Developer: Unicube
Publisher: Team 17 Digital Ltd
Platform: PC
Tested on: PC
Sheltered 2 – Review
All the way back in 2016 we first laid our hands on Sheltered. This survival game combined base-building elements with surviving in the harsh wasteland after a nuclear apocalypse. In 2019 we reviewed the Switch port of this game, and it was easy to say we wanted a lot more of Sheltered. The first Sheltered game aged quite well and is still a fun title that is addictive to play at all times. Now, with a successor on the horizon, it looks like the game grew out of its retro pixel stage and was given a graphical overhaul.
Story
Twenty years after the events of the first Sheltered, the radiation has settled and the surface is now safe to explore without too many repercussions. Five factions are trying to claim the wasteland as their own and bring back the peace to the barren grounds, albeit on their terms. Suddenly a sixth faction rises, as you, and a few fellow survivors, claim an underground shelter to set up shop. The first few days will be calm as you go by unnoticed, but once you start exploring, it is inevitable to bump into another faction. Will your faction bring complete peace to the wasteland, or will you become a fearsome raider gang that kills everything in its path?
Story progression is pretty slow, as meeting new factions can take a while and their quests are not that easy to complete. The Sheltered games are known for taking a really long time to complete; if you manage to survive at all.
Graphics
The biggest difference between the first game and this game is the complete style change that the developers have opted for. The first Sheltered was presented in pixilated graphics, and this gave the game a retro-aesthetic vibe and suited the game perfectly. Now it seems like the game has evolved from the late nineties to a game fit for the current generation. The perspective changed a bit, but in large lines, the game plays exactly the same as before. With the new graphics, some things, such as the map, have become more clear, yet other things seem harder to spot. Either style has its advantages and in this case it also boils down to personal preference.
Sound
The sound quality has remained the same compared to the first game. Everything still sounds pretty good with audio cues pointing you towards your objective. The music was made a little bit more dramatic, as now you not only have the pressure of survival but also to build a thriving settlement. Sadly, the ominous music is gone during interaction with other people. The latter kept you on your toes in the previous game, but for reasons unknown, it has been toned down for now. Every survivor dreads the sound of a sandstorm raging outside, therefore it is great hearing the rain after a few days of draught.
Gameplay
Sheltered 2 is a survival game with the same point-and-click mechanics from the first title. Those who have played the first game will return to a familiar setting, while new players won’t have a hard time learning the core gameplay. When starting a new game, you have the ability to create a profile in one of the many save slots, so don’t hesitate to try out the many difficulty settings for an optimal experience. For example, you can decide to have a fully stocked shelter but one that is prone to raids, or one that has been picked clean so vultures don’t bat an eye.
If you opt to follow the tutorial, it will hold your hand for a pretty long time, ensuring new players won’t be left in the dark. Returning players will notice that all the mechanics make a return, from keeping your shelter in pristine condition, to exploring the wasteland for materials. In the core gameplay loop, there are a few quality of life upgrades but don’t expect much change.
The game starts with you creating your own faction, as well as the three initial members. Your faction will then consist of one leader and two followers. The biggest difference compared to the first game is that now there are no children or pets. Those who played the first game will surely remember the cool adventures of little Timmy and his German shepherd. Sadly, this isn’t an option anymore. Furthermore, character-building has become way more complex with more stats to allocate points to, and new perks to keep in mind. Now it is more important to have a few strong characters for exploring the wasteland, and an intelligent leader that stays in the shelter. How higher your intelligence, the more durable objects you build. You’ll have to decide which character becomes the leader, as they have more traits and perks than the other characters.
Initially, you can only explore a small radius around your shelter, and in a hex grid pattern you will plot out your route for exploration. The biggest difference is that you now need food packs and not use water for exploration, putting more stress on rations than on the water. What makes the hex grid a better option, is that planning your route is much easier and accurate than in the first game. Upon exploring the many hostile grounds, you will come across other factions. Most are initially neutral, but don’t like it that a stranger is trespassing on their property. You will need to make decisions on forging alliances with factions, or just decide to go in hard and don’t give a rat’s ass about what they think. Once you become friends with a faction, it is possible to explore their territory without too many issues. Keep in mind that killing other faction members will certainly not help when trying to forge alliences. It is pretty difficult keeping everybody happy, and sometimes you need to defend yourself from hostile raiders.
The controls are pretty easy in Sheltered 2. You don’t need to remember a bunch of inputs or combinations to have a good time in this game. Most objects you can interact with have a drop-down menu when you click on them, and the crafting tables are linked together so you don’t have to jump from place to place. In the previous game, you had to collect and craft many materials to get started for some of the most basic things. On easy mode, you have a lot of items available and each shelter comes equipped with the bare necessities for successfully starting your own faction (crafting, recycling, generator, etc).
Conclusion
Sheltered 2 is a worthy successor to the first game, but it does miss some of the first game’s charm. The simplicity and nostalgic graphics in Sheltered made it a game that touched many gamers deeply and now that it looks all grown-up, it just hits differently. The core gameplay remained the same, and while it is great for returning and new players, it feels that what made the first game exceptional, is now toned down a bit. Overall the game was made with quality in mind and all kinds of players will have an awesome experience playing this newest survival title. We still deem this a very worthy sequel and fans of the original will certainly enjoy this one as well.
Sheltered 2 – Review,
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