Video games have long transcended the stereotype of fun, casual mediums; post-apocalypse titles are at the forefront of this paradigm shift. Managerial simulators are also a good example of video games offering something else other than pure entertainment. So what if those two genres blended together in one game? The answer is a hardcore experience that's not for the faint of heart: Sheltered.
It's a post-apocalyptic survival simulator game where players try to manage a household as they try to fight every day for their lives through starvation, violence, and radiation. As always with managerial sims, it's not for everyone— more so if the game doesn't cater to the casual audience. Hence, it's good to know some traits and aspects of Sheltered before diving into the rabbit hole.
9 Think Of It As A Less Comical Fallout Shelter
Those who want some kind of a demo for Sheltered to see what kind of game it is needn't look too far. There's already a game that popularized the post-apocalypse sim: Fallout Shelter. It's based on the Fallout franchise's lore where players must manage an underground civilization after a nuclear war wiped out everything on the surface.
The thing is, Fallout Shelter is a little too humorous both in aesthetics and gameplay. That's what sets Sheltered apart. The latter is bleak and more realistic. It also tackles human psyche during trying times— something the more casual Fallout Shelter doesn't incorporate. In any case, Fallout Shelter is a free game one can check out to see if they'll like Sheltered's gameplay loop.
8 It's A Management Sim First & Foremost
Speaking of gameplay, Sheltered is all about controlling family members and giving them tasks to make their underground post-apocalyptic home function. That means looking for their food, water, safety, health, and many other aspects of their lives.
One big factor of this kind of management is that they also behave as real people would, meaning they get depressed, angry, scared, and many other psychological dispositions. That's part of the management tasks; players need to ensure that everyone is also mentally healthy on top of looking after their physiological needs.
7 There's Turn-Based Combat
That isn't to say there's no action involved in Sheltered. The whole world was plunged back to stone age mentality so there are scavengers around and gangs enacting their protection extortion scams. The only way to stay safe is by collecting weapons and other means of fighting.
Exploration runs are one of the key ways to find much-needed resources so that the player's family in Sheltered can get a fighting chance. Often, they can bump into human NPCs and they can choose to trade with them or just take what they want, violently. This is where turn-based combat mechanics come in. It's simple enough like Pokemon's but can be nerve-wracking since family members who die are permanently gone.
6 It Can Be Story-Driven
One big difference Sheltered has compared to other games in its genre is that it can be rather dramatic. It is, after all, a bid for survival where hope can easily turn into resentment and be channeled into rage. Such is the case for one of the children. Players can even nurture one of the character's hatred for his own world to turn him into a capable fighter.
Meanwhile, even something as mundane as running out of potable water is a story of its own. Dehydration is no joke and someone getting sick shakes up the family dynamics a lot. Players can wait for the weak family members to die so that the others can cannibalize them despite the damage on their psyche. Scenarios like that are too common in Sheltered.
5 The Goal Is To Survive As Long As Possible
One might be wondering how does Sheltered end. Well, it doesn't. Like many other survival games from indie developers, Sheltered can be an infinite game that goes on for as long as players can keep their characters alive. That's the ultimate goal here.
There's no light at the end of the tunnel and no reward for keeping everyone alive but life itself, such as it is. To that end, it might not be for everyone as the endless survival mode can get repetitive eventually once players become accustomed to all the hardships and challenges.
4 Gameplay Can Get Stressful
Now the subjectively bad part for a game in this genre: the stress involved in managing everything. The fact that family members can die permanently or that some random misfortune might cost hours of work is enough to heighten up the ole blood pressure a bit.
Those factors coupled with the hopeless atmosphere and harsh NPCs and game world can have a negative effect on the players. With that said, each small achievement such as finding food or getting out of a fight without many injuries is a cause for celebration.
3 Characters Can Be Automated But That's Not Advised
One thing players can do to reduce the stress of management is to put some of the decision-making at the hands of the AI. Like in The Sims games, the characters have a program to take care of themselves except it's more complicated in Sheltered because even drinking water can kill characters or make them sick.
That's because family members can sometimes drink too much water that's irradiated or perform other actions that would waste resources or are potentially unsafe. As such, it's still more cost-efficient for players to handle all management in the game.
2 There Is No Multiplayer
Trading for resources exists in the game as well as exploration runs but sadly, that doesn't mean full multiplayer exists. There's no option to trade with other players or even meet them in-game during exploration runs. At best, Sheltered is a single-player experience.
There were some intentions during development but the best they could think of was a trading system that they ultimately scrapped. Moreover, the game's mechanics isn't really that conducive for a multiplayer or online session. It might only decrease the serious post-apocalyptic atmosphere.
1 It's Available On Many Platforms
Despite being a seven-year-old game, Sheltered is still going strong as is evident in a recent release for the sequel, Sheltered 2. That game features updated graphics and a change in the atmosphere but still incorporates what made the predecessor so riveting.
At the moment, Sheltered is quite ubiquitous and is available on over nine platforms including Android and iOS. That very well means players can try it out on their phones to see if they prefer playing there as bigger screens can be too immersive and thus incite more stress.
Sheltered was released on August 4, 2015, and is available on PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Android, iOS, and Nintendo Switch.