Animal Shelter Simulator Review | PlayStation 4
Shaun M Jooste 
Exciting Animal Shelter Simulator Review | PlayStation 4
Join us for our Animal Shelter Simulator review for the PS4 where we discuss various elements of the game you might enjoy! Read more here!
Operating System: PlayStation 4
Application Category: Game
4
Our Animal Shelter Simulator review looks at a simulation game for PlayStation developed by Games Incubator and published by Ultimate Games. While the PC version has been available since March 2022, the console edition launched on 3 March 2023. It features many of the same gameplay elements, but it has yet to see the DLCs appear.
Join us as we take you on an adorable adventure with pets, where you save them from the street and put them up for adoption. Stay tuned to see just what to expect from this game with our Animal Shelter Simulator review for PS4 and PS5.
Disclaimer: We received a free copy of this game, but it doesn’t affect our opinions at all.
Animal Shelter Simulator Review: The Story
This Animal Shelter Simulator review begins with the storyline elements. While you won’t find a specific plot with foreshadowing and twists, there are still aspects that hold the main thread in place. Here’s what the game is all about.
Saving Stray Animals
When you begin playing the animal simulation game, you’ll have a small office on a plot. You’ll need to decide if you want to start with cats or dogs, but you’ll eventually have the opportunity to work with both down the line. Your purpose is to take in stray animals, improve their happiness, and then put them up for adoption with the right owners.
Starting your business
You begin with a small plot with the option to expand later. There’s a computer in your office where you can see which cats or dogs need saving. Once you select one, they’ll arrive at your front gate, waiting to be taken in. Each animal has a specific trait that will determine its behaviour, so pay close attention to the chart.
Caring for the animals
For our Animal Shelter Simulator review, I found the caring part to be the most entertaining. You’ll need to make sure they have enough food and water while also checking their other needs. The more you progress in the game, the more challenging these requirements become. Much like The Sims, the chart will show what each need is, and you’ll need to try to get them all completely full.
When an animal is completely happy, you’ll have the best chance to match it to a new owner when you set it up for adoption.
How long to play Animal Shelter Simulator?
There’s no clear-cut gameplay length for Animal Shelter Simulator on the PS4. With 57 trophies to achieve, you’ll be playing for at least a few days. Since it’s a simulation game with infinite cats and dogs to take in and care for, it’s a neverending experience that will keep you going for as long as you want until you eventually become bored of it or move on to the next game.
Animal Shelter Simulator Review: Gameplay Elements
You now have the gist of Animal Shelter Simulator in the review above, mainly for the story components. It’s now time to have a look at the gameplay elements, which show you how to play the game on your PlayStation. Many of the elements are similar to the PC version, but refined for PS4 and PS5.
Learning how to play Animal Shelter Simulator
For my Animal Shelter Simulator review, I found it relatively easy to learn how to play the game. There are window prompts every time you encounter something new, telling you what to do next. The quests apply to a new phase in the game, usually when you unlock new items. Even my 7-year-old daughter can play it without needing much guidance from me.
The care chart
Every animal you receive and place in the pen will update the chart attached to the fence. When you interact with one of them, the clipboard in your hand also updates with the relevant information. It shows you the most important information you need, such as hunger, thirst, fun, illness, and more.
At first, the chart has basic signs of what the animal needs. As you progress to more advanced requirements, you’ll notice how it affects the other icons on the chart.
Meeting animal needs to 100%
One of the main goals I focused on for my Animal Shelter Simulator review is reaching 100% happiness for each animal. It’s not needed for adoption, but the higher it is, the more chance you have at a successful transfer to a new owner. This is the component that’s a lot like The Sims, performing specific acts to make the animal happier.
Besides feeding the cat or dog, you’ll need to play with it or clean up any mess it makes. That’s right; you have a poop bag so keep the area clean. Just be careful when you let the animals out to play. Some of them get along, while others end up in a fight and need to be separated.
