Survival games and ‘cosy’ games usually don’t overlap all that much. In fact, I’d say they usually exist in stark opposition to one another. I find survival games extremely stressful at the best of times – while they’re interesting in theory, I generally find them to be harrowing experiences.
Winter Burrow Takes The Stress Out Of Survival
Winter Burrow– at least, its very short demo – is not harrowing. Well, it’s pretty sad, but notharrowing. You play as a mouse who left home with your family as a child to move to the big city. It turns out to be pretty rough. Your parents, faced with dwindling job opportunities, work in the mines, toiling day in and day out.
They realised that your lives were worse here, and wanted to go back, but couldn’t afford to buy tickets for the trip. Before they could scrounge up enough money, they died. Heartbroken, you pack up your belongings and return home on your own.
Your first task is to fix your home up, as it’s fallen into disrepair despite your aunt’s promises to keep it livable. After going outside and gathering some materials, you fix the fireplace, so you can keep warm. You fix your workbench, and make a simple axe so you can break down logs and tall plants. You repair the armchair by the fire, giving you a place to knit sweaters and braid ropes.
In typical survival fashion, the more complicated the task, the more time you have to spend outside your safe zone collecting resources. Despite the game’s very cosy aesthetics – what’s cuter than a mouse knitting by the fire? – it’s pretty easy to die. You have to manage hunger, stamina, and temperature, with the cold a silent killer. I spent a long day collecting resources, only to get lost among the rocks and bushes, and I couldn’t find my way back before I froze.
Thankfully, Winter Burrow isn’t completely unforgiving. When you die – or, here, faint – you can return to your home and set out to find the materials you lost. You also don’t seem to lose your tools, which is nice. It’s touches like this that make the game less stressful and more calming. You know that even if something bad happens, you can recover from it.
Make Friends
Another thing that makes Winter Burrow less stressful is that it seems more directed, at least from what the demo shows us. Instead of throwing you into the deep end and leaving you to flounder, the game points you towards specific objectives. Repair furniture. Fix a bridge. Find your aunt.
According to the Steam page, you may also “meet the locals”. It’s not clear yet what kind of community is present in Winter Burrow, but I did come across a nice travelling salesman on my way to my aunt’s house, and he told me that he sells resources to residents in the area to ensure they survive. Your meeting with your aunt is also heartwarming – she apologises for letting your house fall into disrepair, saying she didn’t think you would ever come back, and invites you in to catch up over a hot cup of tea. See, it’s cosy!
It surprised me when the demo came to an end and I immediately wanted to play more. That’s not a feeling I’ve ever experienced with a survival game, so I expect that I’ll be returning to Winter’s Burrow when it releases in 2025 to see what else it has in store for this little mouse. You can try the demo for yourselfhere.
Winter Burrow
WHERE TO PLAY
Winter Burrow is a cozy woodland survival game. Explore, gather resources, craft tools, knit warm sweaters, bake pies and meet the locals!In Winter Burrow, you play a mouse who returns from the big city to find their childhood home in ruins. To make matters worse, your Aunt (who was supposed to be looking after it) has gone missing. Restore your broken-down childhood burrow to its former glory so you’re able to relax in front of the fireplace.EXPLORE A FROZEN WILDERNESSBrave the elements and journey out into the frozen wilderness to collect vital resources for both yourself and your new home. Beware of the insect wildlife and remember that nobody survives on their own; find new friends, expand your survival handbook and solve the mystery of what happened to your Aunt.COZY APPROACHABLE SURVIVALWinter Burrow is a survival game you play at your own pace. Customize your character, decorate your burrow and choose a path that fits your play style. This story is yours to tell.
