Thoughts about the ending *SPOILERS*

[Kobest]

Just finished the game a couple of minutes ago, and here are my thoughts.

First of all, Shelter is a beautiful game, and while it is short, I enjoyed every moment of it. Shortly after the beginning, I felt a sense of caring for the little badgers, and when danger was around the corner, my heart skipped a beat.

The only gripe I have with the game (apart from some occasional camera glitches) is the ending. Don't get me wrong, I understand it: your cubs have grown up, and you were taken by the bird, simply because the bird is also a mother, who has a responsibility to feed her children. It is the cycle of nature.

However, the problem is with how the bird is taking you down. In the game world, it is established that if you hide under the tall grass, you are protected. Yet, in the end, when it seems that everything is fine, the bird snatches you no matter what. I moved the badger mother into the tall grass, but the bird took it anyway.

So yes, I feel that the ending could have been more moving if the mother badger encounters a new situation that leeds her to sacrifice herself, or something along those lines. Because if you establish something in the game world, you cannot "undo" that for the sake of the story.

I hope you understand what I mean, and I wonder if some of you had similar thoughts.

Congrats for the developers, I am definitely looking forward to their next game! :)

[grandnovice]

I wish we could actually seek safety at night instead of having a seperate night time level. Each level could fade from dawn to dusk and on into the dangers of night. We would have to find both food to feed our young and "shelter" to protect them. I think it would add greatly to the experience and make the game a little longer too. Maybe toss in a meadow area to make up for losing the night region. And becoming tired would be something to affect your cubs too, and maybe even mom. So with each level you could keep trying to go onward, but fatigue would be looming.

Just thinking out loud, and you could keep the same story and message.

[grandnovice]

And even cooler thought... what about having the cubs audibly yawn when fatigued... I think it would ender them to the player even more...

[snmcdonald]

Good analysis of the ending (circle of life). I agree with the need for emphasis on the sacrifice.

It was a very moving but short game. I think this could be a great pilot for future open world nature games. Rather than have the environment direct you, allow the player to explore the wilderness. You could include ideas from grandnovice and have more emphsis on badger cub ques such as yawning, instead of the color fading. Also allow the badger to burrow and hide for the night.

I'd like to see more enemies of the badger. I've heard so much about badgers hunting snakes. I think that would be an interesting addition.

[ELGuapo]

I am glad i decided to read this post because i thought there was another ending like finding a new hole in the ground or finding a new mate or badger family or kissing the kids goodbye and send them on there way with a full belly.

[/dev/null]

ending is just awful, I was ready to give this game at least score of 7/10
but now I barely can give it 5/10
at final stage in the wide field I had 3 cubs, and all I could do is running from bush to bush without any indication where I supposed to go..
after 20min pointless running I lost all my cubs, and didn't find any more to do then just run to the field.. where finally I was beaten to death by some hawk.
what should I do, find some hole? there is none of them..

I'm in a bad mood now, not because of death, but because of pointless suicide that I had to make in order not to waste my time further

1 levels design can be confusing.
2 game not explain you that at night cubs must be in 'light field'
3 it is not clear how to pass the river, waves are going through rocks so you cant come to conclusion by yourself
and so on..

[luckz]

So if you lost all of the cubs before the end, you didn't even 'see the real ending', mh?

[AvariceSyn]

Bird at the end took out both of my last two babes. I got pissed off and turned to face it off. Was surprised when it actually started attacking me haha.

[chrissiOnAir]

i think the ending is great, really. To see that maybe some of your cubs did it and go to new playgrounds .. actually i lost mine totally before i reached the field ;) but i will give it a second try. It's a really beautiful game, thnx!!!

[Astronaut Shark]

I don't even know if I made it to the end. I lost baby juaqin to the bird the first time. One to rapid waters. One to fire. And it was just me and little Alex alone together until I watched that ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥' bird swoop away another one of my kids. I am now childless and without anyone to care for, I wandered through the fields angrily killing foxes and anything in my path. My life as a mother served no purpose. I had failed my kids. I went to confront the bird one final time because I'm a mother with nothing else left to lose. He took two swings at me and I cried out "WHY HONEY BADGER GOD. WHAT HAVE I DONE TO DESERVE THIS LIFE" my cries were stopped short as the bird finally swooped in and took me away. Credits rolled.

[PhyreMatrix]

I was confused. I lost one of my cubs to fatigue in the first level trying to escape the bird. The night time level I lost 2 of the cubs to I'm guessing was a predator. Wasn't sure what was out there so I spent the entire level crouching and moving slowly. When the music stopped while I was in the open field in the meadow area I thought I could make a run for it but the bird grabbed me and the 2 badgers left had to fend for themselves.

I was confused as to whether it was the real ending or some gameover ending. But reading this thread answered that for me so thanks.

[Lucifer_Lite]

Like lots of other pepole, I was wondering if this was a gameover. I think the badgers should've grown throughout the game, because when I was taken, my immediate thought was "But he's still only small! He can't fend for himself yet, can he?!" I think the game is kinda in need of an extension in that respect. If the babies start to grow up, maybe dig up their own roots occasionally or even try and catch things, the ending would feel more like the ending, and while I agree that a new situation in which the mother badger would have to sacrifice hersef would be good, I honestly can't think of anything.

[Fallenleaf]

This game looks hard

[Tourfaint]

The message of the ending and the feel of it was fine but the fact that the bird attacks through the bushes is kinda bad, there really should have been a new danger to force a sacrifice, maybe a wolf or something, because the ending feels a bit cheap, the bird just deciding to ♥♥♥♥ the rules and kill you anyway.

[Kinkystador]

I tried to bite the madafaka bird. At least I have teached the cubs that.

[AgentX2O]

i thought i lost