Winter Burrow Review Of A cozy survival game

Winter Burrow proposes surviving in nature with a mouse that must explore and fight to grow the burrow where it grew up during its childhood. Winter Burrow is halfway between relaxing gaming experiences and survival titles. When you play, you feel its cozy character, but at the same time, you are continuously fighting not to die of hunger or cold. 

Its creator, Benjamin Salqvist, says that as a child, he really enjoyed nature, and he wanted to recreate that feeling in a miniature world where you could get lost. This is very well achieved in the video game. Somehow, playing is like feeling like a child venturing into an unknown world. And it may be surprising, but the title's main inspiration is 7 Days to Die, albeit with a 2D approach that gathered influences from Don't Starve, plus a bit of the essence of Animal Crossing.

The result is a title that is not as punishing as the former, but still proposes a considerable challenge while you try to guide a small mouse through a very wintry landscape.

If you are looking for something completely different, check out our Painkiller review!

Gathering Resources and Braving the Elements In Winter Burrow

Winter Burrow puts us in the place of a mouse that, after losing its parents while they tried to give it a better life, decides to return to the small burrow where it grew up during its childhood. However, a long time has passed and it needs a good reconstruction, and that will be our first objective in the game, something that helps us understand the main game mechanics.

Here, there is gameplay very focused on resource gathering, in the style of wood, vegetation, and food to undertake renovations, as well as building furniture, crafting tools, and cooking through different recipes. Leaving your burrow to explore and obtain materials is the leitmotif of this particular journey, but of course, there are a series of aspects you must take into account, which are what add the touch of difficulty to this entertaining gameplay premise.

Facing the cold is complicated, and for that reason, we must plan our expeditions well.You have several indicators, including health, cold, hunger, and stamina. If you spend too much time outside, you will begin to see that the weather conditions start to take a toll on the protagonist's health. Also, running too much or using the axe non-stop will exhaust you, forcing you to take a second to catch your breath.

Basically, this forces you to be cautious and to plan your outings outside minimally, whether by equipping yourself with some food or, in the worst case, quickly returning to your burrow to warm up, sleep, and regain strength for the next day.

Where to Go? Dealing with Unclear Objectives

Precisely, one of the key gameplay features of Winter Burrow is the existence of a day-night cycle that passes faster than you might imagine. There is little time to explore before you suffer the impact of the cold and begin to lose health. Furthermore, at night it freezes more, and in general, the environment is less friendly, with limited visibility. All this, as you can imagine, means we are talking about a survival game with quite effective mechanics, but which also generates some frustrations.

Searching for materials is essential to, for example, weave our own clothes and better resist the cold. One of the aspects that has convinced us the least is the lack of a map to situate ourselves or something to help us orient ourselves. The environment opens up as you progress, and we believe the approach already had enough challenge as it was. 

This means we end up going around in circles too much, a frustrating process that adds to the fact that the mission design is not entirely refined. You will get stuck at several points, and when you find the solution, you will realize that part of the problem is not yours, but rather a deficient gameplay design. There area  few clues to obtain some of the objects we are asked for, forcing you to scour the environment in a way that is not stimulating at all.

That is why the lack of a map and a more intuitive design are elements that we consider generate frustrations, rather than a feeling of greater difficulty (which we assume is what was sought). Something similar happens with the inventory. Its size is somewhat tight, and you recurrently have to return to the burrow because it fills up quickly. 

Cozy Gameplay Despite the Frustrations In Winter Burrow

You can increase its capacity, but the pace at which you do so is slow, and when that improvement arrives, you have already experienced the frustration of having played with this limitation for too long. Some objectives are presented by the very characters we encounter.

In any case, if you manage to cope with these aspects, you will find a notable game, in which you can perform a high number of actions. It is possible to use an axe to chop down trees, employ a pickaxe to break stone, or even take out a shovel to dig up various materials. It is also possible to face the native fauna of the place, with several types of wild insects. They are not a big problem if you are careful enough, and don't expect a deep combat system either, but something simple and uncomplicated.

On the other hand, in the burrow you have the opportunity to expand its different areas, from the upper floor to the basement. It is possible to personalize it with different furniture, and of course, build a cozier bed, as well as tables, chairs, and other ornaments. The construction tool is also quite simple, but it is there to add that touch of cozy game we mentioned at the beginning, and which, in this case, we have to admit, suits it phenomenally.

Facing different insects is part of the survival element in Winter Burrow. In a way, Winter Burrow proposes a cozy, and also accessible, survival. Despite the gameplay frustrations we have commented on (derived from a sometimes unclear objective system), it is not a particularly difficult title, and in a few afternoons, you will have completed it. 

Visuals and Sound: A Moving Comic Book Come to Life

Really, its greatest challenge is in exploring, finding the place where a certain material is located, and moving forward. To this effect, we will encounter several characters and events, which are actually what drive the progress in this simple adventure.

But without a doubt, the game would not be the same without its endearing audiovisual presentation. Graphically, it looks like a moving comic, and in fact, it is inspired by Mouse Guard, a series created by David Petersen. The graphic result is charming, and although a bit more variety in the scenarios is missed, the environment can indeed change quite a bit from day to night, even with events like heavy snowfalls that appear from time to time (making our vision more difficult, which immerses you even more in the situation).

The comic style permeates everything and feels phenomenal, with a very particular graphic result.That is why, despite being a low-budget game, its more than amazing atmosphere is surprising, with a sound section that accompanies through soft melodies, which are accompanied by the sound of the wind (which is omnipresent).

 The interface is another aspect that has not entirely helped us get into the game, since it is quite intrusive and we have not found the option to disable it (in a game like this, it's something that makes you lose immersion). Regarding performance, nothing to object there. We have tested it both on PC and Xbox Series with very good results in fluidity and overall quality. The game is well optimized.

In Conclusion

Winter Burrow is not a survival game that seeks to be overly challenging, but rather pursues a more accessible approach, aimed at players seeking a moment of disconnection. The game achieves its goal of transporting us to an endearing natural environment, truly cozy.

 Unfortunately, its mission design can end up being frustrating due to the lack of intuitiveness of some approaches and questionable design decisions that in the long run, weigh quite heavily. In any case, a title to consider if you like this type of premise, with a most charming approach.

Game Rating:7.5/10

I would rate Winter Burrow a 7.5 out of 10 because it successfully creates a charming and cozy survival experience with a delightful aesthetic, but it is held back by frustrating design choices like the lack of a map and occasionally unclear objectives.

Age Recommendation:10+

I would recommend this game for kids ages 10 and up due to its manageable survival mechanics, non-violent combat against insects, and cozy themes, though the potential for frustration from unclear objectives requires a degree of patience.

Gemini AI Summary:

Winter Burrow is a charming, cozy survival game where you play as a mouse rebuilding its childhood burrow, featuring resource gathering, crafting, and a beautiful comic-book aesthetic, though it is somewhat marred by frustrating design choices like the lack of a map and occasionally unclear objectives.