I can not say no to animals. Even now as an adult, I do not allow myself to visit animal shelters with my friends when they go to pick out a pet as I would leave with them all or inevitably leave upset in a big ball of tears. The thought of being able to own and run an animal shelter makes my heart swell so ‘Animal Shelter Simulator’ by Game Incubator let me live out that dream.

Your main objective is to shelter, treat, care for, and eventually rehome some adorable four-legged friends. While not a classic narrative, the story is based around the realism of having to take in the hundreds of pets that get abandoned or wind up on the streets each year. Rehoming isn’t as simple as just throwing them at the first person that walks in the door, but rather matching them to the needs and suitability of their future owners. It’s a simple but genuine experience.

The gameplay mainly involves caring for the pets but with some quirky side activities sprinkled in. Most of the gameplay is accessed via a computer, enabling you to arrange your facilities, shop for items online such as food and water, rescue animals and create ads to rehome them.

The build mode enables you to arrange buildings such as housing bays, veterinary clinics, warehouses or washer rooms, etc, to your own custom designs. You can also eventually earn the ability to extend your compound. I loved this game feature as I could have the sanctuary look exactly how I pictured it in my mind. You earn money by keeping clients happy and matching dogs or cats with the most worthy and compatible owners which can be used to buy buildings, furniture, and decorations.

Cats and dogs will be brought to the establishment with varying needs. Some may be as simple as thirst but some may require extra care such as a bath or even hospice care. Supplies to facilitate these can be bought in an online store and you will need to manage these as they run out of supply.

You can also set up a photo study and stage some cute and adorable photos with a camera to put on ads to coax potential new owners. Each animal will have traits you will need to monitor as these will bank you more experience to be the top rescue team globally and more cash.

I must say, make sure you go into the options and change the sensitivity, as the standard looking around setting is diabolical. While the controls aren’t horrible, they can be cumbersome at times, with laggy inputs and the irritation of a lot of controls being on R2 and L2 alone. They aren’t horrible but clunky to adjust to.

The graphics are decent, but with no particular shining features. There is some variety in the style of the cats and dogs but a lot of the animations and interactions are very generic. There is a warmness to the graphics though that is complimented perfectly by the calmness of the backing music.

Overall, while the graphics are overly special, the game is definitely a great simulation of what an animal rescuer may have to experience in the day-to-day life of running a compound. You can’t deny that this is certainly a feel-good vibe from start to end as you dominate the global animal rescue service.

Written by: Stacey