Animal Shelter Simulator is a Lifestyle Simulation developed and published by Ultimate Games. I love lifestyle and business simulation games. Throw an animal in there and you sell me out. But does it stand out from other sim games?
Animal Shelter Simulator starts with you, the main character who has no name and no face as the game is in first person mode. Initially, there is nothing in the shelter. It has an office, a litter area, and an outdoor kennel. A tutorial then begins that explains shelter goals and gameplay controls. Once that’s done, it seamlessly transitions to normal gameplay.
All work in the office is done on computers. You can buy food, toys, hygiene products, medicines and more. You can also see which animals are currently in shelters and read their emails. First, take your dog to a shelter. Once you’ve done that on your computer, go to the front gate and unload your puppy from the mobile adoption van. After that, gameplay is as easy as spending time with animals until your fitness meter is maxed out.
The Adaptability Meter measures how ready an animal is to find a permanent home. To raise the meter, you need to feed it well, cuddle it a lot, and give it time to play. Once the maximum is reached, access your computer and send an ad for that animal. Posts come one after another (but no more than 4-5 at a time). Some request the pet featured in the ad, while others are simply looking for a dog or cat.
Animal Shelter Simulator does not allow you to send animals home. Dogs and cats have different personalities (troublemakers, shyness, aggressiveness, kindness, etc.). There are also special conditions. For example, you might want a big house, no other dogs or cats, no children, just to name a few. Applicants will have their own wishes and needs for animals. You should compare your application with animals and match as many characteristics and conditions as possible.
If you successfully match an animal, it will be adopted and you will earn points. Earning a certain number of points will increase the rank of the shelter. Earning new ranks in Animal Shelter Simulator unlocks new items in the shopping area and new buildings in the shelter. The person who adopted your animal will send you a thank you email with a generous donation. This is how the game makes money.
Accessible buildings include a veterinary clinic, laundry, and an indoor kennel for cats and dogs. By entering “build mode” from your computer, you can rearrange buildings on the lot or expand the lot to create more space. Bigger and better shelters are certainly better, but they don’t have the employees to manage them. You are the only one running the shelter. So the bigger the scale, the more animals you have to juggle.
No stress, but it does get busy. All animals require individual attention for cuddling and playing, and you need to make sure all water and food bowls are filled. Dog poop must be picked up in the garden and litter boxes must be cleaned. Also, animals get sick and injured relatively often. It also gets dirty, so you need a bath.
For the most part, Animal Shelter Simulator gameplay is one fluid motion. I got a good routine with the animals. I brought him in, gave him a bath, fed him, and took him outside to play. By then, their employability meter was full and I was able to get them hired. Rinse and repeat. The more animals you have, the more difficult it becomes. Add in a few glitches and the game wasn’t very favorable.
First off, Animal Shelter Simulator was originally released on PC, and that’s what we see. All interactions are based on the white dot in the center of the screen (probably the mouse). Picking up small items can be a hassle because everything has to be precise. For example, to give an animal a treat, you have to click on the animal’s mouth. To remove a tick, you need to find it in a clump of fur and click it with precision tweezers. Most of the time these are not big issues. It was just annoying.
I also encountered some glitches. I have ordered some items from your store before, but when I received the box, I was told that there was not enough stock. Even after completely emptying the inventory, the chest still won’t open. So I had to buy the item again. The game crashed once, but it autosaves frequently so that was fine. However, every time I autosave, the game froze for a few seconds.
My biggest gripe with Animal Shelter Simulator is that I didn’t feel attached to any of the animals. You can change the name, but that’s it. Their fitness meter rises quickly, so they leave the shelter as soon as they arrive. After all, the game becomes repetitive. Once you get into the habit of caring for animals, you have nothing else to do.
It was fun playing Animal Shelter Simulator. It’s repetitive, but it’s a game you’ll look back on from time to time. It’s a simple simulation with minimal mechanics, so anyone can play. However, some performance issues and glitches can bring you back to reality. If you’re looking for an understated sim game with no administrative stress, give this a try.
