developer

Buy From: Steam, GoG, Green Man Gaming, or Indie Game Stand

Shelter 2 has an official launch date. The irresistibly cute lynx cat wilderness survival simulator will be released on March 9th, developer Might and Delight confirmed today.

Previously the game had been expected to come out in February, but it’s now coming just a bit later than planned. According to Might and Delight, the game is complete, it just needs to get a little extra polish and grooming before release.

Ahead of launch, beginning on February 25th, Shelter 2 pre-orders will go live with a pair of early adopter incentives, including a digital copy of Retro Family’s soundtrack as well as a unique Iberian Lynx model for the playable Mother Lynx.

Hit play on the video below to preview the Shelter 2 theme song. If you aren’t familiar with Retro Family, they make awesome music that always lends a unique ambient tone to Might and Delight’s games.

Look, kittens!

Lynx kittens that cuddle with mom, purr, roll in the grass, mew in hunger, and playfully pounce about. Oh, Shelter 2, you’re so damn cute it makes me want to snuggle up with my own kitty and forget about all the bad shit going on in the world.

Shelter 2 won’t be all kittens and rainbows, though. Playing as the mama lynx will come with the life or death responsibility of keeping your babies fed and protecting them from predators and natural hazards. Losing a badger cub in the original Shelter was sad enough. I think I might outright cry if I get any of my lynx kitties killed when Shelter 2 comes out in February. (Yes, I cry during animal death scenes in movies and I’m not afraid to admit it! Agro’s fall in Shadow of the Colossus always chokes me up a bit too.)

But enough sad thoughts. Take a minute out of your day and let your stresses melt away as you watch the new aptly titled “Cuteness” trailer for Shelter 2. Say it with me now: “Awww…”

Might & Delight’s sequel to Shelter is quietly (or not so quietly after this) jumping up my list of most anticipated games of next year. Swapping out the badger family for a pack of lynx and expanding the wilderness survival gameplay from a linear format to a vast open world of hunting, gathering, den building and cub mothering appears to be pushing the concept above and beyond the fantastic experience the original game offered. Just as a sequel should.

Shelter 2 will be out on PC/Mac digital platforms in February 2015. Hit play on the embedded video to see the first gameplay footage of mama lynx on the prowl–and be prepared to have your heart melted by the closing scene. Underneath the trailer, you’ll also find new screenshots with captions pulled from Might & Delight’s PR email.

“Hunting! The lynx can sense the smell of prey from a distance. A useful feat to find targets in the dense woodlands.”

“The map is a visualization of what the Lynx remembers, it will give players subtle hints about the surroundings. Secret spots and locations will also show up there once discovered.”

“Water will freeze during winter, which allows players to cross rivers to reach new areas. But it also means fewer places to drink from, making surviving more difficult.”

“The Lynx can use its smell to remember where different areas are located. A symbol will appear in the sky which players can use together with the memory map to build an understanding of the world.”

Here’s some pleasantly surprising news to lift your spirits on another drab Monday. Swedish indie studio Might and Delight has announced that a sequel to Shelter is in full development for a projected launch this fall on digital services like Steam and GOG. I loved me some Shelter, but I sure didn’t expect it to spawn a follow-up. This is wonderful!

The fact that there will be another Shelter game is great and all, but that’s only half of the story here. Shelter 2 is taking the original concept of surviving the unforgiving laws of nature as a mama badger caring for her baby badgers, and applying it to the life cycle of the Lynx. That means protecting cute baby kittens. Cha-ching! Yep, I can already hear the sound of Might and Delight piling up more sales than the first game, because no one can resist the urge to play with cute kitties. Especially when they’re done up with Might and Delight’s signature artistic flair.

Shelter 2 will also feature more evolved gameplay, consisting of open environments and deeper mechanics that go beyond the extreme linearity of the first game. Might and Delight’s press email actually describes it best in these early stages, so I have cut and pasted in the official announcement for your reference below. You’ll find a gallery with more glorious artwork from the game at the bottom of the page. Your welcome.

Stockholm based developer Might and Delight are pleased to announce Shelter 2, a spiritual sequel to their artistic adventure game Shelter. The game, which puts players in the role of a lone lynx mother in a vast open world, will be released on Steam, GOG, and other digital platforms in the fall of 2014.

“The essence of Shelter as a concept is keeping your family alive. But we have decided to let the animal itself set the pace and character of the gameplay. The badger translated into a slow and linear journey – with the lynx however, Shelter 2 will become a much more forceful experience, where improving your techniques for hunting prey takes a much bigger role.” says Anders Westin, CEO of Might and Delight.

Portrait of a Lynx

The game follows the life cycle of a mother lynx, starting as a pregnant animal preparing her den for the coming litter, giving birth, and continuing in to a journey of parenthood where nurturing her cubs is paramount for survival. Shelter 2 includes more elaborate gameplay features than its predecessor, such as stamina, different types of movements, jumps and a variety of prey to kill. Besides hunting there are several maternal features such as calling the cubs closer, making sure they drink water from rivers and lifting and carrying your cubs from harm’s way.

“We are basing the game features on the lynx´s life and behavior. That aspect makes Shelter 2 closer to realism, and oddly enough more gamey at the same time. To simply roam the world finding prey to hunt is thrilling in itself. That´s something we wanted to bring in to Shelter before, and it’s fantastic to see it come to life now” added Anders Westin

A vast wilderness awaits

Players of Shelter 2 set out to explore huge open territories from a safe haven – the den. A central place in the world where the lynx can always return to, either to gather strength, or to place bone trophies and other pickups such as rare plants and leafs. In addition, environments in Shelter 2 are much bigger and allow a lot more freedom than ever before, allowing players to replay the game and find favorite spots to return to.

Similar to its predecessor, Shelter 2 will create a certain abstract mood via the unique imagery and sounds. The music is once again presented by Retro Family, awarded for their work on the Pid Soundtrack, and the visuals have been reinvented by adding dense atmosphere and lighting to the patterned graphical art-style.

“The beauty of nature goes hand in hand with its unforgiving rawness. That is central in Shelter 2, and one of the reasons we chose to make a game about a Lynx. They are in middle of the food chain, and there are far more vicious things out on the cold tundra…” says Anders Westin

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