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Having a pet in your life can be a game-changer. Their warmth, love, and loyalty are guaranteed to cheer you up and put a smile on your face. However, what happens when you can no longer care for your animal? Well, sadly, your mini-beasts will have to be placed in a shelter before being rehomed. Accordingly, this is exactly what happens in Animal Shelter Simulator. This cute and simple management sim allows you to heal, feed, and nurture every stray and abandoned pet you come across.
Developed by Games Incubator and published by Ultimate Games S.A, this is a simulation title. What’s more, there are elements of construction, some business management, and a plethora of adorable pets to care for. Therefore, it is guaranteed to make you say “Awwww” as you clean, stroke, and help injured cats and dogs find new homes. Like every other simulation game, there is an array of tasks to complete, as well as the normal cash flow issues to consider. However, this game is a little more lighthearted and can be enjoyed casually.
Animal Shelter Simulator will tug at your heartstrings.
No matter how cold-hearted you are, you’ll be cooing and smiling during every interaction. You are expected to feed, water, and care for every dog and cat that your shelter takes in. Consequently, you will build housing, clean up messes, heal wounds, and play games with your furry residents. Furthermore, you must get to know their personalities and rehome them with the right owner. As such, there is more depth to the action than first meets the eye.
The game opens in a rudimentary shelter with basic amenities. As the game wears on, you’ll take in more animals, build better facilities, and expand your services. As this happens, you’ll get to tackle bigger and harder problems as you expand your operation and increase your reputation. This is the crux of Animal Shelter Simulator, and within an hour of playing, you’ll have the fundamentals nailed as you go about your day-to-day tasks.
Stats, personalities, and new homes.
Every animal you encounter has specific needs and desires. As such, you must get to know them as you nurse them back to health. Accordingly, things can be as simple as feeding, cleaning, and socialising with each animal. However, at times, it can be much harder, especially when they are sick. When this happens, you’ll need to clean them, apply bandages, check blood, and so much more. Yet, once this harrowing experience is over, you can enjoy the fruits of your labour as you sit back and watch them flourish.
If you make each creature happy, you’ll understand their traits and personalities. Now, this may not seem important, but if you wish to get paid, you’ll need to match them with the perfect foster home. Consequently, the only way that this can happen is if you invest time in your residents and check out every potential party. Some new owners will have kids, pets, small gardens, or no spare time. Alternatively, they could hate fussy, loud, or greedy pets. Therefore, you must carefully place each cat or dog with the right applicant. If you do this, you’ll receive a nice bonus, and you will improve the shelter’s reputation.
Animal Shelter Simulator has a few bugs.
Animal Shelter Simulator looks very similar to many of its peers. Subsequently, it is a little rough around the edges, and there are a few hilarious bugs. I experienced hovering dogs, a cat that was stuck in a wall, and a canine that shook like jelly. However, none of these problems were game-breaking or terrible. Instead, they made me chuckle repeatedly. What was an issue, though, was the lack of animal models. At times, you’d see the same cat or dog over and over again. Now, with hundreds of breeds to choose from, this appeared a little lazy. Furthermore, the compact shelter was a little drab and understated. Even when decorative objects were added, it felt bland.
Thankfully, the upbeat audio and cute pet noises made things much better. I adored the sound of barking, meowing, and the flap of a waggy tail. On top of this, it was amusing to listen to each pet interacting with the other. Moreover, there was a nice blend of environmental sound effects that added to the realism.
Easy controls.
Surprisingly, Animal Shelter Simulator played extremely well on console. Thanks to the excellent UI and responsive controls, it was easy to play. Alongside this, the phenomenal tutorial and helpful hints kept you on track and helped you to master the basics.
Where I was disappointed, however, was the lack of depth. Once you unlock the key rooms and enhance your reputation, there is little more to experience. As such, after a while, the game loses its desirability, and the core mechanics feel repetitive. Yet, this could easily be overcome if the developers incorporated more animals or different shelters.
Animal Shelter Simulator is cute and fun but lacks oomph.
I thoroughly enjoyed my time with Animal Shelter Simulator. Stroking each animal and nursing them back to full health was cute, enjoyable, and rewarding. But a lack of oomph and content ensures this never excels. However, if some minor tweaks are made, the action will be moreish, and the gameplay will be improved. Despite its shortcomings, I still recommend that you buy it! Can you help every injured cat and dog? Improve your shelter, care for each pet, and find them a forever home.
