''Shelter 2'' is an open world survival video game developed by

Might and Delight Might and Delight is a Swedish video game development studio and publisher based in Stockholm. The studio was established in 2010 and is best known for the ''Shelter'' series. History Might and Delight formed in 2010, comprising a team of 11, w ...

for

Windows Windows is a Product lining, product line of Proprietary software, proprietary graphical user interface, graphical operating systems developed and marketed by Microsoft. It is grouped into families and subfamilies that cater to particular sec ...

Mac OS X macOS, previously OS X and originally Mac OS X, is a Unix, Unix-based operating system developed and marketed by Apple Inc., Apple since 2001. It is the current operating system for Apple's Mac (computer), Mac computers. With ...

, and

Linux Linux ( ) is a family of open source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel, an kernel (operating system), operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991, by Linus Torvalds. Linux is typically package manager, pac ...

. The game is a sequel to 2013's ''

Shelter A shelter is an architectural structure or natural formation (or a combination of the two) providing protection from the local environment. A shelter can serve as a home or be provided by a residential institution. It can be understood as both ...

''. It was released on March 9, 2015 and, like its predecessor, was made available on

Steam Steam is water vapor, often mixed with air or an aerosol of liquid water droplets. This may occur due to evaporation or due to boiling, where heat is applied until water reaches the enthalpy of vaporization. Saturated or superheated steam is inv ...

as a digital download.

Gameplay

In ''Shelter 2'' the player controls a mother

lynx A lynx ( ; : lynx or lynxes) is any of the four wikt:extant, extant species (the Canada lynx, Iberian lynx, Eurasian lynx and the bobcat) within the medium-sized wild Felidae, cat genus ''Lynx''. The name originated in Middle Engl ...

, looking after her kittens by keeping them fed and safe from danger. The game aimed to contain new types of movement compared to the original, a bigger variety of prey, and a larger open world which changes during the four seasons. Additional instructions are available to the player such as instructing the cubs to drink from a river. The player must make sure the cubs are safely back in the family's den at night time and the seasons affect what food and water is available. The game starts with the mother lynx pregnant and preparing a den. The player is able to name each of the kittens, and those which survive a playthrough are playable as the next generation of the family tree.

Development

In March 2014 Might and Delight announced the development of ''Shelter 2'', releasing a teaser trailer and setting a release date of Autumn 2014. The game was delayed to March 9, 2015 in October 2014 after the developers announced a different game would be released first, ''The Blue Flamingo''.

Reception

GameSpot awarded Shelter 2 a score of 6 out of 10, saying that it "has the right spirit, the right ideas, and it is once again hamstrung by its inability to go the extra, needed mile to do them justice". Destructoid was more critical, awarding it 3 out of 10 and saying "something went wrong somewhere along the line."

Expansions

''Shelter 2: Mountains'' was released on 25 August 2015. It adds a whole new area with new dangers that you can turn off in the main menu. New dangers include the fox, eagle, forest fire, and bear. The mountains are located north of the den area.

References

{{reflist 2015 video games Biological simulation video games Linux games Open-world video games MacOS games Survival video games Video games about cats Video games developed in Sweden Video games featuring female protagonists Video game sequels Windows games Single-player video games Might and Delight games