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Paws: A Shelter 2 Game

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Paws: A Shelter 2 Game

Introduction

In Paws, you play as a lynx cub who is seeking to get back to your family. Unfortunately, the game leaves much to be desired.

Paws is a spinoff of Shelter 2, a...[read more below]

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Paws: A Shelter 2 Game

Paws: A Shelter 2 Game Review

Introduction

In Paws, you play as a lynx cub who is seeking to get back to your family. Unfortunately, the game leaves much to be desired.

Concept

Paws is a spinoff of Shelter 2, a survival game in which you play as a lynx who must care for her baby kittens; by contrast, Paws is an open-world platformer. Like any platformer, your task is to reach the end of each stage by completing puzzles. To do this, you must overcome various obstacles that the game throws your way. In the end, your goal is to explore the open world and make it back to your family.

You also play with a companion character. Like all companions in platformers, this one tries to help you solve the puzzles and provide additional exposition on the story when necessary.

The plot and characters are good, but the storytelling leaves out any sense of detail, intrigue, or conflict. You know what you have to do in the game - you don't understand why.

Graphics and Audio

The graphics, unfortunately, are a real sore point of this game. Mushy, indistinct, and so poorly rendered that at times, you have trouble determining who the various characters are. As one reviewer noted, the game came out in 2016, but it looks like an N64 game of two decades earlier, going as far as to call them 'inexcusable." Indeed, the graphics are so bad that it genuinely hinders movement and exploration, at points, you can't even tell what you are looking at.

On the plus side, the music of the game does help create an atmosphere of peace and comfort, something the game was trying to do.

Gameplay

Fundamentally, all games need some form of conflict or objective. But that doesn't happen here, and as a result, the game has been knocked by reviewers for its relative lack of conflict of which seems to relegated to chasing butterflies.

The game has no additional objectives besides returning to your family. There are no quests, enemies, collectibles, character progression, leveling, or stats. There aren't even any attributes like health or stamina to monitor. It's just you, running through trees. A map screen makes attempts to guide you through the forest, but it consists of a few shapes and doesn't provide much beyond necessary assistance. As such, you are primarily left to your own devices to make it to the end of the game, and even moving is a challenge thanks to the game's poorly rendered graphics.

On the plus side, the game's controller enables, so you can easily move and jump your cub.

Paws 2 may interest the youngest of players, but beyond that, the game fails to capture the attention of anyone older than six. There's not enough to hold player's interest.

Conclusion

The game is available for download on PC or Switch. However, be warned: Paws takes no more than two hours in even the most generous of playthroughs. In this regard, it plays more like free downloadable content, rather than a separate game. It's poor graphics, and the bare-bones plot will not be something you want to touch again, and its lack of hidden secrets or bonus content create no incentive for additional playthroughs.

TL/DR

Poor at almost everything: a good concept but quickly ends, leaving you without much of an experience.

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From the Developers

What follows is the official description of Paws: A Shelter 2 Game, from the developers.


Might and Delight invites you to step into the world of Shelter 2 in a standalone adventure set in a fairytale world. This is Paws!

Dark and grime, twist through the vines

Slip through perils with finesse and toil

Be two for strength, be two of mind

Find the way home to familiar soil.

Paws is a tale of two halves and sees you traverse the dark and dank surroundings of an enchanted land as you try to fend off dangers, whilst overcoming the daunting sprawling landscape you encounter as you try to make your way home.

The game combines all the unique elements from the much loved Shelter series to present a lovingly crafted story about loss, friendship and a search for lost love.

Main features:

  • A gripping linear experience in a fantasy setting.

  • For the first time ever in the Shelter world, you play as a young cub accompanied by a companion to help complete puzzles and overcome obstacles in the world.

  • New game play features include the ability to follow tracks using your sense ability.

  • A whole new corner of the world to explore with platforming game mechanics at its core.

  • New original music from Retro Family.

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