Sheltered

Don’t starve together.

Think your item-hoarding days died with the ink ribbon? Think again. On day one of shelterdom, you might be content with a few petrol cans, but by day 47, you’ll be squirrelling away mannequin heads as if they’re megalixirs. A post-apocalyptic survival game in which family comes rst, Sheltered slots into the not-so-snug gap between Fallout Shelter and The Sims. Set in a world in which anti-radiation tablets are as common as candy canes at Christmas, you need to micromanage your nuclear family in their daily grind for no better reason than that old arcade chestnut: the high score. Like The Sims, your family members have bars that indicate when they need to perform basic functions such as showering and snoozing. Unlike The Sims, however, goopy carbonara isn’t on the menu. Instead, there are tinned rations. Sheltered’s bunker provides a high-maintenance alternative to Fallout Shelter’s vault, but it’s not just a never-ending story of repair jobs. To furnish your whitewashed wonderland, you have to craft objects using teddy bears, duct tape and, you guessed it, junk. Can’t contain your excitement? Express it on the walls using a discarded can of paint or, better yet, organise a family outing to gather supplies and recruit new members in the pixelated wastes. If you’ve ever wished The Sims had grittier expansion options than Katy Perry’s Sweet Treats, this could be a dream come true.