7.5

Review: Animal Shelter 2

Every animal lover's dream?

In this comprehensive review we will take you step by step through all parts of the game: from gameplay and atmosphere to visual presentation and user experiences.

In Animal Shelter 2 you get into the skin of the animal shelter manager. You start with little: a small terrain, a few lofts, some basic equipment and especially a great sense of responsibility. Pretty soon stray dogs and cats come in, who need to be cared for physically and emotionally before they are ready for adoption. You clean their lofts, play with them, feed them, treat diseases, and have conversations with potential adopters.

What makes this game different from The Sims of Zoo Tycoon, for example, is the intimate scale and personal commitment. Each animal has a name, character characteristics, fears, preferences and medical needs. The game forces you to explore their well-being, which gives many players a surprising emotional bond.

The core of the gameplay consists of a daily cycle of care and planning. You start the day by checking your calendar, feeding the animals, cleaning up feces and waste, and taking care of any medical complaints. Animals may become ill, exhibit aggressive behaviour or become bored. As an administrator, you have to handle that smartly through training, treatment or interaction.

Medical Diagnostics and Behavioral Therapy

One of the new aspects in this second edition is the medical centre. You can now explore animals more extensively: Think of taking temperature, analyzing saliva, treating infections or calming anxiety. Sometimes behavioral therapy is necessary before an animal is ready for adoption at all.

In addition, a seasonal and weather system has been added. In winter you have to heat lofts, in summer you have to provide shade and cooling. Animals can become hypothermia or overheated if you don't take this into account. This adds a realistic and strategic layer to the gameplay that its predecessor did not have.

Over time, you can hire staff. You divide tasks, open new departments like a cathouse, adoption room, training field or a store. With donations and adoption fees, you expand your shelter. You can also advertise to increase your reach and attract volunteers for extra help.

Multiplayer Co-op: Saving together is more fun

The most striking addition in Animal Shelter 2 is undoubtedly the cooperative mode. Up to six players can run a shelter together, where tasks can be divided. One player, for example, focuses on nutrition and hygiene, while another has conversations with adopters or provides medical care.

In theory, this is a great expansion that gives the game a new social dimension. In practice, it is still changing. Many players report that co-op is pleasant, but suffers from instability: Disconnections, bugs, or steady actions regularly cause frustration. Yet the potential is enormous, and for players with patience and good communication, co-op undoubtedly delivers a unique experience.

The visual style of Animal Shelter 2 is friendly, soft and colourful. Animals are cutely designed, with recognizable behaviors and expressive animations. Yet it's not all perfect: hair textures are sometimes unnatural, and animals or objects regularly clip together.

The surroundings parks, accommodations, indoor spaces feel atmospheric and organic. Raindrops tap on the roof, birds whistle in the distance, and the rustling of leaves creates a soothing atmosphere. The soundtrack is minimalistic, but contributes to the calm atmosphere. Disadvantage: with longer playing sessions the music starts to sound repetitive.

The interface is clear in the base, but contains some remarkable shortcomings. Some functions are difficult to find, information about animals is not always clear, and during the adoption process sometimes essential data are missing. This can be frustrating especially in time pressure or in crowds in the shelter.

Technical State: Between promising and frustrating

Here we come to the biggest flaw of Animal Shelter 2: the technical finish. Although the game is potentially beautiful, bugs, glitches and optimization problems cause many players to drop out early.

Some common problems:

• Animals disappear after adoption without you making the decision.
• Objects fall through the ground or are unreachable.
• Characters (such as staff) walk through walls or linger.
• Framerate dips at certain times.
• Unstable multiplayer with failure or non-syncing tasks.

These problems are not game-breaking for everyone, but they undermine the nurturing rhythm of the game. Players who are sensitive to bugs soon get tired of this.

On Steam is the average rating "Mostly Positive," with about 75-80% satisfied players. Especially the atmosphere, the animals and the adoption system are praised. On Reddit forums such as r/CozyGamers, opinions are mixed: Some call it their new favorite game, others indicate that the bugs disturb the fun too much.

User quotes:

• †œThe atmosphere is fantastic. I want to adopt every animal. But after a few crashes I was done. ♪ ♪
• “Co-op is nice with my girlfriend. But we've already had to start over three times because of a bug in the adoption interface. ♪ ♪
• †œThe idea is gold, the execution is not finished. ♪ ♪