Paying attention to the computer
When you’re not with the animals, you’ll spend your time in your office at the main computer. That’s where I focused a lot of my attention for my Animal Shelter Simulator review. Each tab represents a different item you need to check out, whether you’re taking in a new animal, want to put one up for adoption, ordering new food or medical items, or reading one of the latest emails.
Expanding your business
One of the options on your computer is expanding your business. You’ll earn expansion tickets along the way, which you use for new plot areas around your facility. Once you unlock new spaces, you can buy and place new buildings for your animals. Some examples include a vet, a washing bay, a medical centre, and more.
You may need to move some buildings to make space for new ones. Fortunately, it’s as easy as clicking on them and rotating or moving them up to a different location. It’s much easier than real life, that’s for sure.
More challenging animals
When you unlock new items and buildings as you level up your shelter, the animals become more challenging. Well, that’s how it seemed when playing for my Animal Shelter Simulator review anyway.
As soon as I unlocked medicine, I suddenly received sick animals and a mission to heal one of them. The same happened with the wash bay; I received dirty animals needing a cleaning. Thankfully, the game doesn’t give them to you before you are ready.
Matching adoptions
You won’t have space to take in as many animals as you want. At some point, you’ll need to put them up for adoption so you can save others and level up. When you head to the PC, you’ll need to indicate which cat or dog is up for adoption with a photo taken by your camera.
The most important aspect to take note of is the animal trait and the human’s likes and dislikes. Also, you’ll need to see what the home conditions are like. After you send someone out for an inspection, you’ll see more information on what the human and new home is like.
Not only should the human like the animal’s traits, but the home conditions need to be perfect. If the dog likes a human that’s a loner, giving it to someone with a massive family and loads of pets isn’t going to work. Matching animals to humans is the part I had the most fun with for my Animal Shelter Simulator review.
The dreaded inspections
When you reach a high enough level, someone will start issuing inspections to see if your place is clean and the animals are happy. If you succeed, you’ll receive a donation to help you manage the facility better. It’s generally easy to pass these inspections as long as you spend time making sure all animals are cared for.
Animal Shelter Simulator Review: Graphics and Sound
Before I give my final verdict, let’s delve into the visual and audio aspects of this Animal Shelter Simulator review. I’m used to the graphics presented by Games Incubator, which are usually stunning and enjoyable. Having played the PC version, I can say that the PS4 visuals aren’t as crisp as on a computer or PS5.
Here are the complete details.
Excellent environmental visuals
Whether you have a small or big shelter, the colours and environments look beautiful. Sure, some trees look like they have paper leaves, but adding more texture to them is unnecessary when the focus is on the animals. I love the playpens where the cats and dogs get to run around and have fun.
Animal and building designs
The building designs are exceptional. Each one has a specific function with the required equipment to suit a different animal, whether a cat or dog. The animals have different colours and appearances, giving you some variety in the game. They don’t look as great as they do on PC, but you’ll still love playing and looking at them on PS4.
Casual music and animal sounds
You’ll have peaceful music in the background to keep you company while you play. Cats meow and dogs bark, but there are other sounds you’ll need to pay attention to. If a dog growls, it means it isn’t happy, or something is wrong. One may even whimper if it’s scared. You’ll need to make it feel more at home.
Animal Shelter Simulator Review: Final Verdict
That’s the end of our Animal Shelter Simulator review! Overall, it’s an enjoyable experience that will keep you busy for days on end. Whether you’re an adult or teenager, you’ll love taking in animals, caring for them, and giving them up for adoption. The plot expansion with more buildings gives you a sense of purpose, making you want to unlock more as quickly as possible.
Animal Shelter Simulator review is definitely worth buying and playing if you’re into challenging simulator games that deal with cats and dogs. However, it doesn’t offer as much as the PC version that has extra DLCs as yet. We’ll share a review of that soon.
We have a Casual Adventure for YOU!
Thank you for spending time reading our Animal Shelter Simulator review.
Before you leave, please spend some time visiting our online bookstore with plenty of titles to enjoy. We even have a casual adventure story you might like with The Adventures of Johnny. We’re sure you’ll love the tale of the young boy who discovers mysterious animals talking to him.
