It is with a heavy heart that I leave a negative review. If you love the developers, buy this game! But the price is way to high for gameplay time. I completed my first and final run in 82 minutes, without losing any elephants (I don't know why others found it so hard... seems to be RNG based on the path you "select",) and collecting all the achievements. Thank god the achievements aren't as terrible as Shelter 2, but I think they over-corrected too far.

The motifs of the game are not as fleshed out as the other games. Shelter 1 was the strongest, and Shelter 2 was a solid follow up. This feels like a step in the wrong direction. The play time is padded out by how slow you move. I understand artistically wanting to immerse the player in what the slow life of an elephant is/would be, but I just don't think I'm convinced it made for a fun game. At the end of the day, that's what these are: games. Shelter 1 had lots of gamified moments.

Atmosphere is immaculate as always, enhanced by a perfect musical score.

I think it's time for Might and Delight to hang up the Shelter series. They are a very capable team and I would love to see them widen their horizons to new genres and/or ideas.

NOT FOR ACHIEVEMENT HUNTERS

Look, I like a challenge. I'm only two albums done, and I can tell its going to be tough to finish. On top of that the last achievement has you collect an extra item in each "world", while also requiring you don't die the whole time. Once you get them all, you're given a minigame that, should you fail, you have to start all over. This is wild.

Gameplay though: FUN AS HELL. It just sometimes feels unfair, and that makes deathless feel like one challenge I'm not going for.

tl;dr If you like walking sims, and don't want to 100%, then I actually would recommend. Otherwise, steer clear unless there's a sale, or you're passionate about supporting solo devs. I'll be following Fazzio in the future for sure.

As other's have said, it has a somewhat compelling story, and the visuals are nice (though the saturation and bloom could be reduced a bunch.) Where this game falls short is in the gameplay, which I can only describe as being less "play" and more "game". Like, it's the things that games do, without a lot of the thought.

For a solo dev'd game, it is impressive. I feel like this is the turning point for the creator. Now that they can make games that are pretty, and voice acted, and completed (apparently difficult for some devs!) now Fazzio can focus on streamlining their games, making them shorter not because they don't have ideas, but because the game doesn't need the bloat. This game could have been half the length and actually been better for it. I loved some of the big set pieces, it was just the travel in between.

If you like walking sims, and don't want to 100% this game, then I would recommend. Otherwise, I'd steer clear unless there's a steep sale.

After 13.5 hours, I finished my first playthough. If you are a person that loves either 1. diving into lore and reading data entries about the world, or 2. love to collect curios and complete lists, this game is PERFECT for you. BUT I would also recommend this game to anyone who doesn't play that way, its entirely possible to experience the incredible story without getting caught in the weeds reading all the text. I found that, despite all the reading, I never experienced fatigue or wanting to skip over anything. Others have finished the game in less time than I did.

Honestly, I'd pay full price for this game. And I might even pick up the DLC to tip the devs. This is the kind of new, fresh game that the industry needs. Not a reboot, or a sequel. Not a game as a service, or a big blockbuster hit. Just good stories, fun mechanics, and tight streamlined controls. 10/10 will play again.

Update: The DLC Pale Reach does NOT disappoint! I can't wait for the next one. I bought the Blackstone Isle Key DLC and don't regret it either. The devs have so much love for this game. They hangout in the official discord and chat with players all the time.

The game is a fun little tech demo. It can be honestly challenging. But the depth of the game comes entirely from your commitment to beating your highscore. I'd buy it at it's regular sale price of 90% off.

Definitely a tough game. It has an indie feel, despite being from a large game company. To controls are tight, and the story is very sweet. I never felt too lost, and enjoyed exploring the world and lore. The achievements require 2 or 3 extra playthroughs to 100%, including a deathless run, so be aware of the time investment if that's how you play. At 22hrs, I still have to try deathless and speedrun achievements.

A content warning is required. Chapter 3 has a s**cide forest marking an abrupt change in tone. You also save a guy who is actively trying to use a noose. A lesser warning, but this game is not for arachnophobes.

Review: What a great game. I loved the story, though it did abruptly shift in tone a few times. There may be one or two plot points that make me confused, but over all it was captivating. It definitely went in directions I didn't anticipate. The use of the controls to tell the story in the last two chapters if very fresh, and the puzzles throughout are just enough to keep you playing to enjoy it. As a bonus, Trading Cards and Achievements are enabled and 100% was not too tough. Feel free to ask questions.

1. Don't play this game if you are currently emotionally unstable. It is genuinely tragic. Feel free to ask specifics for if this game is right for you in the comments here:

2. if you're an achievement hunter, you MUST play this game anyway, provided point one does not apply.